About the competition
Can you make a creative image – painting, diagram, or a photograph – that captures the essence of your research artistically? The Researcher Development team at NTU is looking for entries for the annual Images of Research competition 2026.
It’s time to put the academic lingo aside and get creative. This competition is a unique chance to raise your research profile and connect with a public audience. Entries will be showcased on NTU’s website and social media, displayed at Nottingham Central Library, and recognised across the university.
The competition highlights the breadth and diversity of research at NTU – showcasing the work of postgraduate researchers, early career researchers, and established academics across our strategic research themes and Schools.
What we're looking for
- An image that really draws us in and entices us to want to know more about your research.
- An accompanying 150-word abstract summary that is accessible, interesting, informative and explains what the image is and how it relates to your research.
This year, your submission should be aligned to at least one of NTU’s Strategic Research Themes:
- Safety and sustainability
- Digital, technology and creative
- Health innovation
Submit your entry
The competition closes on 11 May 2026. Please note that entries received after the closing date will not be considered.
To submit your entry, complete the entry form and upload your image.
Frequently Asked Questions
- NTU colleagues conducting and/or supporting research, including those in technical, management and administrative roles.
- Doctoral candidates currently enrolled at NTU.
- Individuals or teams of two to three members of a research project or initiative
The photo you take, or image you capture or create, must connect with or represent your research. It must be original and created by you (not someone else’s work, or sourced from an image bank). If the image includes identifiable people, you must have their written consent (or their legal guardian’s consent).
Photos should be:
- 300 dpi, high-resolution (at least 2MB), jpeg or tif format (not gif or png). NTU members have access to the Creative Cloud, so we advise using Adobe and following these guidelines.
- Full colour, sepia or black and white,
- Landscape or portrait, 2D or 3D drawing or painting.
For drawings, paintings, collages or other physical mediums, please photograph these in good lighting against a plain background following the above formatting so that they can be printed and displayed properly.
Please do not submit your images within the abstract document.
Winning images will be professionally printed for display, so they must meet the requirements above.
Along with your image, please include a title and a concise summary (max. 200 words) explaining how your image relates to your research. This information will be presented alongside your image. The title and summary should be accessible, avoiding jargon, acronyms and academic article or thesis titles. The aim is to engage a broad audience, including non-experts and the general public, similarly to information cards in a museum or art gallery.
Please also provide an alternative text description of the image for assistive technologies (e.g.screen readers).
Images generated entirely by an AI Image Generator, such as Deep AI, will not be accepted as entries must be the entrant's own work. However, where AI is relevant to the research being undertaken, the use of AI is permitted but must be explained in the abstract.
Competition themes
Safety and Sustainability
Combining expertise from a broad range of disciplines, our world-leading safety and sustainability research is focused on safeguarding lives and protecting the future of our planet, ensuring a safer, greener future for all. We currently have fully-funded Safety and Sustainability PhD studentships available.
More about our safety and sustainability research
Digital, Technology and Creative
Our digital, technology and creative research pushes the limits of virtual reality, artificial intelligence and digital design, shaping the future of creative expression and immersive experiences. We currently have fully-funded Digital, Creative and Technology PhD studentships available.
More about our digital, technology and creative research
Health Innovation
With a focus on healthy living and improving patient outcomes, our health innovation research is shaping the future of smart medical textiles, robotics and devices, as well as driving forward innovations in microbiology, cell therapy, imaging, and social prescribing. We currently have fully-funded Health Innovation PhD studentships available.
More about our health innovation research
Winning categories
There will be one winner for each Strategic Research Theme, plus a Technician winner, a PGR winner, and the overall Public Choice winner.
All submissions will be checked to ensure they meet the entry criteria before going to the judging stage. Entries will be judged anonymously by a panel of NTU colleagues and external partners.
The Public Choice will be decided through an online vote and the overall winner will also have their image featured in LeftLion magazine.
Winners and runners-up will be announced in July.
Terms & Conditions
Entrants must be the exclusive owners of the submitted image/artwork. By entering the competition, you are giving NTU permission to use your entry (photo/ image/ drawing/ painting/ text summary) for a variety of means, including to advertise this competition, in exhibitions and in future NTU research marketing including on the NTU website and social media accounts. Credit will be given to the photographer/researcher if reproduced.
If your image is created by a contributor or partner on a project, this must be clearly labelled.
Please note that each entrant may only submit one image. Upon submission your entry will be reviewed by the Research and Strategic Partnerships Development Team to confirm suitability and entry into the competition.
Header image credit: 2025 winner Shraddha Bajpai