11 Award-Winning Photos Show Science in Action

Aug 20, 2026 - 19:40

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11 Award-Winning Photos Show Science in Action

A triptych showing two researchers examining a frog, a close-up of a damselfly peering through a hole in a leaf, and a silhouette of a person sitting in a cave overlooking a mountain range.

The annual 2026 BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology photography competition offers researchers out in the field a chance to celebrate the intersection of art and science, showcasing their projects in a visually beautiful way.

“The annual competition showcases the beauty and diversity of life on Earth, while also celebrating researchers and the work they undertake to understand and protect the natural world,” Springer Nature explains.

This year, the judges selected an overall winner and a runner-up. They also selected winners and runners-up in three categories, along with a trio of photos that deserved a special mention.

Overall Winner

The overall winning photographer is Sritam Kumar Sethy, whose photo, “Windows to the Wetlands,” showcases an orange-tailed marsh dart damselfly (Ceriagrion cerinorubellum) framed by a hole in a leaf.

A small, bright green and yellow damselfly peers through a jagged hole in a large, textured green leaf.

Sethy captured the photo in a freshwater wetland in Odisha, India, while studying wetland ecosystems. Damselflies are an indicator species, as they rely on aquatic and terrestrial habitats in wetlands and are particularly sensitive to pollution, habitat loss, and the effects of climate change.

“It is hard not to smile at this beautifully composed and vivid image, in which the damselfly seems to display a remarkable sense of character and presence,” says BMC Ecology and Evolution Senior Editorial Board Member David Ferrier.

Runner-Up

Ryan Wagner of Washington State University is this year’s runner-up for his photo of two students working at night near Portland, Oregon. The students are attaching a radio transmitter to a northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora) to better understand how these frogs move around and use their habitats. The students hope to discover ways to create safer environments for at-risk species.

Two researchers in high-visibility vests and headlamps examine a frog with a tracking device in the back of a vehicle.

Category Winners

Winners and runners-up were also named across the competition’s three categories: Relationships in Nature, Research in Action, and Protecting Our Planet.

Victor Huertas from James Cook University in Australia took top honors in the Relationships in Nature category for his photo of two male giant Australian cuttlefish (Ascarosepion apama) competing for a female’s attention.

Three cuttlefish with mottled brown and white skin patterns swim among seaweed and coral in clear blue water.

Alwin Hardenbol of the Natural Resource Institute in Finland took second place for his photo of friarbirds (Philemon corniculatus) mobbing a brown goshawk (Tachyspiza fasciata).

A large bird of prey flies toward the left while two smaller birds fly toward the right against a plain white sky.

In Research in Action, Liam Brennan’s photo, “Intertidal Education,” won over the judges. Brennan is a student at the University of New Brunswick in Atlantic Canada, and his winning shot shows undergraduate students investigating local fish populations under a moonlit sky.   

Two people in dark clothing kneel on a wet, muddy shore at night, illuminated by a bright moon and a small light while tending to a fishing net.

Brandon Güell of Florida International University won second place for a photo of researchers monitoring aquatic life in Everglades National Park.

Two researchers in waders and hats work in a shallow wetland, examining a mesh enclosure while an airboat sits nearby.

Finally, Allen Tian won the Protecting Our Planet category with “A Bridge Between Past and Present,” a drone shot showing environmental disruption caused by prior dam construction.

A 360-degree panoramic view of a road crossing a series of islands in a lake, captured with a tiny planet effect.

Tian captured the shot while his biodiversity research team studied the seaway through environmental DNA sampling and drone surveys. The team used drones to avoid disturbing resident wildlife.

Abhijeet Bayani of MES Abasaheb Garware College in India is the runner-up. Bayani’s photo shows an olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)) hatchling being led to the safety of the sea by locals who are engaged in community-led conservation efforts along India’s western coast.