NEWS RELEASE 6th February 2004 Unearth your Vision of Science What is a Vision of Science? To the judges of the Novartis and The Daily Telegraph Visions of Science Photographic Awards, a Vision of Science is an attention-grabbing image that gives new insight into the world of science and the workings of nature. It may show something never seen before, it may explain a scientific phenomenon, it may illustrate scientific data or it may simply be an image that shows the beauty of science. Above: Light bulb GUSTO. This is the fifth year that Novartis Pharmaceuticals has organised Visions of Science in association with The Daily Telegraph as part of the company's ongoing support for science education in the UK. The category prize money of £7,000 and additional support comes from the Science Photo Library. Maria Storey, sales & marketing director at Science Photo Library has been closely involved in the competition since it began: "It has been very rewarding to see how the Awards have grown in stature over the years, and the standard of entry from both professional photographers as well as scientists, doctors and amateur photographers has noticeably improved. Last year we approached several of the winning entrants to see they would be interested in placing their imagery with SPL and we hope to be able to do the same this year!" There are five main categories for entries: Action - Images should capture a scientific process or event as it happens in the natural world. Close-up - Images that are beyond the naked eye. People - Images should communicate the impact of science, medicine and technology on people's lives. Concepts - Images should demonstrate or explain a scientific concept. Art - Images that illustrate the beauty of science. There are also three special awards. Scientists at Work is a new award, sponsored by NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts). This award is for images that challenge the perceptions of how and where scientists carry out research. The Medicine and Life award, sponsored by the British Medical Journal, is open to all photographers and is looking for images that portray disease, diagnostic techniques, and treatment. And finally, there is the Young Photographer award, once again sponsored by NESTA Learning Programme and Kodak. Winners of each of the main categories will receive prize money of £1000, and there is a second prize of £400. Winners of the Scientists at Work and Medicine and Life awards will each receive £500. Winners of the Young Photographer award will each receive a Kodak EassyShare Zoom Digital Camera. The panel of judges remains a sound mix of scientists, photographers and picture editors. As Adam Hart-Davis, photographer, TV presenter and one of the judges, says "As judges, we want to be smacked between the eyes with pictures that we have never seen before, pictures that demand that we think about some aspect of science or nature in a new way." Every year a selection of winning and shortlisted images form a stunning exhibition which tours major science venues around the UK, as well as science and art festivals. As past winner Adam Nieman, science communication researcher says, "The benefits of winning Visions of Science have been numerous. The money has helped me update my equipment and the publicity has definitely increased my professional profile. But far more rewarding even than these benefits is the sense of having an audience for my work. I have also been more productive and more creative since the competition!" Editors' notes: 1.  The main sponsor is Novartis AG, a world leader in pharmaceuticals and consumer health www.novartis.com 2.  The Daily Telegraph is the media sponsor www.telegraph.co.uk 3.  Prize money in the five main categories is donated by the Science Photo Library www.sciencephoto.com 4.  The Special Awards are sponsored by: Scientists at Work  NESTA www.nesta.org.uk Medicine and Life  British Medical Journal www.bmj.com Young Photographer Award  NESTA Learning Programme and Kodak 5.  Visions of Science judges this year include: Professor Raymond Clark  The Royal Photographic Society Professor Frank Close  Physics Professor, Oxford University David Derbyshire  Science Correspondent, The Daily Telegraph (Chair) Adam Goff  Picture Editor, New Scientist Dr J J Harris  Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd Dr Adam Hart-Davis  Photographer and TV Science Presenter Sandra Lousada  Association of Photographers Dr Mark Lythgoe  Neurophysiologist, UCL Dr Simon Singh  Scientist, Broadcaster, NESTA Trustee Professor Kathy Sykes  Science Communicator and TV Presenter For more information and photographs contact Reena Shah, Marketing Executive, Science Photo Library, 327-329 Harrow Road, London W9 3RB Tel: 020 7432 1100 Fax: 020 7286 8668 reena.shah@sciencephoto.com For more details or to arrange an interview contact Patricia Lotery or Gill Gray at PoLo PR, 30 Shrewsbury Avenue, London SW14 8JZ Tel: 020 8876 4242 Fax: 020 8876 8900 info@polopr.co.uk back to Press Releases