We’re excited to announce the launch of two national NBIC photo competitions. ‘Biofilms in Real Life’ and ‘Biofilms in the Lab’ will run from January through to May 2021. A diverse panel of judges will take into account creativity, originality, composition, imagination used, scientific value and the overall artistic impression and Amazon gift cards will be awarded to first, second and third place in both competitions.

The two photo competitions form part of our #BiofilmAware campaign, which works to raise awareness of NBIC and its research, and the many societal and economic impacts of biofilms. The ‘Biofilms in Real Life’ competition is open to members of the public, researchers, academics, students and amateur photographers, whilst ‘Biofilms in the Lab’ offers an opportunity for scientists and researchers to submit images from their cutting-edge research.

Due to the pandemic many of us are at home for long periods of time, so this is a unique chance to get creative and explore biofilms in our everyday environments.

Dr Mark Richardson, NBIC CEO said,

“Never has awareness of the role of microorganisms in our life been so important. Creating compelling images of biofilms and how they impact everyday life is vital to our mission of prospecting and communicating methods of controlling and harnessing biofilms for environmental health and economic benefit for the UK. We encourage the public from all walks of life with a curiosity in their world to get involved! We also want talented scientists to share images demonstrating the beauty and wonder of the world of the microorganism”.