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Life Unseen: Winners

We are pleased to announce the winners of our ‘Life Unseen: Illuminating the Microbial World’ image competition.

The aim of the competition was to spark dialogue, interest, and wonder about the impact and potential of microbiomes and microbiome research.

All submissions were reviewed by our panel of judges, which included both artists and scientists.

Congratulations to our winners:

1st place:  Aideen Edwards, University of Salford, “Microbial Luxury: A Dress Inspired by the Secret World of Microorganisms”
2nd place: Lauren Gordon, University of Liverpool, "Gut Microbiome Interactions"
3rd place: Thomas Wilmott, University of Liverpool, "The Mersey Microbiome: A Winogradsky column made from Mersey water and mud"

Find out more about the winning entries below.

An image of a handmade dress against a navy blue background with a 1st place medal in the top right corner.

Microbial Luxury: A Dress Inspired by the Secret World of Microorganisms

Aideen Edwards, University of Salford

A handrawn image of the inside of a gut imagined as a battlefield with a silver 2nd place medal in the top right corner.

Gut Microbiome Interactions

Lauren Gordon, University of Liverpool

A picture of a jar containing water from the River Mersey, egg yolk, and newsparer on a window ledge overlooking Liverpool against a navy blue background with a bronze 3rd place in the top right corner

The Mersey Microbiome: A Winogradsky column made from Mersey water and mud

Thomas Willmott, University of Liverpool

Pictured is a multispecies bacterial biofilm grown in synthetic cystic fibrosis (CF) sputum medium.

Multispecies biofilm of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus in cystic fibrosis sputum media.

Sadhbh Dodd, Trinity College Dublin

The Rainbow Microbiome is a digital illustration that illuminates the beauty and colourful diversity of our inner microbiome.

The Rainbow Microbiome

Jaine Pickering, ABB Robotics

This is a Photo of stained Candida Alibicans Fungus under a microscope, the sample was taken from a Dialysis patient.

Untitled

Ahmed Ibrahim, University of Salford

The picture depicts microorganisms on all forms of life, from each leaf, tree, pool of water to footprints showing the variety of the microbiome in a beautiful way. Though not visible, the microbiome is ever present and truly is an intricate, unseen network that exists within all living things and ecosystems, shaping our environment in ways we often don’t fully appreciate. The picture is taken in

Walk of Life

Nicky Morgan, University of Salford