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Office of Research and Innovation
Envisioning Research
Faculty and Staff Graphics first place winner

NC State Research Image Contest

Graduate students, undergraduate students, postdocs, faculty and staff are encouraged to enter Envisioning Research, the university’s annual research image contest. Help us highlight the beauty and importance of the work being done at the bench and in the field, both on campus and around the world. See the 2024 contest winners for inspiration.

Contest Details

The 2025 contest will open in January.

Contestants can submit images in four categories:

  • Photography (including photos of field work): submissions should be in a JPEG format and must be high-resolution.
  • Microscopy: submissions should be in a JPEG format and must be high-resolution.
  • Graphics and data visualization: submissions can be in JPEG, TIF, GIF or PDF formats and must be high-resolution.
  • Video and interactive: submissions can be no longer than two minutes. Shorter videos are preferred and the emphasis should be on visual presentation rather than narration. Submissions can be in MP4 or WMV formats. If the submission is available online, contestants can submit a URL to the relevant page. Sound is optional.

Prizes

Up to $4,200 will be awarded based on entrant status per year. $250 prizes for first-place winners and $100 prizes for second-place winners may be awarded in each category, sponsored by the Graduate School, the Office of Research and Innovation, and the Office of Undergraduate Research. Honorable mention winners do not receive cash prizes.

Image Resolution: Capture and retain the highest-resolution original with the tools used in image creation (e.g. a 12MP camera captures a 4368 x 2912 px image). Submissions may be compressed as a copy of the original to meet the 16MB maximum upload size. 

Images should be original, well-executed, and effective at communicating information to the audience. Submissions must be related to a specific NC State research project that is ongoing or complete. 

Submissions should include a title and a caption of no more than 150 words that describes the research.

Each submission should also include one or two sentences explaining the impact of the work regionally or globally. All written components should be entered into the online submission form, and not submitted as separate files.

If a submission comes from a laboratory or team of researchers, please designate a single point of contact. Industry Partners submitting images must indicate the nature of the university-industry collaborative team.

Individuals may submit multiple entries, but each entry must be submitted separately.

Images or video produced using generative AI tools are not allowed.

Winners will be announced in late August. Anyone with questions about the contest can email gradschool-image-contest@ncsu.edu.

Regulations

By submitting a photograph, image, graphic, or video (collectively the “work”) contestants hereby agree to the following:

  • You certify and warrant that the work is your own original creative work and does not violate or infringe the copyright or other proprietary or intellectual property rights of others.
  • You retain all copyright and equivalent rights but grant permission for North Carolina State University to use, reproduce, distribute, and/or release the work to the public in any manner and in any medium without payment of any fee, and in perpetuity.
  • North Carolina State University reserves the right to use contestants’ names and works for educational publicity and/or promotional purposes, including website or exhibition of winning entries. You understand that the works will be shared with reporters covering these awards and for the promotion of the competition itself. You hereby give North Carolina State University nonexclusive rights to use yo name, likenesses, quotes and submissions for educational publicity and/or promotional purposes. This includes but is not limited to website display, print materials and exhibits.
  • The contest organizers reserve the right to place an entry in a different category if the category on the submission is deemed to be inaccurate.
  • You hereby agree to indemnify North Carolina State University, its trustees, officers, agents, and employees, from any and all claims, demands, and liabilities (including attorneys’ fees) incurred as a result of a final judgment or settlement or any claim or legal proceeding arising out of or resulting from a breach or claimed breach of the foregoing representations and warranties.