Photo Contest 2026

General Specifications

• Be enrolled as a student for the academic year 2026–2027 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 (UPCB), 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), Kharkiv National University of Economics (KhNUE), or Lviv National Academy of Arts (LNAA).
• 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 has to submit three (3) entry photos as part of a series that tells a single story.
• Photos must be original, unpublished works created by the participant.
• AI generated or manipulated images will NOT be accepted.
• Each photo file must be named using the university short name, author’s first and last name, short title of the series and number of photo of the series (e.g. BTH_Anna Mueller_Contemplation_1.jpg).
• Please ensure that the submission form is fully completed before submitting your entry.

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 are 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, originality and emotional narrative (storytelling) impact.
• Technical quality (composition, lighting, focus).

Theme: "My City, My University"

Universities are more than places of learning. They are integral parts of the cities and regions in which they are embedded, shaping local communities through education, research, culture, innovation, and civic engagement, while at the same time being continuously inspired by the people, places, and identities that surround them. The 2nd BAUHAUS4EU Photography Contest, under the theme "My City, My University", invites students from the ten BAUHAUS4EU partner universities and from all academic disciplines to explore this unique relationship through the lens of photography.

The contest encourages participants to look beyond the physical boundaries of their campuses and discover the many ways in which universities and cities interact. Whether through shared public spaces, cultural landmarks, collaborative projects, sustainable initiatives, entrepreneurship, artistic expression, or everyday encounters, students are invited to capture the connections that make universities active contributors to urban and regional life.

Rather than presenting the university and the city as separate entities, the theme highlights their continuous dialogue and mutual influence. Universities contribute knowledge, creativity, innovation, and social engagement, while cities provide living laboratories where ideas are tested, partnerships are formed, and communities grow together. This exchange reflects the BAUHAUS4EU Alliance's shared mission of building resilient, sustainable, inclusive, and beautiful regions.

Participants are encouraged to become visual storytellers of this relationship. Their photographs may portray moments of collaboration between the university and local communities, spaces where academic and urban life intersect, initiatives that address societal challenges, or everyday scenes that illustrate how learning, culture, and civic life extend beyond campus walls. The most compelling images will not simply document places, but reveal the connections, interactions, and shared experiences that strengthen the bond between universities and their cities.

Ultimately, the contest invites students to reflect on the role of universities as open institutions that contribute to regional transformation and community well-being. Through their photographs, participants are encouraged to demonstrate how their university and city grow together, creating environments where knowledge, innovation, culture, and people come together to shape a more resilient, sustainable, inclusive, and beautiful future.

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.