PLU Study Away Photo Contest Winners 2026

You can find these winning photos on display in the Anderson University Center’s CK hallway during the 2026-2027 academic year.

J-Term: Study Away in Italy 2026
by Madison Downey

Heaven and Earth

Pedro Call

Taken near a rest stop on our first bus trip of the semester.

Canal en route to Mycaenae, Greece
January, 2026

A Dessert Oasis

Nya Spivey, 1st Place
New Horizons

This place blew my mind. My photo doesn’t even do it justice. Last year Namibia experienced above-average rainfall, with torrential downpours that caused the deserts to stay green for longer than usual. When we hiked “Big Daddy Dune” we got to see an oasis from above!

Big Daddy Dune, Namibia
April, 2025

City on a Pedestal

Sara Hellums, 2nd Place
New Horizons

Showcasing a snippet of Quito’s beautiful city and its high altitude.

Quito, Ecuador
January, 2026

Meteora Monastery

Mikayla Heineck, 3rd Place
New Horizons

One of the many monasteries in the UNESCO world heritage site of Meteora.

Meteora, Greece
January, 2026

A lesson of the Fresco's in the Church

Albhea Raqueno, 1st place
Study in Action

This captures PLU students listening to a tour guide telling us about the meanings of the Frescos that surround the church walls.

Bominaco Village, Italy
January, 2026

Lutes Crossing New Bridges

Katherine Marchant, 2nd place
Study in Action

This photo was taken in Nuremberg, Germany. We were doing a city tour and crossing one of the many historical bridges in the city! The title represents Lutes continued exploration of ideas and cultures through study abroad.

Nuremberg, Germany
January, 2026

Sandy Bay Study Attempt 369

Tina Gianoulas, 3rd place
Study in Action

I loved this study spot on the Sandy Bay campus, but knew not to come if I had to actually get work done. The beautiful landscape was incredibly distracting.

University of Tasmania Sandy Bay, Australia
April, 2025

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

D. Spencer Salmon, 1st Place
Everyday Abroad

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest Mosque in the UAE, is a beautiful white marble structure that attracts tourists and the faithful alike. 

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE
January, 2026

Just a Croatian Kitty

Ally Tattar, 2nd Place
Everyday Abroad

The architecture in Dubrovnik’s Old Town was like no other and the kitties roaming around the streets only added to the city’s unique charm.

Dubrovnik, Croatia
April, 2025

Where the Sun God Visits the City

David Anthony, 3rd Place
Everyday Abroad

This mural in Oaxaca depicts hummingbirds—sacred symbols associated with Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of war and the sun—blending Indigenous belief systems with contemporary urban art. By pairing the birds with a skull and flowers, the composition evokes themes of life, death, and rebirth, reflecting Mesoamerican understandings of mortality and spirituality while situating these ancient symbols within a modern cityscape near a church to contrast the ancient belief systems with the new.

Downtown Oaxaca, about a block away from the “Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán.”
January, 2026

Orange Market

Joscelyn Barenaba, 1st Place
Taste of the World

Every Friday in Athens, Greece, outside of our CYA apartments, there was a farmers market held. They had things ranging from nuts to vegetables to flowers, but one thing that was very significant was the extreme abundance of citrus, specifically oranges.

Athens, Greece
January, 2026

Where the Air has Flavor

Karen Zhu, 2nd Place
Taste of the World

Dubai’s traditional markets are called souqs and they are named for the products they sell: the gold souq, the textile souq, the utensil souq, and as shown here, the spice souq. Walking through the souq is a sensory feast. There are bright colors, loud sounds, constant brushes from the flowing crowd, and from every stall, a bouquet of swirling smells. The colorful spices are stacked outside each booth and every vendor is eager to soothe your soul with herbal tea or completely clear your sinuses with a whiff of eucalyptus crystal.

Spice Souq in Dubai, UAE
January, 2026

Kaffeehaus Kuchen

Kendall MacDonald, 3rd Place
Taste of the World

A cake and pastry case at Café Landtmann, a historic coffee house in Vienna.

Vienna, Austria
May, 2025