Contest Information and FAQs

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  Photo Submission Rules

  To submit your photos for consideration in the contest, please follow the guidelines below:

  Who is eligible to enter?
  

  • Students enrolled in a degree seeking program. 

  When to enter?
  

  • Submissions will be accepted from Monday, September 29th, 2025 at 8:00 am to Friday, December 5th, 2025 at 11:59 pm.  

  How to enter?
  

  • Photos must be submitted as jpeg files. 
  • Only one photo per category will be accepted for the 2025-2026 contest. Therefore, each student may submit a total of FIVE photos.
  • Photo submissions must be labeled with the student’s name and category as the file name.
    
    • For example, if the student’s name is 'Jay Smith' and they are submitting a photo to the 'Captured in Time' category, the photo should be titled “jaysmith_capturedintime.jpg.”
  • Please complete a submission form for each photo that you submit (reminder: you can submit one photo per category).
    

  Categories:
  

  • The five categories are listed and explained below in the section labeled "2025-2026 Categories."
  • Students may submit one photo per category.

  Rules and Suggestions for Submitted Photos:
  

  • All aspects of the BYU Honor Code must be followed in photo submissions. Please make sure that the students within the photo follow BYU dress and grooming standards (i.e., no beards). This is rarely an issue.
  • The photo must be taken by the person that is submitting the photo to the contest. In the case that a photographer is doing a self-portrait or needs to be included in the photo, they need to be the person that is setting up the shot and camera.
  • Photos should be student focused. Photos do not have to be on BYU campus or in BYU apparel but should show an aspect of student life. The importance of including a student subject in the photo has increased as the contest has continued to grow. For example, a photo of students hiking is appropriate, but a landscape photo without any people would likely not score as well in the judging process.
  • Preference will be given to candid photos, and will be judged as such.
  • Photos may be edited to a reasonable degree (i.e., color, contrast, lighting, etc.) Drastic alterations (i.e., addition of individuals, removal of significant portions of the photo, etc.) are generally discouraged.
  • Color, black and white, sepia, etc. photos are acceptable.
  • Photos should be high quality, meaning that the photo can be blown up to a larger size without pixelation of the image content. Ideally, photos should try to be around 3000x4500px (this is not required, but please be aware of how the photo might look if it is made larger).  
  • Photos are not required to have been taken within a certain time frame or at a specific location; however, recent photos are preferred. For instance, photos do not need to have been taken within the 2025 academic year or on BYU campus. 
  • Non-winning photos from the previous year’s contest may be resubmitted.
  • All photos should be taken in a manner that follows best safety practices for the activity.

  Additional Information:
  

  • For your information, all submitted photos may be utilized by the university for various needs (i.e., websites, conference rooms, etc.). 
  • The Dean of Students reserves the right to deny any entry. 
  • Winners will be informed via email.

  Thank you for your submissions!

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  Prize Information

  There will be three cash prize winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place) and three honorable mentions (4th, 5th, and 6th place) selected from each category. This adds up to 15 total cash prize winners, and if including honorable mentions, 30 total winners in the contest.

  Students can win up to one cash prize (either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in one category), one honorable mention, and the Best of Show award.

  The prize values for each category are as follows: 1st place receives $475, 2nd place receives $350, and 3rd place receives $150. Because 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place is awarded per category, this adds up to 15 total cash prize winners. The Best of Show winner will receive an additional $125 prize.

  See the section below titled “Judging Criteria" for more information on the judging process.

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  Judging Criteria

  All photos submitted by the deadline (December 5th, 2025 at 11:59pm) will be reviewed by teams of employees and students. Judges will score the photographs in each category according to the criteria noted below:

  1. The photo is compliant with all aspects of the Honor Code. Photos that do not comply with this rule will not be considered.
  2. The photo matches the feel of a student center (i.e., the photo is student-oriented). Photos do not have to be on BYU campus or in BYU apparel, but they should show an aspect of student life.
  3. The photo has appropriate exposure. Photos should have ideal brightness, including appropriate levels of detail in both the shadows and highlight areas.
  4. The photo is not pixelated. Photo pixelation should not inhibit a viewer’s ability to see the content or cause a lower quality appearance in printing. Winning photos will be printed at 2'x3' so photo submissions should be able to be blown up to that size. It is recommended that photos be around 3000x4500px to avoid the issue of pixelation.
  5. The photo has appropriate composition and focus. The arrangement of the forms within the photo should be pleasing to the eye and follow the rule-of-thirds, unless for a specific artistic reason. Focus should aid in framing the photo with intentional choice of which objects are sharp and which are blurred.
  6. The photo is relevant to the category. Preference will be given to photos that fit the category description.
  7. The photo is memorable and unique. Photos should stick out among the submissions. Submissions are encouraged to be artistic, creative, and showcase the photographer’s style. Memorable photos may contain content that is especially beautiful, emotional, thought-provoking, etc.
  8. The photo is candid, capturing a snapshot of authentic BYU student life.
  9. The photo follows all the listed submission rules. Photo submissions that fail to follow rules will be disqualified.
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  What is Best of Show voting?

  After two rounds of judging by student and admin panels, the top 30 photos are featured on the photo contest website for Best of Show voting. All BYU students can view these top submissions and vote for their three favorites. The photo with the most votes wins the prestigious Best of Show award!

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  What is the history of the Dean of Students Photo Contest?

  The Dean of Students Office and Wilkinson Student Center Services started the Dean of Students Photo Contest to celebrate the student experience and student art in the Wilkinson Student Center (WSC). In an effort to reduce the amount of random landscape artwork in the building, over one hundred pieces of artwork were removed from the WSC walls in 2017-2018, targeting works that did not relate to BYU or students. This created a need for new artwork/photos and the Dean of Students Photo Contest was started to fill the void.

  Fall semester of 2018 was the first year of the annual Dean of Students Photo Contest. Since then, student participation has contributed to over one hundred new photos now displayed in the Wilkinson Student Center. We look forward to another year celebrating student work by showcasing photos that embody student life here at BYU.

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  Where do I find the photos in the Wilkinson Student Center?

  Most photos are on the third floor of the Wilkinson Student Center. Additional photos are on the second floor, placed between the CougarEat and the Ballrooms and around the East Lounge, and around the first floor offices.

  Winning photos for this and upcoming years will be placed in available spaces throughout the building.

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