The University is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Detroit Mercy Photography Contest with a big shout out to Summer Rayess, School of Architecture & Community Development faculty member, for winning the Best of Show award for the photo titled The Ocean Waves, The Sky Stares.
This event has been a wonderful opportunity to bring the Detroit Mercy community together and share a collective love for photography. At UDM, we celebrate success not only in academics but also in creativity, as part of our commitment to educating the whole person.
First-place winners and honorable mentions, listed below by category, are as follows:
- Abstract/Conceptual
First-place: Pointed Up, Summer Rayess, faculty member, School of Architecture & Community Development
Honorable Mention: Frozen Lightening, Heyzol Pizarro, student, College of Engineering & Science
Honorable Mention: Moving Stairs, Karolina Nobis, student, School of Architecture & Community Development - Creatures
First-place: Beauty is in The Eye of the Beholder, Erin Bell, administrator, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Honorable Mention: An Eye for Intelligence, Shuvra Das, faculty member, College of Engineering & Science
Honorable Mention: Kipper, Michele Guyor-Borthwick, administrator, University Advancement - Dusk to Dawn
First-place: Flower Store, Owen Curran, student, School of Architecture & Community Development
Honorable Mention: Matterhorn at Dawn, Qinghan Yan, faculty member, College of Business Administration
Honorable Mention: Good Hart Cairn, Joshua Duffy, staff, University Libraries - Nature/Scenic
First-place: Glacier Time, Bryanna Stine, student, College of Engineering & Science
Honorable Mention: Salt Mines of Maras, Danica Bogdanovic, faculty member, School of Architecture & Community Development
Honorable Mention: Snow Covered Slopes, Qinghan Yan, faculty member, College of Business Administration - People
First-place: Flyin’ High, Jeff Gorcyca, faculty member, School of Law
Honorable Mention: Who’s Flying Whom?, Andrew Lapetina, faculty member, College of Engineering & Science
Honorable Mention: Keep Your Eye on the Ball, Especially in Law School, Sara Sheikh, student, School of Law
Rayess will receive a $500 gift card and a 20×30 mounted print of the winning photograph. First place winners will receive a $100 gift card and a 16×24 mounted print of their winning photograph.
The winning photos will be on display in the lobby of the McNichols Campus Library. Be sure to stop by in person to view the photos or visit the UDM Photo Contest website at the link below to view the winners and the honorable mentions.
Many thanks to all who participated and a special thanks to Anthony Cressey for organizing the contest, as well the community members who generously volunteered their time and effort to judge the entries.
2025 Detroit Mercy Photography Contest.
