The opportunity was given to thousands to capture fascinating images related to science, and they didn't disappoint.
This year's Royal Photographic Society International Images for Science competition received over 3,500 submissions. One hundred photos were shortlisted, with five final "medal" winners. The entries included people with varying photography skills, both amateur and professional. The only condition was that the photos had to tell a scientific story.
The images included breathtaking and surprising shots, from a flame nebulae in Orion to an odd close up of a mosquito’s foot. But what made this competition even more interesting was that the creatives behind the lenses used different types of cameras to take the photos, from an ordinary smartphone to an expensive microscope.
The 100 photographs that made the shortlist will be going on tour all over the UK in 2018.
The top five winners include Enrico Sacchetti (Gold Award), Jonathan Brett (Silver Award), Morgan Trimble (Bronze Award), Teresa Zgoda (Gold Award Ages 18-25), and Ella Main (Gols Award under 17) who will all be awarded a cash prize and an RPS medal.
“We were amazed with the sheer number of entries we received but very happy to see that the quality of photography from people of all ages is as high as ever," said Gary Evans, science exhibition coordinator at the Royal Photographic Society.
"The selectors had a very tough job, picking just 100 photos for the exhibition from over 3,500. Those images that made the grade really embody what this competition is all about – bringing visually captivating images to the public that also have an engaging science story to tell.”
Check out some of the amazing images from the finalists below.
Liesegang rings blue by Kelemen Gabriel
Soap Bubble Planet by Richard Beech
M42 Great Orion Nebula by Dave Watson ARPS
Storm on take-off by Artem Markin
Modelling Dissection by Gavan Mitchell
Taenia Solium by Teresa Zgoda
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