These are the four winning images as well as the eleven distinctions awarded by the international jury in May 2017. In total, 239 researchers registered 497 entries for the SNSF Scientific Image Competition 2017.

The winners

 

 

 

 

Distinctions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibition

The "SNSF Scientific Image Competition" exhibition, organised by the Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography (5-28 May 2017), focuses on the 15 pictures selected by the jury, but also shows a number of other entries.

The images were on display at other venues in Switzerland and abroad in the course of 2017.

Online gallery

Many of the images are presented in an online gallery. Follow the images from the competition on Twitter using the hashtag #SwissScienceImage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The images entered in the competition may only be used in articles and presentations dealing with the SNSF Scientific Image Competition or scientific images in general. The picture caption must mention the SNSF Scientific Image Competition as well as the names of the respective authors and their institutions. If the images are used in any other context, including commercial and illustrative uses, reproduction rights need to be obtained directly from the entrant.

The competition is held annually. An international jury will meet at the beginning of the year and award a CHF 1,000 prize in each category for the winning entry, as well as CHF 250 for each distinction. The award-winning works are announced in April or May, displayed in an exhibition at the Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography and made available to the public and the media, as well as to scientific institutions.

The competition has multiple aims: to highlight the growing role of images in scientific research, to reveal how scientific work is conducted and to give a face to the researchers conducting it. The competition also aims to encourage the media to use more images in their science coverage and make them accessible to the public through exhibitions.

We encourage researchers to pick up their camera and document the – often unusual – environment in which they work, and to give their colleagues a face.

Submission form

Jury 2020

The jury includes international experts in the fields of photography, museums, media and research from around the world.

President of the jury:

Nadine Wietslisbach, director of the Fotomuseum Winterthur (Switzerland)

Members:

 

The images are presented at other exhibitions as well as online:

The prizes will be presented at the Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography (5-28 May 2017), where the winning images and videos will be exhibited.

Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography

 

The Competition is open to researchers who are working at a higher education or research institution in Switzerland.

The works must have been produced less than 12 months before the deadline for submitting entries.

SNSF Scientific Image Competition – Terms and conditions (PDF, 73 KB)

Each participant may submit from 1 to 5 entries, in one or more of the following categories:

1) Object of study (images)

From the microcosm to the macrocosm, images of the research object captured by scientists using a camera or generated by a computer.

2) Men and women of science (photographs)

Photographs of research in practice, presented by and featuring those conducting it.

3) Locations and instruments (photographs)

Photographs of the surroundings in which scientists take measurements, generate data and make discoveries, and of the instruments they use while doing so.

4) Video-Loop

Chronophotography, video or animated gif, documenting some aspects of categories 1 to 3.

Photography

Digital image file obtained from a camera. Format: JPEG or TIFF. Maximum size: 100 MB. Minimum resolution: 2000 x 3000 pixels (16.9 x 25.4 cm to 300 dpi). Digital touching up permitted.

Image

Digital image file taken from a camera or computer-generated from data obtained through observation or computer simulation (excluding explanatory infographics). Others: see "Photographs", above.

Video

Digital video file taken from a camera or computer-generated from data obtained through observation or computer simulation (excluding explanatory infographics). Formats: GIF, AVI, MP4 (edited in a loop). Maximum size: 300 MB. Duration: from 3 to 15 seconds. Minimum resolution: 480 x 720 pixels (DVD resolution). Digital touching up permitted.

Researchers who wish to take part in the competition must fill in the online form. They can also use the form to submit their entries along with a technical description and comments.

Submission form

1) Transmission of entries

Every entry (image or video file) must be upoaded to an online server or to a data transfer service (filesender.switch.ch, www.wetransfer.com, www.dropbox.com, etc.). It must have its own URL (http://...) and its name must consist of the following items: [Category_number]_[Last name_First name]_[Title_of_the_work]_[Entry_number].TIFF

2) Technical description

This is intended for specialists and provides technical details of the entry (its date of creation, focal length, magnification, colouring, special lighting, etc.) as well as a description of the object in the image, stating in particular what it is and what interesting features can be seen in it.

3) General comments

Intended for the public at large and the media, these comments include the entrants' own scientific and aesthetic assessment of the image, their motivation and the message they think the entry can convey.

The jury is international and includes experts in the fields of photography, museums, media and research.