Winners 2017
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.
Terms of use
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.
About the competition
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 2021
The jury includes international experts in the fields of photography, museums, media and research from around the world.
Members:
- Nadine Wietslisbach, director of the
Fotomuseum Winterthur (Switzerland), president of the jury
- Pauline Fer, spatial designer,
Kossmanndejong (Netherlands)
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Emmanuel Ferrand, mathematician, Sorbonne University (France)
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Jens Hauser, curator (Denmark)
- Irène Hediger, director of
Artists-in-labs, Zurich University of the Arts (Switzerland)
- Lars Lindemann, director of photography of
Geo magazine (Germany)
Award ceremony, exhibition and online galleries
La remise des prix a lieu en mai 2021 durant les Journées photographiques de Bienne, où les œuvres gagnantes et soumises sont exposées.
The images are presented at other exhibitions as well as online:
Award of prizes and exhibition
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
Terms and conditions for taking part
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)
Competition categories
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.
Technical specifications
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.
Submission
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.
Jury
The jury is international and includes experts in the fields of photography, museums, media and research.
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Ben Brubridge, art historian, scientific image specialist, University of Sussex (UK) and curator of the exhibition
Revelation at the London Science Museum
- Flurin Fischer, Scientific Officer,
Artists-in-Lab, Zurich (CH)
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Andrea Gentile, science journalist at Wired.it (Italy)
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Martina Griesser, head of collections, Technisches Museum Wien (AT)
- Pascal Hufschmid, head of external affairs,
Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne (CH)
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Dominique Peysson, artist and former physicist, Paris (FR)
- Claire Doutrelant, biologist, CNRS, Montpellier (FR)
News
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10.11.2020
Share the beauty of your research! The Swiss National Science Foundation invites researchers to submit their photographs, images and videos to the SNSF Scientific Image Competition. This year, in addition to the official jury, the public will be able to choose their favourite works from among those submitted since 2017.
2021 SNSF Scientific Image Competition: Details
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28.04.2020
Spectacular photographs, provocative videos and intimate stories shed new light on contemporary research. The jury for this year’s SNSF Scientific Image Competition has awarded four first prizes and seven distinctions.
Imaging science: Details
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19.11.2019
Capturing the beauty of science: the Swiss National Science Foundation is once again holding its photo and short video competition in 2020. Nadine Wietlisbach, director of the Fotomuseum Winterthur, will chair the jury. The images will be exhibited for the first time at the Biel/Bienne Photography Festival in May and will be freely available to the public and the media.
2020 SNSF Scientific Image Competition: Details
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30.04.2019
The 457 entries submitted to the third SNSF Scientific Image Competition jury are online. They offer a behind-the-scenes look at research through stunning images and intriguing videos. The international jury awarded prizes to 15 entries that will be exhibited at the Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography.
Photography: A fresh look at science: Details
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06.11.2018
Following the success of the first two editions, the Swiss National Science Foundation has decided to stage its competition for images and short videos from the world of science for a third time. The best entries will be showcased in various exhibitions and via social media.
Another SNSF image competition in 2019!: Details
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24.09.2018
Two exhibitions at the Zurich Film Festival and the Foire du Valais in Martigny will present outstanding images of Swiss research.
SNSF Image Competition in Zurich and Martigny: Details
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24.04.2018
The winners of the SNSF Scientific Image Competition show science from another angle. From the over 350 works submitted, the jury selected four winners and awarded eight distinctions to images and videos that tell personal and sometimes intimate stories. All images are available to the media.
Images and videos highlight fascinating research: Details
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13.11.2017
Following the success of its first Scientific Image Competition, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) will launch a second competition in 2018.
Second SNSF Scientific Image Competition: Details
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11.09.2017
Two exhibitions will present the best pictures of Swiss research, one in Zurich as part of the Zurich Film Festival, the other at the Fondation Suisse in Paris.
SNSF Scientific Image Competition exhibition in Zurich and Paris: Details
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04.05.2017
The winning entries from the first SNSF Scientific Image Competition offer a view of science that is aesthetic, nuanced and complex. The jury has selected four winners and awarded eleven distinctions among the 497 submissions. All these images are available to the media.
Seeing science in a new light: Details