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Illuminating the Unseen: 6th Annual Image of the Year Contest

Whether you’ve been working with a microscope for years or are just beginning your journey, you have the potential to uncover something truly remarkable. The unseen world is full of wonder—Evident invites you to share the beauty you’ve discovered.

This is more than a competition—it’s a celebration of art, science, and technical mastery. Join us in illuminating the unseen

by sharing the remarkable discoveries you’ve made under the microscope.

Submit your work today for a chance to win this exciting opportunity to showcase your mastery on an international stage!

Explore last year’s captivating winning images here.

How to Enter

We’re looking for images that are not only scientifically significant but also visually captivating. Submitting your masterpiece is simple:

1. Submission Period: We are accepting entries from October 8, 2025, through January 30, 2026.
2. Image Requirements: Submit your best images as either .jpeg or .png files. Each file must be no larger than 270MB.
3. Tell Your Story: A required part of your entry is a brief description of your submitted image, detailing your technique, the application, and the microscope used to capture it.

Ready to Share Your Vision?

The unseen world is waiting. Complete the form below to submit your entry and reveal the wonders you've discovered. Winners will be notified by email on March 1, 2026. You can review the contest terms and conditions here.

Prizes That Elevate Your Work

We’ve assembled a prize package designed to empower your next breakthrough!

The Global Winner will choose one of two exceptional prize packages:

• Evident SZX7 Microscope with a DP23 Digital Camera OR
• Evident UPLXAPO Objectives (4X, 10X, 20X, and 40X)

Each Regional Winner (Regions include the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa & Asia Pacific) will choose between:

• Evident CX23 Microscope OR
• Evident SZ61 Microscope

The Materials Science Winner will receive an Evident SZ61 Microscope.

Meet the Judges

Your work will be evaluated by a distinguished panel of experts from the global scientific community. This year's judges possess a wealth of knowledge in fields ranging from life sciences to materials science, ensuring a fair and comprehensive review of every submission.

• Americas

• EMEA

• Asia-Pacific

	Geoff Williams Geoff Williams is in his 14th year as the manager of the Leduc Bioimaging Facility at Brown University. The opportunity to combine visual arts, science, technology, and mastery of a skill clicked with his discovery of microscopy (electron and light) as an undergraduate at Connecticut College. Geoff transitioned from a graduate program at Michigan State University to running the imaging facility at Central Michigan University before arriving at Brown. Over the past 20-plus years, he has been honing his craft as both an electron and light microscopist, paying more attention to the aesthetics of each image collected than is typically required for a purely scientific investigation.
	Ben Dubin-Thaler Ben Dubin-Thaler, PhD, founder and executive director, created the BioBus in 2008 after completing his Ph.D. in Biology as well as his B.A. in Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University. “Dr. Ben,” as he is known to students aboard the BioBus, started BioBus as an experiment to test his hypothesis that, given the opportunity to use research-microscopes to perform hands-on experiments, anyone would be excited about science and want to do more. Ben and his team create a new kind of laboratory space that is empowering, accessible, un-intimidating, and that facilitates scientific engagement amongst populations historically underrepresented in science professions. Ben, now a recognized nonprofit and science education leader who is regularly invited to speak and consult for other organizations, hopes to create a future in which people from all cultures and backgrounds have equal opportunities to practice and understand science.
	Harini Sreenivasappa Harini Sreenivasappa is the manager of Drexel University’s light microscopy core facility, the Cell Imaging Center. She was introduced to microscopy during graduate school at Texas A&M University (TAMU), where she studied the role of microenvironment stimuli on cellular sensing and adapting as it takes place in blood vessel wall remodeling in cardiovascular disease. This led to a PhD in biomedical engineering. She has more than 10 years’ experience working with various microscopy techniques, such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), spinning disk confocal, and total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy. With ASCB’s COMPASS Outreach grant, she created and curated a Traveling Micrographs exhibit showcasing micrographs by TAMU researchers that was free and open to the public. The goal of the series of exhibits was to share research at TAMU with the local community and stimulate interest in imaging science.

