Winners Crowned in SU Photo Contest

In its first photo contest since 2019, RVU-SU invited all faculty, staff, and students to submit “great photographic shots of the scenery in Southern Utah.” The outcome of the competition, which ran from March 25 – April 19, was decided by student and employee votes. Winners received gift cards, which ranged from $25-$75 for the top three finalists, as well as a unique opportunity to showcase their art. This year’s finalists joined previous years’ submitters in having their artwork exhibited around campus. In fact, “all the pictures of [southwestern] Utah on our campus walls” were finalists’ submissions to this and previous photo contests, said Kristine Jenkins, MPA, Director of Campus Operations.

The year RVU-SU first opened, its art committee decided to decorate the campus’ walls with paintings and pictures of the gorgeous local landscape. Red Mountain, which provides an “amazing backdrop for our campus,” played heavily into the committee’s decision-making, said Jenkins. “We wanted to bring that [imagery] inside the campus, too.” In order to achieve this, the members of the committee, many of whom “expressed an interest in photography,” created the RVU-SU Photo Contest.

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This year’s winners were:
• First Place: Edward “Harrison” Steins, OMS I
• Second Place: Riley Stearns, OMS III
• Third Place: John Bosak, OMS III, and Miles Brooks, DO ‘22

Additionally, seven other finalists received an honorable mention for their work.

“I’ve received so much positive feedback [from students, employees, and] especially guests to our campus,” she said. Visitors love the pictures, and their appreciation for them grows when they discover all of the pictures were taken by RVU students and employees. “I love pointing these out on VIP tours; it is always a highlight of any tour.”