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After a hiatus of four years due to the global pandemic, the Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition made a grand comeback in 2023. This prestigious contest, aimed at celebrating the fascinating world of science through the lens of photography, welcomed entries in various categories such as Astronomy, Behaviour, Earth Science and Climatology, Ecology and Environmental Science, and Microimaging.
Competition Winner: The overall winner for the 2023 competition was a mesmerizing image titled ‘Martian landscape’ by Irina Petrova Adamatzky. This stunning photograph captures Lamproderma scintillans, a remarkable microorganism on an autumn leaf, exhibiting an intriguing mix of plant and animal traits.
Category Winners:
- Astronomy: Imran Sultan won with ‘The Western Veil Nebula’, showcasing a supernova remnant in the Cygnus constellation.
- Behaviour: Tom Shlesinger's ‘Nightly elevator’ portrayed the world's largest nightly oceanic migration.
- Earth Science: Chia-Hsin Tsai's ‘A crack in time’.
- Ecology: Another win for Tom Shlesinger with ‘Star of the night’.
Runners-Up:
- Earth Science: ‘Burning through the frozen south’ by Michael Meredith.
- Ecology: ‘Post-war chamois’ by Filippo Carugati.
- Astronomy: ‘Flower Moon on a cloudy night’ by Imran Sultan.
- Behaviour: ‘Ssstandoff’ by Gregory Funston.
- Microimaging: ‘Beacon of crystals in a wild forest’ by Shyam Ulhas Rathod.
This competition not only highlights the aesthetic beauty of scientific phenomena but also emphasizes the critical role of photography in communicating scientific ideas and discoveries. The 2023 edition stood out as a testament to the resilience and creativity of the scientific community, offering a glimpse into the intricate and often unseen wonders of our world.
The Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition serves as a reminder of the powerful synergy between art and science, capturing the awe-inspiring intricacies of the natural world and the universe beyond.