More winning photographs

Below are more victorious photos from the Bologna Center competition. Yesterday, we featured a photograph of Morocco by Nicolò Lanciotti, repeated below, which was the overall winner and winner of the Travel Category. Here are the names of the other winners and the categories:


Best in People Category - tie between Eric Leikin and Justin Clark (Morocco)
Best in Bologna Category - Aurélien Billot (Strada Maggiore)
Best in Italy Category - tie between Aurélien Billot and Euri Lee (Venice)


As our readers can see, there is a lot to photograph and film in and around Bologna.


Many thanks to Courtney McCarty, the Student Government Association and the participants.

by Nicolò Lanciotti

by Eric Leikin

by Justin Clark

by Aurélien Billot

by Aurélien Billot

by Euri Lee

Tomorrow and Thursday: a video glimpse of Bologna

Nelson Graves

Winning photography

Today and tomorrow we will showcase some photography by current Bologna Center students. Below is a note by Courtney McCarty, a current student who helped to organize a photography contest. She provides some details and background on the contest. Below her note is the winning photograph by Nicolò Lanciotti. Tomorrow we will run several others that won different categories in the competition. 


Our SAIS class has a lot of different talents, and we've gotten to see that in many ways this year. We've seen (and heard) our classmates form a rock band, perform in a local orchestra and play various sports with the Bolognese, for example. But I had also noticed many classmates who take excellent photos. Every time I visited Facebook, one classmate or another had posted some amazing shots from their latest weekend trip to Morocco, or Sicily or even here in Bologna. Our student blog has highlighted some of that talent, but I thought it would be a good idea to have a photo contest/exhibit, in print format, to really show it off. 

So, I worked with the Student Government Association and school administration to make it happen. I sent out a call for submissions, asking for photos in the themes of Bologna, Italy, Travel and People, because these are the themes that have really defined our year here. I received 41 entries from 21 students, had them printed in a local photography shop and displayed them in the Library in a competition format.  About 1/4 of the students, plus some staff, participated in the voting, and we named winners last week. We're hoping to display some of the winning photos in different ways throughout SAIS. 

When seen in print format, the photos really were amazing, and it was great to see everyone's experiences in both Bologna and farther afield throughout this year. I have heard from both students and staff how great the photos looked and how impressed they were by the students' work.


Courtney McCarty

Morocco scene
by Nicolò Lanciotti

Nelson Graves

Colorful Carnevale

When in Italy, do as the Italians do.

The SAIS Bologna experience is anchored in the classroom. It is fundamentally an academic program.

But as we've written before, the learning experience extends beyond the classroom walls. There are lectures, job opportunities, exposure to different points of view and of course the attractions of Bologna, the surrounding region and neighboring countries.

Last weekend, many SAIS Bologna students took advantage of the proximity of Venice to participate in the annual Carnevale. It's difficult to find a more colorful tradition among Italy's many rituals.

Started some 900 years ago, Carnival marks the shift from winter to spring. It traditionally lasted from October to Lent and had an important social function: to bring together different social classes. It was a time when rich and poor could mingle freely thanks to the masks on their faces. Today, it is a time to celebrate Venetian culture, to mark the beginning of Lent and of course to dress up.

Our students' photographs have been among our most popular posts since we launched this blog in December. It's little use, then, my continuing to write about Carnevale as these pictures are worth far more than my words.

By Megan Holt

by Elizabeth Fustos

by Megan Holt

by Elizabeth Fustos

by Megan Holt

by Rachel Salerno

by Megan Holt

by Courtney McCarty

by Megan Holt

by Courtney McCarty

by Courtney McCarty

by Rachel Salerno

by Lars Olson

Nelson Graves