Eliska Macickova Eliska Macickova is a light microscopy application specialist at the University of Zurich. Her passion for microscopy began during her studies in reproductive and developmental biology, when she joined a microscopy facility in Czechia as a student. Eliska started with basic microscope quality checks, but soon became fascinated by imaging, which inspired her to continue at the facility after graduation. Since then, Eliska has gained experience across a wide range of microscopy techniques—from widefield and confocal microscopy to advanced methods such as super-resolution, TIRF, cryo-fluorescence, and correlative light and electron microscopy. What she enjoys most about microscopy is how it bridges science and art, turning hidden biological structures into images that are not only informative but also visually captivating.

	Jung Weon Lee Dr. Jung Weon Lee is a professor at the Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University (SNU), Republic of Korea. He earned a PhD in pharmacology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2000. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City. In 2001, he returned to Korea as an assistant professor at the School of Medicine, SNU, Korea. In 2009, he moved to the Department of Pharmacy, SNU and is now a full professor. His research has been focused on cellular functions, including how morphological changes and diverse functions could occur at the molecular levels, especially in contexts under controls or influence of a tetraspanin TM4SF5 protein using in vitro cell and in vivo animal models with possible clinical samples. Today, his research team focuses on exploring how TM4SF5 can function as an immune checkpoint and whether anti-TM4SF5 reagents can be new modalities for the purposes of immune therapy against chronic liver diseases.
	Wen-Tai Chiu Dr. Wen-Tai Chiu specializes in optogenetics, calcium signaling, live-cell molecular imaging, and cancer research. His recent projects include investigating the regulation of calcium ions (Ca2+) on focal adhesion dynamics, carcinogenesis, and chemoresistance, as well as exploring advanced bioimaging. As director of the Bioimaging Core Facility at National Cheng Kung University, which is affiliated with the National Core Facility for Biopharmaceuticals of the National Science and Technology Council, Dr. Chiu advocates for the collaborative use of high-end microscope instruments by internal and external academic and industrial units. He believes that researchers can learn from each other and practice the ideals of collaboration through a shared platform.
	Dr. Shengxi Wu Dr. Shengxi Wu is a distinguished professor dedicated to the research of the neural circuit mechanisms and interventions of mental disorders such as autism, with a focus on the analysis and regulation of brain functions. As the director of the Frontier Laboratory of Brain Science and Brain-like Intelligence, Dr. Wu and his team have been utilizing a variety of advanced bio-optical microscopic imaging technologies to investigate the mechanisms of brain functions, including sensation and movement, emotion and cognition, sleep and wakefulness. They have also been closely following the development of advanced bio-imaging technologies.

5th Annual Global Winner

	The Global Winner Beauty of Cosmic Proportions Cross-section of a Cosmic Orange aster flower with pollen grains maturing inside anthers. Captured by Igor Siwanowicz of the United States. See the Story Behind the Image Download original image (jpg, 4.6 MB)

Terms and Conditions for Photo Competition

No Purchase Necessary to Enter or to Win

Please read these terms and conditions (“Terms”) for participation in “Evident Image of the Year–the Sixth Scientific Microscopy Award Competition” (“Competition”) held by Evident Scientific, Inc. (“Evident”) carefully before entry for Competition. By entering into the Competition, you are agreeing to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not enter into the Competition.

Article 1. Competition Period

In order to advance the technology of microscope imaging, the Competition shall commence on October 8, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (“EST”) ends on January 30, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EST (“Competition Period”).

Article 2. Eligibility

This global Competition is open to any person who is at least eighteen (18) years of age or older at the start of the Competition Period, excluding those persons who reside in the province of Quebec, Canada, the country of Cuba, any territory or possession of the United States except for the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, or where prohibited by law. Evident and its Affiliate’s directors, officers, or employees (including part-time staffs and temporary staffs), including their respective family members, are hereby ineligible for participation in this Competition. Furthermore, a person who is or has any relationship with a member of any Antisocial Force shall not be qualified to apply for the Competition. (In this provision, the Antisocial Force shall mean an organized crime group, a member of an organized crime group, a related company or association of an organized crime group, or any other person or group engaged or involved in organized crimes.) Each eligible participant entering the Competition shall be referred to herein as “Participant”.“Affiliate” shall mean a corporation, company or other entity, foreign or domestic, that controls or is controlled by or is under common control with Evident hereto.

