Research in Focus

Research in Focus is an annual research photography competition that accepts submissions from UWinnipeg students, faculty, staff, retirees, and alumni. This competition is a chance to take viewers into the field, inside the lab, or onto the stage to visualize what researchers have witnessed, discovered, or created as they pursue academic excellence. The competition also serves as a reminder of the breadth and depth of research carried out by the UWinnipeg community.

2024 Winners  |  2024 Overall Submissions

*2025 Competition Open for Submissions in November 2024*

Submissions are accepted in five main categories:

Artistry in Research:
Images which represent the researcher’s work in music, drama, visual art, art history, and the humanities.

Faces of Discovery:
Images which depict the people involved in research activities.

Community Catalysts:
Images which demonstrate community impact or which represent research done with partners to benefit communities.

Framing Fieldwork:
Images which demonstrate fieldwork.

Powered Perception:
Images which reveal the subject in greater detail than is possible with the human eye, such as x-rays, microscopic images, computer models, etc. 

A multidisciplinary jury is responsible for reviewing the anonymized submissions in these five categories and judging their aesthetic appeal, creativity, and insight.

2024 Guidelines:

One winner and one runner-up were chosen from each of the five main categories, as well as a grand prize winner. The grand prize winner received $500. Each of the five category winners receive $300 and runners-up receive $200.

The winner and runner-up in a sixth category, Viewer’s Choice, were determined by public voting from February 12 to 25, 2024. A seventh and final category, Best Description, celebrated the photograph with the best accompanying written description.

Winners were announced during the 2024 Three-Minute Thesis competition on March 1, 2024 and were displayed on campus and online.

All photos were required to be original work, taken by the entrant, and depict UWinnipeg-affiliated research. Entrants could submit up to one photo per category. A full list of 2024 contest rules is available in our Terms of Reference.