Microbiome Innovation Centre: Life Unseen Competitions
The Microbiome Innovation Centre (MIC) at the University of Liverpool has launched Life Unseen: two exciting competitions to stimulate dialogue, interest and wonder about the impact and potential of microbiomes and microbiome research.
Life Unseen: Image
The MIC invite researchers, members of the public, budding artists and photographers to submit an image that represents a microbiome. You can be as creative as you like! The MIC are looking for striking images that stimulate interest, wonder or a dialogue about microbiomes.
The MIC define a microbiome as a community of microorganisms existing in a particular environment.
The image could be a photograph, a drawing, a diagram or any other visual representation.
Please submit your entries along with a title and up to 200 words describing your image, to mic@liverpool.ac.uk no later than 31 May 2025. Entries should be submitted in .png , .jpg/jpeg or pdf format.
Prizes
This competition has three prizes:
- 1st Place: £500 vouchers
- 2nd place: £300 vouchers
- 3rd place: £200 vouchers
Life Unseen: Blog (University of Liverpool participants only)
The MIC invite staff and students of the University of Liverpool to write a blog about their microbiome research.
The MIC define microbiome broadly, including viruses as well as bacteria and funghi. Blogs from all disciplines are encouraged.
Suggested length: 600 – 2000 words.
Please submit your entries to mic@liverpool.ac.uk no later than 31st May 2025. Entries should be submitted in .doc or .docx format.
Prizes
There are three prizes of the following values, which can be used to support research costs including: consumables, conference attendance and partnership development:
- 1st Place: £500 vouchers
- 2nd place: £300 vouchers
- 3rd place: £200 vouchers
Winners will be notified in mid June and will be publicly announced the week preceding World Microbiome Day (27 June 2025).
The MIC reserves the right to publish entries with the credit titles to its social media channels and website throughout the submission period to publicise the contest. Such publication does not guarantee an award of any kind.
Terms and Conditions:
- Entry to the Microbiome image competition is open to anyone over 18. The MIC invite applications from the general public, researchers, artists, photographers – anyone and everyone interested in exploring microbiomes.
- Entry to the Microbiome Blog competition is open to staff or students of the University of Liverpool only.
- While prizes can only be made available for UK residents, international participants are encouraged to submit their work if they would like MIC to promote it throughout the competition.
- Each competition will be judged by a diverse panel representing a range of expertise. Both competitions will be judged on: creativity, originality, scientific and aesthetic value.
- Participants can enter multiple times but can only receive one prize per competition.
- Each entry must be submitted by an individual only. Where multiple people have been involved in the production of the entre, a primary entrant should be determined and the entrant must secure permission from anyone else involved in the production of the submission to enter.
For full details, please visit the Microbiome Innovation Centre’s website.