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Previous winners
Below is a selection of previous winners of Science Photographer of the Year 2019 and its predecessor, International Images for Science.
Science Photographer of the Year
The overall winner was Morgan Trimble of South Africa for her image "Launching a Mini Boat". The selection panel especially liked the overall composition, the clashing domains of red/blue and yellow/white on the right side of the image and the sense of peril for this tiny research boat about to be released into the ocean.
In another image from the same voyage, Morgan has captured the rolling of the ship with star trails at night.
Young Science Photographer of the Year
The winner in the Under-18 category was Jason Chen of the USA for his image "Growl". This shows a plastinated dog's head used for training anatomy to veterinary students. The selection panel noted the angle from which the image was taken and the fierce appearance of the animal, preserved forever with an expression many vets will become familiar with. Although not part of the selection criteria, it was noted that this image was captured on a smartphone.
Jason also sent us a well-executed light micrograph of blood cells inside a tiny blood vessel. The sample has been stained to emphasise various biological structures.
IISE2017 Age Over 26
The winner of the Age Over 26 category in the 2017 International Images for Science was Enrico Sacchetti for this stunning interior view of a physics experiment. Buried deep under a mountain in Italy, this cavern would soon be filled with ultra pure water, part of an effort study tiny particles called neutrinos that are emitted by the Sun. The selection panel were struck by the control of lighting in this maze of reflective materials and the competing symmetry of the composition.
IISE2017 Age 18-26
The winner of the category for photographers aged 18-26 was ophthalmic photographer Jonathan Brett. Here Jonathan has collated hundreds of images taken of human retinas, showing a wide range of clinical issues, into something reminding us of the Ishihara colour vision test charts.
IISE2017 Age Under 18
The winner of the youngest age group was Ella Main for this superb image of a mixture of ferrofluid and highlighter ink. Ferrofluid is an oily colloid of microscopic iron particles, while highlighter ink is water-based. The way the two mix together is described by mathematics derived by Alan Turing, and can also describe biological processes such as the formation of stripes in zebras!