Evident announced its sixth annual Image of the Year competition is now open for entries through January 30, 2026.

The contest recognizes the best in scientific imaging worldwide—it’s a celebration of art, science, and technical mastery. Building momentum every year, previous winners have been featured in major global news outlets and respected scientific trade publications. Evident invites participants to join them in illuminating the unseen by sharing the remarkable discoveries they’ve made under the microscope. Contestants may enter by uploading up to three images, with a description of the equipment used, at Evidentscientific.com/en/landing/ioty-six-annual. Winners will be selected by a jury and announced in spring 2026.

Contest Details

The global prize and three regional prizes will be awarded to the scientific images that receive the highest scores. The grand prize for the global winner is an Evident SZX7 stereo microscope with a DP23 digital camera or Evident UPLXAPO Objectives. Prizes also include an Evident CX23 upright microscope or SZ61 stereo microscope for the regional winners in Asia, Europe and the Americas. An additional prize of an SZ61 stereo microscope will be awarded to the winner of a dedicated category for materials science and engineering images.

The international jury consists of experts in science and imaging. Returning from last year are Geoff Williams, manager of the Leduc BioImaging Facility at Brown University; Harini Sreenivasappa, microscopy facility manager of the Cell Imaging Center at Drexel University; and Wen-Tai Chiu, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at National Cheng Kung University. New to the jury are Eliska Macickova, light microscopy application specialist at the University of Zurich; Ben Dubin-Thaler, founder and executive director of BioBus; Jung Weon Lee, professor in the Department of Pharmacy at Seoul National University; and Dr. Shengxi Wu, professor and director of the Frontier Laboratory of Brain Science. All entries will be evaluated based on artistic and visual aspects, scientific impact and microscope proficiency.

Full contest terms and conditions can be found at Evidentscientific.com/en/landing/ioty-six-annual.

About the Image of the Year Award

Evident’s Image of the Year Award began in 2017 as the Image of the Year European Life Science Light Microscopy Award with the aim to celebrate both the artistic and scientific value of microscopy images. Today, the competition stays true to this mission by encouraging people around the world to look at scientific images in a new way, appreciate their beauty, and share images with others.

To learn more about our past award-winning images and the microscope techniques used to capture them, visit Evidentscientific.com/en/ioty-gallery.

About EVIDENT

For over 100 years as Olympus, we set the industry standard for optical precision in microscopy, helping the world see what was once out of view. Today, as Evident, we continue to help scientists, physicians, and engineers illuminate the unseen with advanced imaging solutions that combine renowned optics with cutting-edge digital innovation.

Our life science portfolio supports research, clinical diagnostics, and education, offering a comprehensive range of imaging methods from essential brightfield and darkfield microscopy to advanced fluorescence, 4D analysis, and digital pathology. In industrial microscopy, we deliver precision and flexibility through laser scanning, digital, and semiconductor microscopes designed for tasks ranging from routine inspection to intricate quality control and manufacturing analysis.

Whether advancing new therapies, ensuring product integrity, or exploring the unknown, Evident is defining a new era of discovery with easy-to-use tools that help unlock hidden answers and empower exciting new breakthroughs.

Evident is headquartered in Tokyo and supported by R&D and manufacturing centers in Japan, the United States, Germany, and China, with operations and dedicated sales and service centers around the world.