Press Release

Winners of 2022 ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest announced

Researchers submitted Microscopy images from various application areas

23 August 2022 · 2 min read
Press Contact for ZEISS Microscopy Vybhav Sinha

Jena, Germany | 23 August 2022 | ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions

  • Winners in five categories nominated
  • ZEISS users across different countries, research interests and microscopy application types participated
  • Microscopy helps overcome many global challenges our society faces

Today, ZEISS unveiled the five winners of their 2022 ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest. For the second time, ZEISS is celebrating the work of researchers using microscopy in various application fields with an image contest. Microscope systems, analytics, and imaging capabilities play a central role in enabling us to meet the critical challenges we face as a society related to climate change, energy, health, and food.

This year, external jury members were also involved in the judging process. Five scientists with different microscopy backgrounds voted for their favorite images in the different categories – among the members one of last year’s winners: “Being awarded third place in last year’s image contest, it has been both an honor and a great experience to serve as part of the jury in this year’s contest. I was overwhelmed by the quality and variety of the images. I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the prize-winners of the 2022 ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest,” says Dr. Bernardo Cesare, Professor of Petrology at the University of Padua, Italy.

  • Winning image in the category Microscopy as a Hobby: "Head of mosquito larva", acquired with ZEISS Axiostar, Courtesy: H. Lin, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China
    H. Lin, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China

    Winning image in the category Microscopy as a Hobby: "Head of mosquito larva", acquired with ZEISS Axiostar, Courtesy: H. Lin, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China

  • Winning image in the category of Geosciences & Natural Resources: "Microfossil of radiolarian for micropaleontology", acquired with ZEISS LSM 780. Courtesy: S. Colin, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tuebingen, Germany
    S. Colin, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tuebingen, Germany

    Winning image in the category of Geosciences & Natural Resources: "Microfossil of radiolarian for micropaleontology", acquired with ZEISS LSM 780. Courtesy: S. Colin, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tuebingen, Germany

  • Winning image in the category of Education: "Vitamin C crystals", acquired with ZEISS Axio Scope.A1. Courtesy: R. Berdan, Science & Art Multimedia, Calgary, Canada
    R. Berdan, Science & Art Multimedia, Calgary, Canada

    Winning image in the category of Education: "Vitamin C crystals", acquired with ZEISS Axio Scope.A1. Courtesy: R. Berdan, Science & Art Multimedia, Calgary, Canada

  • Winning image in the category of Life Sciences: "Bacteria bound to epithelial cells of the human tongue", acquired with ZEISS LSM 900 with Airyscan. Courtesy: T. deCarvalho, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA
    T. deCarvalho, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA

    Winning image in the category of Life Sciences: "Bacteria bound to epithelial cells of the human tongue", acquired with ZEISS LSM 900 with Airyscan. Courtesy: T. deCarvalho, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA

  • Winning image in the category of Materials Science: "Zinc sulfide semiconductor nanoparticles", acquired with ZEISS GeminiSEM 300. Courtesy of Ü. Bayram, Abdullah Gül University, Kayseri, Turkey
    Ü. Bayram, Abdullah Gül University, Kayseri, Turkey

    Winning image in the category of Materials Science: “Vanadium disulfide semiconductor nanoparticles”, acquired with ZEISS GeminiSEM 300. Courtesy of Ü. Bayram, Abdullah Gül University, Kayseri, Turkey

Oral bacteria

This year’s winning image in the category of Life Sciences shows “Oral bacteria” – tongue epithelial cells adjoined by several different species of bacteria which form a complex biofilm on the tongue’s surface. The sample has been stained with DAPI, acridine orange and calcofluor white and was acquired with the ZEISS LSM 900 confocal microscope with Airyscan detector. Dr. Tagide deCarvalho, Director of the Keith R. Porter Imaging Facility at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (USA), submitted the image. “In  addition to the imaging I perform for scientific collaborations and research studies, I take my own microscopy images from samples that I find in my personal environment, such as moldy fruit from my home refrigerator or moss growing on the side of the Biological Sciences building that I walk past on the way to one of my labs”, explains deCarvalho her inspiration for this sample.

Semiconductor nanoparticles

The winner in the category of Materials Science is the image “Vanadium disulfide semiconductor nanoparticles”, acquired with a ZEISS GeminiSEM 300 scanning electron microscope. It shows the nanostructure of Vanadium disulfide for which Dr. Ümit Bayram  from the Central Research Facility at Abdullah Gül University in Kayseri (Turkey) who submitted the image has studied the photocatalytic properties. “The goal with this imaging is to show that nanomaterials with a desired nano size and large surface area have been successfully synthesized and to characterize them accurately”, Bayram emphasizes the quality of the image.  “At first glance, this image gave me the feeling of "the coolest flowers in a nano-sized flower shop”, he recounts.

