International Photo Competition
A picture can be worth a thousand words, and we want to give you chance to tell your story.
We're proud to have students join us from over 85 countries and even more who are studying around the world – and we want to show this to the city of Bath!
The International Photo Competition is designed to highlight and celebrate the international diversity of our University, while giving you the opportunity to reflect on your international identity or experience.
This year's competition will run from 24 March to 21 April 2025. The closing date is 11.59pm on Monday 21 April 2025.
Winners in each category will win £100
Themes for 2025
We are very thankful to our sponsors of this year’s competition: Bath Spa Go Global, Bath Spa Sustainability, and the Royal Commonwealth Society Bath. Follow the links in the dropdowns below to find out more about each and their amazing initiatives.
Step off the common path and find the beauty tourists often miss. Through your lens, reveal a part of Bath that feels special, surprising, or personal to your journey as an international student in this World Heritage City.
This category is sponsored by the Royal Commonwealth Society Bath. To learn more about the RCS and their mission, visit their website.
Capture a moment that reflects the beauty of embracing the unknown. Whether it’s building a connection with someone from a different background, immersing yourself in a new culture, or discovering similarities in unexpected places, let your photo tell a story of growth, understanding, and the transformative power of curiosity.
This category is sponsored by the Go Global team. Learn more about semester abroad, summer schools, global work experience opportunities and ways to fund international experiences on the Go Global pages.
What does a sustainable future look like to you? Capture an image that represents your hope for a greener, more sustainable world—big or small, real or imagined.
Need inspiration? Check out the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This category is sponsored by the Bath Spa Sustainability Team. Discover more about their initiatives and commitment to achieving a net zero emissions goal.
Prizes and recognition
First place submissions in each category will win £100!* In addition, all students submitting an entry will be invited to a reception with the Mayor of Bath on the evening of 8 May at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. The highest ranked photos in each category will be on display and light refreshments will be available. Winners in each category will be announced at this event.'
Submissions
Submission deadlines for the photos starts on 24 March and runs until 11.59pm on 21 April 2025.
To submit your photo, please use your university email to email your photos to studentvoice@bathspa.ac.uk with the subject line "International Photo Competition."
In the body of the email, include:
- The title of your photo
- A description of how your photo answers the theme you chose (up to 100 words)
- Your student ID number
- An attached photo or a link where we can download it.
Further details
Most categories are open to all students. For the purposes of this competition, in the category of ‘My Hidden Bath’ we are defining international students as any student who is studying in the UK but is a non-UK citizen, or a non-UK citizen studying at one of the University's partner campuses abroad. You could be in the UK on a student visa, pre-settled or settled visa, student exchange or other immigration status, or studying at a BSU partner campus outside of the UK.
This competition is open to full-time current students at Bath Spa University, and Bath Spa University Partners in the UK, and Transnational Education Partners abroad.
Photos will be judged by academics and staff at Bath Spa University.
Photos submitted will be anonymised and judges will score each photo using the following criteria:
- Relevance to the theme - How well does the photo align with the chosen category’s prompt?
- Storytelling and emotional Impact - Does the photo convey a compelling story or message?
- Creativity and originality - Does the image present an unexpected or new perspective? Does it demonstrate creativity in composition, subject, or interpretation?
- Composition and visual impact - Is the image visually engaging? Does the framing, technical aspects, and editing enhance the story being told?
This is an amateur photo competition. You don't need previous experience to participate. Judges will come from a variety of backgrounds. Ultimately, we are interested your story and seeing the creative ways in which you express it.
By submitting your photo, you agree to the terms and conditions outlined below:
- By entering this photo contest, I agree Bath Spa University may use this photo in future promotional material and/or web-based media
- You may submit one photo per category that you are eligible for
- Photos must be taken by you and not include yourself in the photo unless the photo was also taken by you (selfie)
- Any people identifiable in the photo must have given you permission to take the photo
- Photos should have been taken after starting your course at Bath Spa University
- The competition is open to full-time, current students only, including our UK and international TNE partners
- Photos should be submitted in JPEG format and the file size limit is 100 MB. You may include a link to a downloadable photo instead of attaching the photo if you would like
- Each photo should come with a title and reflection of 100 words or less describing the photo and how it relates to the category to help the audience better understand your experience
- Photos may be taken on a camera or smartphone but are judged equally
- Light editing that helps you express your vision and connect to the theme is allowed. You may also change your photo to black and white or other tones if you wish. You may use Adobe software or similar editing tools to do this. Heavy edits or major changes that alter the original photo’s integrity are discouraged
- Judging will be based on the criteria below, not on the level of editing used
- Photos will be checked for authenticity.
*An equivalent or similar prize may be necessary if you are a BSU partner student currently abroad.
Winning photos from the 2024 competition
Collaboration with the University of Bath
Bath Spa University is excited to be running this photo competition in parallel with the University of Bath. University of Bath students will be participating in the first two categories with their own spotlight theme for the third category.
Students from both universities will be invited to the celebratory event and photos from both institutions will be on display.
Winning photos
Winning photos will be printed and mounted (along with their titles and descriptions) at the celebratory event on 8 May. All students submitting entries will be invited to the event. Winners will be announced at the event.
There is a £100 prize for each category. Prize money will be deposited in the student’s bank account on record with the University. If you are unable to attend the event and your entry wins, you will still receive the prize money.
After the event, photos may be displayed on any Bath Spa University campus. By entering this photo contest, you give permission for Bath Spa University to use your photo(s) in future promotional material and/or web-based media. Photos will be credited but you will receive no additional payment.
Additional information
If you have further questions about the competition, please email studentvoice@bathspa.ac.uk.
You can find the winning photos from last year's competition on this page.
Image credit: Abhinav Kukreja, Masters of Business Administration: Leadership.