We are extremely excited to showcase the winners of our 2023 Annual Photo Contest. This year, we received a record-breaking 216 entries from SAIS students studying around the world. We asked students to submit photos related to the themes of development, climate, sustainability, and the theme of our 2023/24 Annual Issue: Towards A ‘Just Transition.’

A huge congratulations for all of our winners, and an enormous thank you to all the participants who submitted incredible photos for consideration!

FIRST PLACE WINNER:

天地一沙鸥 (THE GRAIN) by Kang An

The Grand Canyon of Dushanzi, Xinjiang. The magnificent power of nature is evident in the scale of the canyon, which dwarfs the people and vehicles below. Sediment left by the river forms patterns on the canyon floor. The government has constructed diversion channels in the river, which brings both impact on the environment and a more stable, clean water source from the snowmelt of the Tianshan Mountains.

SECOND PLACE WINNER:

LONE PINE TREE by Jack Kennedy

As the pine stands tall, its gnarled bark and weathered branches tell a story of survival against the odds. In recent years, the Yellowstone region has witnessed a decline in its pine tree population, with rising temperatures and the invasive pine beetle taking their toll on the once-thriving forests.

THIRD PLACE WINNER:

DESERT OR FLOOD? BY GEFEI KOFI ZHOU

The Great Rift Valley, Ethiopia—

In a flooded village by Lake Chamo, the remnant of a public restroom above the water is one of the last traces of human activities.

FOURTH PLACE WINNER:

PRAYER FLAGS FOR SALE BY LUKE STEWART

A woman sells prayer flags on the roadside between Lhasa and Drak Yerpa monastery in Tibet. Tourism is an important source of income for many residents of this developing region, but the associated environmental and cultural impact is difficult to measure. The mountainside here is almost completely covered by prayer flags left by pilgrims and tourists.

FIFTH PLACE WINNER:

GLACIAL RETREAT BY CHRISTOPHER HALEY

Mount Rainier and Mount Adams, Washington State, USA— These are two of the Pacific Northwest's stratovolcanoes, whose glacial runoff is critical to the climate of the Puget Sound. Both mountains have lost over half of their glacier mass in the past century.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

PHOTO FRAME BY KANG AN

Sayram Lake in Xinjiang is a famous tourist attraction, poetically referred to as "the last teardrop of the Atlantic Ocean" because it is the final place reached by the ocean's warm and humid air. Formerly part of the Yili region, Sayram Lake was transferred to the Bole region in an effort to balance development across various regions and to promote the overall development of Xinjiang. Climate change-induced glacier melt has expanded Sayram Lake, but if this trend continues, the thawed permafrost may eventually lead to the disappearance of this tourist attraction.

CALVING GLACIER BY LUKE STEWART

Ice calves from a glacier above Lake Louise in Banff National Park. Banff's spectacular mountain valleys were carved by glaciers over millennia, but anthropogenic climate change is now causing these glacial remnants to recede and break apart on a timescale measured in years instead of millennia.

RECLAIMING THE BEAUTY OF TUVALU BY JOHN AUGÉ

The reclamation of land in Funafuti, Tuvalu will allow the most beautiful sunsets to continue to be enjoyed despite the rising sea levels.

SUMAPAZ BY HENRY BURBANK

Sumapaz National Park is a páramo, or high altitude alpine tundra, outside Bogotá, Colombia. A rare ecosystem that is largely confined to the Andes region, Sumapaz was, until recently, a corridor through which the FARC would transport armies, weapons, and kidnapped hostages. Today it is largely peaceful.

TELECOM IN THE HIMALAYAS BY MORGAN CANNON

Telephone wires in rural Himalayas - India