The Winning Images of the 2023 RPL Student Photo Competition

Our second annual student photography competition. Harvard graduate students participating in Religion and Public

 Life programs were invited to submit photographs highlighting key moments from their summer internships or experiences. Focused on the themes of "Religion and Public Life" and "A Just World at Peace," photos were captured across the globe—from Mexico City to Bethlehem to Chicago.

Below are the winners of the inaugural competition who were celebrated at an Open House in November 2023. Come by our office on the second floor of Div Hall to see these works in-person.

Eyes on Silwan (1st Place)

Rachel Nelson, AM in Middle Eastern Studies '24

Murals of famous figures eyes painted by “I Witness Silwan” in collaboration with the community to both “watch” over the community of Silwan and send a message to the settlers that they too are being “watched.” 

Mary Can't Move (2nd Place)

Destiny Magnett, MTS '24

At the Apartheid Wall in Bethlehem, the hashtag #MaryCantMove emerges out of the clouds of graffiti, referencing the city's significance as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, and how the occupation impedes its Palestinian residents' freedom to movement.

Prayer for Oxum on a Hot Afternoon in Rio de Janeiro (3rd Place)

Eve Woldemikael, MDiv '24

After placing an offering of flowers and fruits for Oxum in a cave near a waterfall, Letícia, a practitioner of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé and a dear friend of mine, takes a ritual bath in the waterfall. Oxum is the Orixá of rivers as well as love, pleasure, and beauty.

The Fight for Water Sovereignty at AIDA Refugee Camp (Honorable Mention)

Annie Ablon, MDiv '24

This is an image of graffiti located outside of AIDA Refugee Camp near Bethlehem. Through my experience with RCPI, I became further attuned to the ways in which Zionism, as a form of religious nationalism, impacts Palestinians living under occupation in myriad ways, such as water sovereignty. Here, not only is the water a literal representation, but it also doubles as an allusion to the ways that religion is weaponized through Zionism, and violently denies Palestinians daily of their livelihood and humanity by taking their natural resources.

Inseparables "Inseparables" (Honorable Mention)

Maria Duenas, MTS '24

Near the Santa Maria de Guadalupe Basilica, this mural depicts the serpent god Quetzalcoatl. At the beginning of the mural is an altar for La Virgin adorned with beautiful flowers. Quetzalcoatl seems to be protecting La Virgen and the placement of the alter shows the complex origins of Mexican identity.

Commodifying Occupation (Honorable Mention)

Destiny Magnett, MTS '24

The magnet display at a souvenir shop in Bethlehem, Palestine, juxtaposes scenes from Jerusalem, peace doves, Christian saints, Arabic script of Allah, the Palestinian flag, and Banksy’s art side by side, representing the convergence of neoliberalism, religion, tourism, and the commodification of occupation in the West Bank.

Parliament of the World's Religions Langar (Honorable Mention)

Eliza Rockefeller, MDiv '25

Attendees of the 2023 Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago share langar, a communal meal donated and hosted by the Sikh community. A torrential downpour outside the tent underscored the feeling of community among the religiously diverse, international crowd.