CBU photography students receive Award of Excellence

Riverside, Calif. (July 7, 2022) – Three students from the California Baptist University photography program recently received the Communication Arts magazine’s Award of Excellence.

Over 2,200 entries were submitted to this year’s photography competition. Of those entries, only 117 were accepted. The competition is judged by an international jury of established creative professionals, and participants are awarded based on creativity. The winning entries are included in the Communication Arts Photography Annual.

Only seven student photographs were selected, with four of them being taken by CBU students—Alicia Berardelli, Caleb Ericksen and David Ardill, who had two winning entries.

Christopher Kern, photography program lead and associate professor of photography, said the achievement is one of the most coveted awards in the photography industry.

“It places our students among the highest ranks in the field and creates a destination for employers to seek out creative professionals for various career opportunities,” Kern said. “It’s a launching pad for their efforts that they now must maintain and continue to nurture.”

The CBU photography program prepares students to enter the field by running like a photography studio. Additionally, the Christian worldview is implemented throughout the curriculum and coursework, Kern said.

“We’re creating servants of the Lord through our every interaction,” Kern said. “We are sending our students into the secular world to be His light.”

See the students’ winning entries here.