Microfossils

The image “Microfossil of radiolarian for micropaleontology”, acquired with a ZEISS LSM 780 confocal microscope, wins in the category of Geosciences & Natural Resources. Dr. Sebastien Colin from the Max Planck Institute for Biology in Tuebingen (Germany) submitted the image. The diversity of modern marine unicellular eukaryotes, the dynamic of their populations and their complex interaction networks are still poorly understood – yet they are responsible for a significant part of the Earth’s biogeochemistry. “Using a confocal microscope to reveal the elegant skeleton of ancient radiolarians that were drifting in the ocean tens to hundreds of thousands of years before the invention of optical sectioning fascinates me”, says Colin.

Vitamin C crystals

The winner in the category of Education is the image “Vitamin C crystals”, acquired with a ZEISS Axio Scope.A1 light microscope. Dr. Robert Berdan from Science & Art Multimedia, based in Calgary (Canada) submitted the image. “Sometimes vitamin C crystals form in large sheets and other times the crystals are isolated and can appear star-shaped and sun-like“, he describes one of his favorite samples. Vitamin C, when dissolved in water and ethanol and then dried on a microscope slide, often forms large, beautiful crystals that can be viewed with polarized light microscopy. “I have been fascinated with microscopes, photography and single-celled organisms since I was a teenager. Most of my photomicrographs are now used for education”, summarizes Berdan.

Mosquito larva

The image “Head of mosquito larva”, acquired with a ZEISS Axiostar light microscope is the winner in the category Microscopy as a Hobby. Hong Lin from Foshan City, Guangdong (China), submitted the image. His work focuses on the diversity of aquatic microorganisms in river waters. The sample is taken from a mosquito larva in the Pearl River in Guangzhou. “I am very happy to have taken this photograph, which illustrates the tracheal distribution of the thorax and head of a mosquito larva. And I think it is a successful attempt to combine science and art”, describes Lin his success.

About the contest

The 2022 ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest was open to submissions in nine categories from April 1 to May 15. Three categories had too few submissions to make an evaluation, while two categories were combined to one. In total, five winners were nominated and will receive their prizes shortly.
A selection of the images can be viewed here and will be included in the ZEISS Microscopy Calendar 2023.

About ZEISS

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the fields of optics and optoelectronics. In the previous fiscal year, the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling 7.5 billion euros in its four segments Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology and Consumer Markets (status: 30 September 2021).

For its customers, ZEISS develops, produces and distributes highly innovative solutions for industrial metrology and quality assurance, microscopy solutions for the life sciences and materials research, and medical technology solutions for diagnostics and treatment in ophthalmology and microsurgery. The name ZEISS is also synonymous with the world's leading lithography optics, which are used by the chip industry to manufacture semiconductor components. There is global demand for trendsetting ZEISS brand products such as eyeglass lenses, camera lenses and binoculars.

With a portfolio aligned with future growth areas like digitalization, healthcare and Smart Production and a strong brand, ZEISS is shaping the future of technology and constantly advancing the world of optics and related fields with its solutions. The company's significant, sustainable investments in research and development lay the foundation for the success and continued expansion of ZEISS' technology and market leadership. ZEISS invests 13 percent of its revenue in research and development – this high level of expenditure has a long tradition at ZEISS and is also an investment in the future.

With around 37,000 employees, ZEISS is active globally in almost 50 countries with around 30 production sites, 60 sales and service companies and 27 research and development facilities (status: 31 March 2022). Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. The Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science, is the sole owner of the holding company, Carl Zeiss AG.

Further information at www.zeiss.com

  

ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions

ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions is the world's only one-stop manufacturer of light, electron, X-ray and ion microscope systems and offers solutions for correlative microscopy. The portfolio comprises of products and services for life sciences, materials and industrial research, as well as education and clinical practice. The unit is headquartered in Jena. Additional production and development sites are located in Oberkochen and Munich, as well as in Cambourne (UK) and Dublin (USA). ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions is part of the Industrial Quality & Research segment.

Press photos

  • Winner of 2022 ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest

    Winning image in the category of Materials Science: "Zinc sulfide semiconductor nanoparticles", acquired with ZEISS GeminiSEM 300. Courtesy of Ü. Bayram, Abdullah Gül University, Kayseri, Turkey

    File size: 621 KB
  • Winner of 2022 ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest

    Winning image in the category of Life Sciences: "Bacteria bound to epithelial cells of the human tongue", acquired with ZEISS LSM 900 with Airyscan. Courtesy: T. deCarvalho, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA

    File size: 1 MB
  • Winner of 2022 ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest

    Winning image in the category of Geosciences & Natural Resources: "Microfossil of radiolarian for micropaleontology", acquired with ZEISS LSM 780. Courtesy: S. Colin, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tuebingen, Germany

    File size: 403 KB
  • Winner of 2022 ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest

    Winning image in the category of Education: "Vitamin C crystals", acquired with ZEISS Axio Scope.A1. Courtesy: R. Berdan, Science & Art Multimedia, Calgary, Canada

    File size: 1 MB
  • Winner of 2022 ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest

    Winning image in the category Microscopy as a Hobby: "Head of mosquito larva", acquired with ZEISS Axiostar, Courtesy: H. Lin, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China

    File size: 1 MB

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