Plenty of Beauty at the Bottom
NNCI Image Contest
In honor of National Nanotechnology Day, October 9th, the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) is hosting the Plenty of Beauty at the Bottom image contest. Referencing Richard Feynman’s 1959 lecture, There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom, this image contest celebrates the beauty of the micro and nanoscale. Images must have been produced at an NNCI facility in the past year (Sep 1, 2024- Aug 31, 2025). Each site will decide which images will be submitted to the contest; only 1 image per site can be submitted to each category. For the winning artist(s) in the NNCI sites competition, funds to support travel to a professional conference up to $1,000/artist will be awarded.
Timeline:
UofL Micro/Nano Technology Center users must send images via the online form (bottom of this page) by September 24, 2026.
Categories:
a) Most Stunning – beautiful images can use false color but the original image details should not be altered. Colorization of the image is not required for submission.
b) Most Unique Capability – sites can show off something that makes their facility stand out.
c) Most whimsical – cleverly insert something extra into an image. Example: create landscapes or rolling seas or a still life.
Prizes:
The winning artist(s) for each category stated above, will receive a $50 gift item of his/her choice from a variety of options provided by our university approved vendors.
Submission Guidelines:
1) Image must be submitted in JPEG, PNG or TIFF format at the highest resolution possible. All additional information should be included in a separate file.
2) All images must include a scale bar. It can either be inserted into the image or shown below.
3) Each image will need a short description (100 words) explaining the image and research behind the image. The description must be suitable for a general audience. No jargon, please.
4) Up to two people can be listed as authors of the image. Include their name, appointment (graduate student, scientist, postdoctoral fellow, etc.), NNCI site where the image was created, title of image, full name of instrument used to produce image.
Contest Rules:
Images must be produced at an KY Multiscale facility (MNTC, Huson, AMIST, Conn Center, CAER, CeNSE, CAM, or EMC.
Images must have been made in the past year, from Sep 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026.
Images may be used by the NNCI and MNTC for promotional purposes. Your submission implies you have full author rights to submitted images and agree to give consent to NNCI & MNTC for use of images.
READY TO SUBMIT YOUR IMAGES FOR THIS CONTEST? Please fill out the form below:
If you have any questions about this contest/form, please contact Ana Galiano at ana.galiano@louisville.edu
