Evident has announced the winners of its 6th Image of the Year Contest, an award competition that recognizes the world’s best in scientific microscopy imaging. The winners were chosen from among applications from 34 countries around the world.
Evident Image of the Year Award 2025: Global Winner. Neurospheres derived from pluripotent stem cells. Images were taken using an Evident IXplore™ IX83 SpinSR super-resolution microscopy system. Image credit: Katie Holden, UK
global winner
Katie Holden from the UK was named World’s Best for her striking image titled ‘Neuron Cosmos’. This image shows an induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurosphere consisting of nerve cells that self-organize to form a structure similar to the layered structure of the human brain. Neurospheres serve as an important platform for studying brain cells, allowing the study of the influence of environmental and genetic factors on neuronal development.
“Visually, the star-like pattern reflects interesting parallels between astronomy and biology at very different scales.” Holden explained. For his Grand Prize entry, Holden will receive an Evident SZX7 stereo microscope with a DP23 digital camera or a set of X Line™ UPLXAPO objectives.
Materials Science Winner
Ireland’s Muhammad Tahir Khan was named the winner in materials science. Kahn’s winning image shows lignin fibers that, when viewed under a scanning electron microscope, look a lot like glowing desert dunes. Khan will receive an Evident SZ61 stereomicroscope for his winning image.
regional winner
Three regional awards were awarded to Gerd Günther (Germany) for EMEA (Chicory stigmas with pollen grains), Igor Siwanowicz (USA) for the Americas (Mallow pollen on stigmas), and Kentaro Mochizuki (Japan) for Asia Pacific (sarcomeric structures within cardiac myocytes of rat hearts). Each regional winner will receive either an Evident CX23 upright microscope or an SZ61 stereo microscope.
Honorable mention
Special awards include Javier Luperez (Spain), Joe McKellar (France), Marco Pende (Austria), Alexandre Dumoulin (Switzerland), Bettina Rakoczi (Hungary), Walter Ferrari (Argentina), Hannah Summers (USA), Yue Long Tan (Taiwan), Tong Jiang (Canada), Hange Du (China), Hanyang Xue (China) and Jan Rosenboom (Germany).
The contest started on October 8, 2025, and users were invited to submit their best scientific images until January 30, 2026. An independent jury from the global scientific community evaluated all entries based on artistic and visual appeal, scientific impact, and microscopic proficiency.
We are deeply inspired by the creativity and technical mastery reflected in this year’s entries. Each year, the competition celebrates what is possible when art and science work together to reveal the invisible. ”
Wes Pringle, Evident CEO
About the “EVIDENT Image of the Year” award
Evident’s Image of the Year Award began life as the Image of the Year European Life Science Light Microscopy Award, with the aim of celebrating both the artistic and scientific value of microscopic images. Today, the contest remains true to this mission by encouraging people around the world to see scientific images in new ways, appreciate their beauty, and share them with others.
