Dilki won the exchange students' photo competition

That was the immediate reaction of Dilki Tharangika Lakchani after she learned that she was the winner of First Impressions, a photo competition for all exchange students at UiT.

Dilki is a master of philosophy student at the University of Ruhuna in Sri Lanka, doing research on marine pollution and the Arctic as an exchange student.

Her winning shot was captured during a visit to a Salmar salmon farming facility at Senja.

“I took the photo because it reminded me that even if we feel we struggle, there is light,” she says.

First Impressions was a photo-voice competition for all exchange students at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. the awards were announced on November 21st 2024, at the Polar Night event held in Tromsø.

A platform for Communication about life in Northern Norway

The aim of the competition and exhibition was to serve as a platform for communication about life in Northern Norway, fostering creativity, visibility and engagement among exchange students, while promoting inter-campus activities.

All exchange students at UiT for the autumn 2024 were invited to take a picture or create a drawing of something that left a positive impression on them in Northern Norway. A diverse jury from UiT assessed the final selection of 23 pictures.

The awards were funded by Craft Lab. The competition and award ceremony were co-organized by the Centre for Arctic Humanities, UiT Environmental Humanities Network, International Section / Polar Night, Student Parliament, Erasmus Student Network and Studentsamskipnaden.

Promoting Inter-campus activities

To promote inter-campus activities, the exhibition is documented on Zenodo. It is currently travelling with an inter-campus box, moving from Tromsø to Narvik campus in December 2024, Alta in January 2025, and Harstad in February 2025.