Article 3. Entry Into the Competition

1) Participant shall submit a “Light Microscopy” photo (“Photo”) by January 30, 2026 through Evident’s website at Lifescience.EvidentScientific.com.cn using the entry form provided. Each Participant may submit up to three Photos. If Participant submits more than three Photos, all submissions shall be deemed invalid. Furthermore, Participant shall only use one (1) email address for the person’s entry and shall not submit entries under a different name or email address. In these cases, Evident may reject or cancel all of Participant’s submissions and terminate such person’s participation in the Competition. Once Evident has rejected or cancelled a submission, or terminated the Participant’s participation in the Competition, such Participant shall no longer be eligible for entry into the Competition.

2) Participant shall register accurate information of the Participant on the website at Lifescience.EvidentScientific.com.cn. If Participant registers untrue information, the registration based on such information is invalid and Evident may reject or cancel the submission of such Participant.

3) Upon submission of the own information and Photo(s), Participant shall be deemed entered into the Competition, unless such entry is rejected or cancelled as set forth herein. Participant may cancel submission and participation in the Competition without penalties at any time by contacting Evident through Evident’s website at www.Lifescience.EvidentScientific.com.cn.

4) Evident shall be under no obligation to save or store any Photo submitted and may dispose of such Photo at its own discretion.

5) Upon submission of the own information and Photo(s), Participants may optionally consent to receive newsletters and updates from Evident or its Affiliates by selecting the respective checkbox during entry. Consent is voluntary and not a condition of participation. Participants can withdraw their consent at any time, for example by using the unsubscribe link provided in each email.

6) For Participants residing in the European Union, Evident will process personal data (such as name, contact information, and submitted Photos) in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Such data will be used solely for the purpose of administering the Competition, contacting Winners, and publicizing the results as described in these Terms.

Participants consent to the publication of their name, region of residence, and submitted Photo(s) on Evident’s websites and social media channels if they are selected as Winners or Honorable Mentions.

Evident shall ensure that personal data will not be retained longer than necessary for the above purposes, unless required by law.

Article 4. Participant Representations

1) At the time of submission of an entry by Participant, Participant expresses and warrants that its submission or participation in the Competition does not conflict with any obligations within any contracts between Participant and any third party. Even if Participant or said third party incurs loss or damages by violation of such obligations, Evident shall not be liable for such loss or damages.

2) Participant warrants that Photo shall not contain any content that violates any law, regulation or orders in United States of America, Japan or any other countries in which such Participant resides or from which such Participant submits Photo (“Laws”), or infringes on copyright, trade secret, intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or other property or personal rights of any third party.

3) Participants shall not submit any photo that is AI-generated, AI-manipulated, or created/taken by another person or entity. In the case that Evident finds a Participant submitted a Photo created by AI or another person or entity, Evident may disqualify such Participant’s participation in the Competition.

4) In consideration of the chance to win one of the high-quality prizes as defined in Article 6, Participant shall grant Evident a royalty-free, transferable, perpetual, sub-licensable, non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license and right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, post, publish, perform and display, transmit and distribute Photo(s) in any form, medium, or technology, or social media outlets, now known or later developed without compensation to Participant. The granted rights encompass in particular the right of exploitation, copying, sending, cable broadcast, distribution, modification, public disclosure and public display of the Photo(s) in the context of this Competition as well as for marketing purposes as it relates to Evident product or services in all forms of use and media, known and not known at the conclusion of this agreement (particularly but not limited to print, slide, scan, internet, social media, lecture, presentation, and television broadcast). This includes the right of duplication and distribution as well as the right to edit and modify as well as to duplication and distribution of such edited and modified images.

5) The chance to win one of the high-quality prizes as defined in Article 6 completely settles the transfer of all rights as agreed upon in Article 4.

Article 5. Judges and Judging Criteria

1) Evident shall select 5 to 8 judges with expertise or experience in the field of Light Microscopy or photography to evaluate the Photos based on the criteria set forth herein (each a “Judge” and collectively “Judges”).

