Photo Contest

General Specifications

• Be enrolled as a student for the academic year 2025–2026 in one of the following partner universities: Université Lumière Lyon 2 (ULL2), Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, University of Economics in Katowice (UEKat), University of Bergamo (UniBg), Polytechnic University of Castelo Branco (IPCB), University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG), Polytechnic University of Tirana (POLIS), University of Macedonia (UoM), Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH), Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV), or Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics (KhNUE).
• Students are required to submit their work using their own official university email address. Submissions sent from personal or non-university email accounts will not be accepted and will result in disqualification.
• Each participant can submit one (1) entry photo for one of the four categories resilience, sustainability, inclusivity or beauty.
• Photos must be original, unpublished works created by the participant.
• Each photo file name must include the (short version of the) photo title, name of the author, category, date taken, (example: quiet joy_Kim Smith_inclusivity_17102025.jpg) and a brief description (max 100 words) as part of the submission form provided under "How to Submit".

Technical Specifications

• Photos should be submitted in high-resolution digital format (minimum 300 dpi, JPEG)
• Maximum file size per image: 5 MB.
• Color or black-and-white images accepted.
• Minor digital editing is allowed (color correction, cropping, etc.), but no heavy manipulation or compositing.

Judging Criteria

Entries will be evaluated based on:

• Relevance to the theme.
• Creativity and originality.
• Technical quality (composition, lighting, focus).
• Emotional and narrative (storytelling) impact - how the photo tells a story that connects with others.

Theme: “Inclusive Grounds: Stories of Belonging and Resilience”

In today’s rapidly transforming world, spaces are no longer just physical containers - they are living ecosystems of interaction, care, and transformation. The photo contest under the theme “Inclusive Grounds: Stories of Belonging and Resilience” invites students from the ten BAUHAUS4EU Universities and from diverse fields -arts and humanities, social sciences, economics, management, architecture, engineering, design, and information and communication technologies- to turn their cameras toward the spaces, moments, and relationships on their campuses that embody inclusion, care, and collective transformation.

The photo contest “Inclusive Grounds: Stories of Belonging and Resilience” turns its gaze to the university campus as a living environment, a place where people from diverse cultural, social, and disciplinary backgrounds come together not only to learn, but to live, interact, and co-create. Campuses are not just physical spaces; they are dynamic landscapes where architecture, nature, and community intersect to shape daily experiences of inclusion, care, and belonging.

Students are encouraged to explore how the spaces of their universities -classrooms, libraries, labs, dormitories, cafeterias, gardens, hallways, courtyards- become grounds for resilience, sustainability, inclusivity, and beauty. How do these everyday environments support well-being, foster collaboration, welcome difference, and create moments of shared purpose; from student initiatives and intercultural encounters to accessible design and sustainable practices, the campus becomes a stage where the values of BAUHAUS4EU come alive, not just as ideals, but as lived realities visible in the textures, relationships, and rhythms of academic life.

The photo contest asks participants to look beyond surface aesthetics and capture the often invisible forces that bind people together like: a bench designed for conversation, a ramp that signals welcome, a moment of quiet support between strangers, or even a youth group reclaiming space for expression and voice. Finally, it calls on students to become visual storytellers of their own environments. It asks them to document how their campuses, as local sites within the BAUHAUS4EU Alliance, reflect the shared mission of resilience, sustainability, inclusivity, and beauty.

Resilience

Resilience is not just about endurance; it’s about adaptation, recovery, and renewal. The photo contest aims to explore how university spaces help students and academic communities bounce back and thrive: How campuses support mental health, social connection, intercultural dialogue, and youth empowerment in the face of challenges like migration, climate change, economic hardship, or social isolation? What makes a university not only withstand adversity but transform it into a source of collective strength and growth?

Sustainability

Sustainability is understood in a broad sense, encompassing not just environmental, but also social dimensions. How do inclusive environments promote long-term well-being, intergenerational connection, and equitable resource sharing? It is highlighted that a sustainable space is one where all voices matter, and no one is left behind.

Inclusivity

Inclusivity is about creating environments where differences are not just tolerated but embraced. This means architectural and urban designs that ensure accessibility, but also social designs that foster participation, representation, and care.

Beauty

Beauty, in the BAUHAUS4EU vision, is not superficial decoration but a deeper aesthetic of meaning, connection, and purpose. Inclusive Grounds challenges participants to see beauty in shared experiences, in gestures of solidarity, in the quiet poetry of everyday life. It asks: Where can we find beauty in human-centered transformation, in spaces that welcome, heal, and empower?

Rights and Usage

• Participants retain copyright of their works.
• By submitting, participants give to BAUHAUS4EU Alliance the right to use the photos for promotional and exhibition purposes with full attribution to the participant.
• Photos will not be used for commercial purposes without additional consent.

Ethical and Legal Guidelines

To ensure the ethical integrity and legal compliance of the exhibition, all participants must adhere to the following conditions:

• Permission & Access: Photographs taken on private property, in institutional settings (such as schools, universities, hospitals, etc.), or involving recognizable individuals must be taken with prior permission from the relevant authorities or persons. Participants are responsible for securing these permissions.
• Data Protection & Privacy: If images feature identifiable individuals, participants must ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or other applicable data protection laws. Subjects should be aware that their image is being used and provide informed consent where necessary.
• Copyright & Ownership: All submitted photographs must be original works owned by the photographer. By submitting, participants confirm they hold the copyright or have secured the necessary rights to submit and exhibit the image. Any third-party elements (e.g., artworks, designs) included in the photographs must also be cleared for use.
• Entries not adhering to technical or thematic requirements may be rejected.

Failure to comply with these standards may result in disqualification from the exhibition. These measures help uphold the integrity of the project and respect the rights of all involved.