ASO Student Portrait Photo Contest

Calling all photography-savvy ASO students!

Here at ASO, we are in the process of re-designing the look and feel of our website. One of the things we'd like to do is update our imagery and content to better reflect who our distance students are – you! To help make this happen, we are launching this photo contest in the hopes of garnering high-quality photos for our website (and for use in other web and print materials) that creatively reflect your stories as distance students. Upon submission, we'll also ask you to submit a story/caption to go with your photo that can be used on our website to inspire both current and future students.

By participating, you’ll not only help us create a more community oriented, inspirational website, but will also be entered for a chance to win a Queen's swag bag or the grand prize of a trip to campus. This grand prize will include transportation coverage of up to $500, an overnight stay at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Kingston Waterfront, two $50 gift cards to local restaurants in Kingston, a chance to meet the ASO team, and a $200 shopping spree to the campus bookstore.

Getting excited? We sure are!

How to Enter

1. Take the photo

Take a photo that best captures your story as an ASO distance student. You must be in the photo. If you aren't able to take it yourself (e.g. on a self-timer), try asking a friend or family member who is photography-savvy.

The photo should attempt to creatively capture as many of the five Ws as possible - who, what, where, when, why. In other words, it should attempt to visually tell your story as a distance student.

Here are some guidelines for what your photo could convey:

Who are you? And / or who is important to you during your studies (e.g. partner, child)?
What are you studying? 
Where do you live or study most often?
When are you studying with us (e.g. at what point in your life or most frequent time of day)?
Why are you studying with us?

Note that your photo doesn't have to convey the answers to all of these questions, but we should be able to gain a sense of a few or more of these details by looking at your photo. Note that you can submit up to 5 photos that each attempt to tell your story. This will give you some flexibility to try different shots.

2. Create a caption/story

In 300 words or less, create a caption for the photo that could also act as a short biography / story. It should also aim to answer the 5 Ws as described above.

It might be helpful for you to create this before taking the photo.

3. Submit

Submit your photo(s) and caption/story before Oct. 7, 2019 at 12 pm EDT. Note that you'll be asked to submit within a category based on what program you are in / type of student you are.

PHOTO SCORING CRITERIA AND PRIZE PROCESS

All photos submitted by Oct. 7 will be viewed and scored for the following criteria:

- Quality (photos must be at least 12 megapixels, in other words, 4000 x 3000 pixels in size)

- Composition

- Visual Storytelling (see the 5 Ws above)

- Creativity / Artistry

- Impact

There will be a winner selected for each submission category based on the criteria above. The winners for each category will be informed by Oct. 18. These category winners will each be awarded with a Queen's swag package in the mail, apart from the contestant who goes on to be the grand prize winner. When category winners are notified, they will be given the option to share their photo for voting for a chance to win the grand prize of a trip to campus. 

ADDITIONAL RULES, REGULATIONS, AND ELIGIBILITY

  • In order to participate and be eligible for contest prizes, you must be a distance career student (or have been a distance student in the last 24 months) in a Queen's University Arts and Science Online program or course in good academic standing (1.6 GPA or above) as of Oct. 7, 2019.
  • You may submit up to 5 photos, but only once, and with only 1 caption/story. Note that each photo should be attempting to tell your story by itself – in other words, the 5 photos should not feed off of each other / act as a series. The option to submit more than one photo is to provide you with the option to try / submit different types of shots and compositions etc.
  • Queen's will contact the category winners by Oct. 18 with instructions about the voting process for a chance to win the grand prize. The grand prize winner will be contacted within a week of the final voting date (TBD). Within a week after the grand prize winner is announced (TBD), the swag packages for the other category winners will be mailed out.
  • Queen's University will cover the grand prize winner's gas, train, bus or air transportation up to $500. Transportation must be booked through the Queen's University Faculty of Arts and Science to be eligible for coverage. Transportation must take place between October 2019 and August 2020.
  • Queen's University will cover one night at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Kingston Waterfront for the grand-prize winner, which must be arranged through the Queen's University Faculty of Arts and Science to be eligible for coverage.
  • A Queen's University representative will accompany the grand prize winner to the Campus Bookstore during their visit and will cover up to $200 in merchandise of the winner’s choosing.
  • Any additional expenses incurred on the grand prize winner's trip are the sole responsibility of the winner.
  • By submitting your photo(s) and caption/story, you agree for them to be used in web or print materials, for marketing and communications purposes, by the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s University.
  • Questions can be directed to asc.online@queensu.ca