2024 VMBS International Photo Contest Results


Prize Sponsors

Nick The Greek
Loop Abroad
Shawarma Factory
12th Man

Sponsor since the first contest!

Casa Mangiare
Freebirds World Burrito
C&J Barbecue

Category Winners

Did your photo win? If so, check the bottom of the page for instructions!

Category A. Transformational Education Abroad 

Payton Moore
BIMS Undergraduate Student

Hold On! (Costa Rica)

“I had the chance to travel to Costa Rica on a trip with Veterinarians Without Borders in Summer 2022. At the rescue center we stayed at, we helped rehabilitate sloths (and other animals) so they could return back to the wild. It was an extremely rewarding experience. In this photo, we were in the middle of feeding this baby 2-toed sloth. The babies are given a stuffed animal to act as their mother, and this sloth loved his!”

Photo Entry A2

Category B. Aggies Abroad

Sophie M. Enda
DVM Professional Program Student

Summiting of Big Daddy (Namibia)

“A climb to the top of Big Daddy means waking up well before sunrise in order to summit the 325-meter-high dune. Despite the physical exertion of this activity, the surrounding landscapes are unlike anything you will ever see. This photo, in particular, captures the duality of light and dark on the sides of the dune as well as the curve to the top speckled with humans until their shape becomes indistinguishable.”

Photo Entry B6

Category C. Aggies & Animals

Lori Teller
Small Animal Clinical Sciences Faculty

Ultimate Romantic (Antarctica)

“Penguins mate for life, and the ultimate display of love is to find a good stick or rock to bring to your mate for the nest. In this photo, a chinstrap penguin has found a stick (very hard to do on a glacier!) to share with its mate. This penguin loved showing it off!”

Photo Entry C3

Category D. Experiencing Aggieland

Arafat Rahman Oany
BIMS Graduate Student

Aggieland at Night (United States)

“The beauty of Aggieland is also stunning at night.”

Photo Entry D1

Category E. Disqualified

Ian K. Daniel
BIMS Graduate Student

Raw Camel Milk? (Kenya)

“While collecting ticks from camels in eastern Kenya, I recently tried raw camel milk directly from the udder. The communities in this region are mainly nomadic pastoralists who consume raw camel milk daily with the understudied belief that it can help attenuate the pain of rheumatoid arthritis (plus other health benefits).”

Photo Entry E4

Grand Prize Winner

Photo Entry C6

(from Category C. Aggies & Animals)

Reetu Singh | BIMS Graduate Student

Harmony in Heritage (India)

“This photograph, captured in the serene surroundings of NCSB, India, showcases a heartwarming interaction between a visitor and a group of spotted deer, symbolic of the island’s rich biodiversity. This moment of pure, interspecies connection, with the deer fearlessly approaching to be fed, reflects a world where respect for all creatures is deeply ingrained. To me, this scene represents the hope that love and care transcends all barriers, even amongst species that are usually known to be extremely cautious. The backdrop is a historic site, once known as the ‘Paris of the East’ during British India, adding a layer of profoundness – merging the beauty of wildlife to what was once the paragon of manmade beauty. This photo, in particular, holds a special place in my heart as it encapsulates the compassionate human spirit and the universal language of kindness shared across beings – something we often overlook in today’s world.”

If your photo was a winner and you did not attend the award ceremony (April 11 @ noon), please contact Dr. Laura Weber (LWeber@tamu.edu) to arrange to collect your prize package!