Did you snap some great photos this summer or over the past year? As we head into the fall term, consider capturing those special moments for your submission to the 3rd annual Detroit Mercy Photography Contest!
The UDM Photography Contest is sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning. The contest is open to all students enrolled in fall 2025, as well as all UDM employees across every campus.
Photography offers a mode of creative communication and a lens into the communities we inhabit and visit. Photographs can capture various moments and expressions, people, places and events. As such, the Office of Academic Affairs and Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning would like to invite all Detroit Mercy community members to submit digital photographs for consideration as part of a special 2025 photography contest.
You can submit one photograph per category. First-place winners in each category will receive cash prizes and an enlarged, mounted copy of their winning photograph!
Be sure to visit the UDM photo contest page for some inspiration, contest rules, submission and release forms and to view the previous winners. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 2.
Current categories for submissions:
- Abstract/conceptual/manipulation – Images of unusual patterns, lighting or objects recognized for their design element (i.e., streaking light photos, mechanical structures, reflections in glass or metal, view from a strange angle). Images can be digitally enhanced or altered beyond the minor adjustments to create an entirely different photograph. Be creative. All images must be produced by the photographer (photos taken by someone else may not be used), and the finished entry must still appear to be a photograph – not an artistic impression, drawing or design.
- People – Photos of people, alone or in a group. Such pictures may be candid, humorous, journalistic or interpretative portraits where an emphasis placed on the person, not the environment. The main focus should be people. *
- Nature/scenic – Images or scenes of plant life, landscapes, seascapes, underwater, architectural and industrial scenes. Seasonal scenes that display a fundamental design or mood are also acceptable. The main focus should be nature/scenic.
- Dusk to dawn – Details the photographic imagery captured after the sun goes down. This includes but is not limited to starry skies, life under neon lights, streaking traffic lights, mother nature at night, scenic landscapes and cityscapes, film noir portraits, creative use of light and shadows. *
- Creatures (new category for 2025) – Images or scenes of animal life, wild creatures, insects, etc. (i.e., action shots of your pet, giraffes at the zoo, cows on a countryside, banana slugs in the forest). It may be a scenic environment, but the main focus should be the creature(s) or animal(s). *
*Appropriate and accepted image enhancement in these categories must be limited to minor adjustments such as contrast, exposure, cropping, HDR, dodge and burn.
CALL FOR JUDGES: If you are interested in serving as a judge for the 2025 photo contest, please send an email expressing your interest to photocontest@udmercy.edu for consideration. With any direct questions, also contact photocontest@udmercy.edu.
The photos of last year’s winners will be displayed in the Office of Academic Affairs for the 2025-2026 academic year. Please stop by in the President’s Suite if you would like to view them.
Submit your photos today.
