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PhD Student and Postdoc Photo Competition

Conservation conversation by Ben Chapple (CEP)

Crystals of the light sensitive protein “Cl-rsEGFP2” by Christopher Hutchison (Life Sciences)

On the beach by Hinkley Point by Daniel Mehlig (CEP)

It Isn't All Black and White by Henry Grub (CEP)

Illuminating the soul of hollow-core fibres by Joseph Broughton (Physics)

Immune cells to the rescue by Julia Sanchez Garrido (Life Sciences)

Bracing for change by Matthew Clark

Honey bee brood development under stress by Monika Yordanova

Making Waves by Ruby Morel (Chemistry)

Diverging Thoughts on Convergence Theory by Shavindra Jayasekera (Maths)

Light at the Crossroad by Thomas Walker (Physics)

Single-Walled Nanotubes at Micron Scale by Zoyia Kamora (Chemistry)

Congratulations to our winners

The submissions this year really impressed our panel of judges, and showed a wide snapshot of the work taking place across the Faculty. Congratulations to our winners as well as those who were shortlisted:

PhD student category winner: Zoyia Kamora, Department of Chemistry
Postdoc category winner: Dr Christopher Hutchison, Department of Life Sciences
People's Choice Award: Ruby Morel, Department of Chemistry

The full shortlist is as follows. Congratulations to everyone who made the shortlist for this year's competition:

Dr Joseph Broughton, Department of Physics
Dr Matthew Clark, Centre for Environmental Policy
Ben Chapple, Centre for Environmental Policy
Dr Julia Sanchez Garrido, Department of Life Sciences
Henry Grub, Centre for Environmental Policy
Dr Christopher Hutchison, Department of Life Sciences
Shavindra Jayasekera, Department of Mathematics
Zoyia Kamora, Department of Chemistry
Dr Daniel Mehlig, Centre for Environmental Policy
Ruby Morel, Department of Chemistry
Dr Thomas Walker, Department of Physics
Monika Yordanova, Department of Life Sciences

Hopefully we'll see you all again next year!

Selection criteria

The panel of judges will sift submissions against eligibility criteria (see below) and the following themes:

Technical skill: What are the technical qualities of the image, including clarity, lighting and framing?
Impact: Does the image captured the imagination of the viewer? Is it likely to inspire?
Communication: Is the narrative accessible to the layperson and does it describe the image and its message accurately? Does it complement the image and enhance its impact?

Applicant requirements

To apply, you must be a PhD student or postdoctoral researcher currently registered in the Faculty of Natural Sciences (Departments of Chemistry, Physics, Life Sciences, Mathematics and Centre for Environmental Policy). Entrants are limited to one submission.

Image requirements

The submitted image may be portrait or landscape (shortlisted images will be printed in A2). You may also submit a second version of the same image with labels and/or annotations. This may allow the audience to better understand the structure or components of your image. Note that the judges will not view or score any labelled images.

Submit your entries as JPEG/JPG files, maximum 100Mb in size. The shortlisted entries will be print in A2 (4961 x 7016 pixels) at 300dpi.

Please include your name in the title of the file.

Images may be black and white or in colour, taken with any kind of camera. Minor adjustments are allowed, such as minor changes in cropping, sharpening, contrast, etc. Significantly altered or artistically enhanced photos are not accepted. The judges may request the original file/RAW/negative of your photo to verify this.

Images taken by someone other than the applicant are not allowed.

Image caption requirements

Your image title should ideally be two to five words with a strict maximum of 10 words.
Your accompanying narrative/caption should ideally be 80-100 words with a strict maximum of 110 words.
Your image narrative must give a description of your image and place it in the context of your research.
Your narrative must be accessible to a non-specialist audience. Do not use acronyms.

Ethics requirements

You must not do anything to injure or distress an animal or damage its habitat in an attempt to secure an image.
You must ensure that the personal safety of everyone involved is appropriately handled. Avoid taking unnecessary risks that can result in dangerous situations.
You are responsible for ensuring full compliance with any applicable national or international legislation.
Respect the work of other photographers and do not plagiarize.
If the panel suspects that an entry has been achieved through cruel or unethical practices, the entry will be disqualified.

Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice (Notice) explains how the Faculty of Natural Sciences (FoNS, we, our, us) processes your personal data when you apply for our PhD Student & Postdoc Photo Competition (formerly known as the PhD Student Photo Competition), and your rights in relation to the personal data we hold.

Our Privacy Notice is available here to download: Privacy Notice for Students and Staff [PDF]

Terms and conditions

It is the responsibility of participants to ensure that the images they are submitting are their own work, that they own the copyright for them and that they do not infringe on the copyright or other rights of any third party.

It is the responsibility of participants to ensure that the images do not infringe on any laws. Copyright for the submitted images remains with their authors. However, by entering the competition, participants are granting the Faculty of Natural Sciences irrevocable, perpetual permission for non-commercial use of the images online and in print, in any promotional materials related to the competition, and in an exhibition on campus.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr Ester Buchaca-Domingo (e.buchaca-domingo@imperial.ac.uk).