2024 Photo Contest Results

This year's Open Photonics Network (OPN) photo contest has captivated audiences with a remarkable showcase of creativity, yielding 63 stunning entries from talented individuals around the globe. The judging panel included esteemed names such as Alvaro Casas Bedoya, Mihaela Dinu, Antigone Marino, Anca Sala, Susanna Thon, and Joel Villatoro, who diligently evaluated the submissions and selected the winners based on criteria such as creativity, technical skill, and originality.

You can explore all the incredible entries from this year's contest online at [optica-opn.org/contest/2024](optica-opn.org/contest/2024).

First Place Winner

Securely claiming the top spot, Dan Curticapean from Offenburg University, Germany, presented an awe-inspiring piece titled "Pseudo Schwarzschild Radius." This artwork features two intricate images of a color-illuminated string in random oscillation, subjecting them to rotations and innovative polar coordinate transformations. The result is a mesmerizing blend of color and movement that pushes the boundaries of traditional photography.

Second Place Tie

Taking joint second place, Sritam Kumar Sethy from Berhampur University, India, dazzled the judges with a breathtaking image of soap bubbles. The dynamic interplay of light reflecting off the bubbles creates a swirling kaleidoscope of colors that captivates the viewer's gaze.

Also sharing this honor is a team from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei in Brazil, whose entry depicts a critical examination of the healing process through a section of mouse calvarial bone post-injury. Utilizing second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy, the researchers captured the intricate collagen organization in vibrant green hues juxtaposed with blue fluorescence, showcasing the beauty of biological remodeling.

Third Place Tie

The third-place tie features Michael A. Gachich from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who employed a 405-nm laser through a marble ball from the popular Japanese soft drink Ramune. This artful display produced a dazzling fluorescent reaction that intrigued the judges.

The other third-place entry comes from Kevin J. Mitchell at the University of Glasgow, highlighting energy transport within diffusive waveguides. Taken using a Nikon D750, the image showcases how light behaves similarly to fibers, demonstrating its propagation through various diffusive materials like fog and tissue—reinforcing the complexities of optical science.

Honorable Mentions

The contest also recognized several honorable mentions:

- Sofia Magkiriadou from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, drew attention with a unique image of cracked ginger juice sediment illuminated at the bottom, revealing intricate geometric motifs dancing across the glass.

- James Robert Leger from the University of Minnesota captured a breathtaking moment just before totality during the 2024 North American solar eclipse, emphasizing stunning solar flares and lunar contours.

- Andrea Bertoncini from Nanoscribe exhibited a close-up image of a microendoscope’s lens system, effectively showcasing innovative design features for advanced optical applications.

- Lastly, Siddharth Rawat from UNSW Sydney brought forth an imaginative capture of fluorescence emerging from potassium and magnesium chloride crystals in a pseudocolor display.

Editor's Choice

Highlighting innovation and creativity, the Editors’ Choice award went to Aliaksei Kobylinskiy and Robert Brunner from Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena for their striking image featuring a row of dichroic filters illuminated by a circular white torchlight. The clever use of a Huawei P30 smartphone in macro mode provided a captivating perspective, showcasing the vibrant colors that emerged.

The winners of the 2024 photo contest not only celebrate the beauty of visual art but also underscore the intersection of science and creativity, reminding us of the endless possibilities within the realm of photography. Stay tuned for next year's contest and start thinking about your own submissions!