The DNRF Photo Competition 2022
In 2018, the Danish National Research Foundation launched a photo competition to connect the world of research with the public. Since then, scientists from the Danish scientific environment have competed for the first, second, and third prizes. Below you can see the winning pictures from 2022.
Photos have the ability to uncover the world of science in a surprising and inviting way, by revealing its beauty and fascinating appeal. The DNRF would like to share with a broader audience how, each day, scientific discovery advances our knowledge of ourselves and the world we live in. We do this by telling the stories of scientific advances or discoveries with a photo as a visual entry point.
For the fifth year in a row, the foundation has launched a photo competition based on the potential of photography as documentation and communication of research.
Selection criteria:
- Degree to which the photo evokes emotions in the observer
- Degree to which the photo works as a visual entry point to the story behind the specific research result
- Aesthetic quality of the photo
The panel:
- Christine Buhl Andersen, Chair of the New Carlsberg Foundation
- Louise Wolthers, Research Manager/Curator at the Hasselblad Foundation
- Minik Rosing, Professor at GLOBE Institute, vice chair aof the DNRF board and board member at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
1st Prize: A computed tomography scan of a rat that has been filled with microcontainers, Rolf Bech Kjeldsen, Ph.D.-student IDUN at DTU
The panels review: A visually striking and aesthetically pleasing image in both format and color. The rat skeleton defines a harmonious and peaceful composition. Paradoxically, at closer inspection, the image is slightly troubling, as the rat might express pain in its body language. In a symbolist interpretation the image could signal loss and despair.
2nd Prize: A picture of human pain-sensing nerve cells, Christina Mortensen Ph.D. student at the Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Environmental Medicine Department, SDU
The panels review: This remarkable image of a network of cells also serves on a general level as an allegory of connectedness in nature. It is a poetic and elegant composition – full of energy and life.
3rd Prize: A cross-section of a sample with different super-lattice structures along with some “dirt” on the surface.
The panels review: This entry shows a high quality of representation of the research topic, while the interesting feature is an inadvertent pollution of the sample. The scale triggers our imagination. The object could be a dried fish or a model for a modern sculpture.