2) The Photos shall be judged under two categories, “Scientific Evaluation” and “Artistic Evaluation”, taking into account the following criteria (each a “Criterion” and collectively “Criteria”):

Scientific EvaluationArtistic Evaluation

Scientific Relevance Colors

Exceptional Sample Composition/Layout of Image

Novelty of Application Artistically Interesting

Complexity of Imaging ProcedureTopic of Image

3) Each Judge shall give a score between 1 and 10 for the respective Criteria under Scientific Evaluation and Artistic Evaluation for each Photo evaluated.

4) The average score between the total of the Scientific Evaluation Score and the Artistic Evaluation Score for the respective Photo shall be the “Final Score” for that Photo.

5) The Photo with the highest Final Score shall be deemed the Global Winner.

6) In the event of a tie, a Judge shall go through the list of Criteria, one by one, in the following order to determine which Photo scored higher:

Complexity of Imaging Procedure

Colors

Composition/Layout of Imaging

Novelty of Application

Topic of Image

Scientific Relevance

Once the Judge reaches a Criteria where the Photos being evaluated have different scores for such Criteria, the prevailing Photo shall be the Photo that scored the highest in that Criteria. At that point, no further evaluation of the Criteria or Photos is necessary.

7) Evident Judges will select one (1) Global photo winner (“Global Photo Winner”) and one (1) Materials Science and Engineering category winner (“Materials Science Winner”) from all global Participants based on the Final Score. Additionally, from the remaining Participants (which excludes the Global Photo Winner and Materials Science Winner) entered to the Competition, Evident Judges will select one (1) Regional winner from three (3) regions (Asia, Europe, Americas) for the Competition based on the highest Final Score from Participants in the respective Region (each a “Regional Winner” and collectively “Regional Winners”). Collectively the “Global Photo Winner”, “Materials Science Winner”, and the “Regional Winners” shall be deemed “Winners”. The Global Photo Winner and Materials Science Winner cannot be a Regional Winner.

Evident Judges may also identify a limited number of Participants as “Honorable Mentions” based on overall merit, creativity, or other criteria at the Judges’ discretion. While Honorable Mentions are not considered Winners, they may be publicly recognized and their entries may be used by Evident for promotional or educational purposes, subject to the same rights and permissions as apply to the Winners.

8) After the judging concludes, Evident will announce Winners on www.Lifescience.EvidentScientific.com.cn website in late March 2026. This announcement will include the name, Photo, and the region of residence and other information of the Global Photo Winner, Materials Science Winner, Regional Winners, and Honorable Mentions. Participants herewith agree that such information of the Winners will be publicized if the person is awarded a prize in this Competition. In addition to the announcement, Evident will notify the Winners and Honorable Mentions via email sent to their registered email addresses provided with the Photo submission by late March 2026. The Winners will be asked to provide their postal addresses to Evident within one (1) week after the notification. If any Winner does not send the postal address within this time frame, the winner’s award will lapse and Evident may select a new Global Photo Winner or a Materials Science Winner from the Regional Winners, and select a new Regional Winner from the non-winning Participants in such region from which the new Global Photo Winner or Materials Science Winner were selected. In this case, the original Global Photo Winner, Materials Science Winner or Regional Winner, as the case may be, will be disqualified from winning the prize.

Article 6. Prizes

1) The Winners will receive the corresponding below listed prizes:

Regional Winners

CX23 Microscope

OR

SZ61 Microscope

* Regional winners may choose between the above two prize options

Materials Science Winner

SZ61 Microscope

2) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a prize or any portion of the prize cannot be awarded due to circumstances beyond the control of Evident, then a substitute prize may be awarded at the sole discretion of Evident. Each prize will be shipped by Evident to the corresponding Winners by April 30, 2026.

3) It is the responsibility of the Winners to ensure that they provide Evident with the correct and current contact details, including full name, full postal address, and full postcode. The prize will be cancelled or reallocated if it cannot be delivered on the first attempt. Evident accepts no responsibility for any prize being lost, damaged, or delayed.

4) The prize will be awarded to the respective Winners only and shall not be transferable to third parties. The prize cannot be substituted by the Winners for cash or any other alternatives. The Winners are responsible for any risk of loss associated with the prize or any portion of the prize after it has been delivered.

5) Winners are responsible for all federal, state, provincial, and local taxes and all costs and expenses associated with prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided.

6) Evident’s decisions and the allocation of the prizes will be final and binding on all the Participants and no correspondence will be entered into in relation to the same. To the fullest extent permitted by law in the respective jurisdiction, recourse to the courts is not permitted.

Article 7. Termination

1) Evident may terminate the Competition at any time at Evident’s sole discretion without compensation, where allowed by law. This applies particularly if proper implementation of the Competition cannot be ensured for technical or legal reasons.

2) Evident may cancel or reject any Participant’s submission or participation in the Competition if such Participant violates any Terms, violates any Laws, or Evident determines that Participant’s participation in this Competition is not or no longer appropriate. Evident will consider all laws and regulation in Participant’s geography and make such determinations considering any relevant factors (including local and international laws regarding inducements to Health Care Professionals and Government Officials).

3) Evident shall not be liable for any damages or losses to Participant in connection with or arising out of termination of the Competition or cancellation or rejection of Participant’s submission or participation in the Competition at all.

Article 8. Liability

1) Any Participant shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Evident from any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including without limitation attorney fees) arising out of or in connection with the violation of any Terms or Laws by such Participant.

2) IN NO EVENT SHALL EVIDENT BE LIABLE TO PARTICIPANT OR ANY THIRD PARTY WHATSOEVER FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, PERSONAL INJURY, PROPERTY DAMAGE, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, AND THE LIKE, ARISING OUT OF THIS COMPETITION OR THE SUBMISSION OF THE PHOTO(S) BY PARTICIPANT, EVEN IF EVIDENT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS LIMITATION OF LIABILITY DOES NOT APPLY TO DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE WILLFUL MISCONDUCT OR GROSS NEGLIGENCE OF EVIDENT OR ITS VICARIOUS AGENTS, TO DAMAGES TO LIFE; BODY OR HEALTH OR TO DAMAGES ARISING FROM LOCAL MANDATORY PRODUCT LIABILITY (SUCH AS THE GERMAN ACT ON PRODUCT LIABILITY).

Article 9. Miscellaneous

1) Nothing in this Agreement will be construed to constitute Evident and Participant as partners or joint venturers or constitute Participant as an agent or employee of Evident, nor will any similar relationship be deemed to exist between Evident and Participant.

2) From time to time, to the extent allowed by Law, Evident may modify Terms to reasonably promulgate its modified contents (including without limitation placing its contents on its own website). This particularly applies to modifications due to technical or legal reasons. In the case where Participant disagrees with such modification, Participant shall cease to participate in the Competition prior to the execution of the modification. Participant shall be deemed to have agreed to the modified Terms by continuing to participate in the Competition after the execution of such modification(s).

3) Evident’s privacy policy is applicable to all information submitted by an Entrant in connection with this Competition. Please click here to view the Privacy Policy (www.Lifescience.EvidentScientific.com.cn).

4) Terms shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of Japan, without regards to any conflict of laws principles.

5) In the event that any dispute or difference arises between Evident and any Participant, out of or in connection with Competition, Evident and such Participant shall promptly endeavor to resolve such dispute or difference by mutual discussions. Should such dispute or difference continue to remain unresolved, any such dispute or difference shall be finally resolved by binding arbitration. The arbitration shall be held in Tokyo, Japan in accordance with the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce. The arbitration proceeding shall be conducted in the Japanese language. Notwithstanding the above, for Participants who are consumers and residents of the European Union, the mandatory consumer protection laws and the competent courts of the Participant’s country of residence shall apply. Any agreement to arbitration or foreign jurisdiction shall not deprive such Participants of their rights under applicable EU consumer law.

Image Attribution, from left to right:

Cross-section of a Cosmic Orange aster flower with pollen grains maturing inside anthers. Captured by Igor Siwanowicz of the United States 2024.
Nervous system of a juvenile sea star (Patiria miniata) about 1 cm wide. Captured by Laurent Formery of the United States 2022.
Arabidopsis thaliana flower with pollen tubes growing through the pistil. Captured by Jan Martinek of Czech Republic 2021.