Announcing the Tree Town Chemistry Photo Contest

Science is cool. If you're reading this blog, you don't need any convincing on that point. But, there are some days when science is cooler than usual. The day you fill the laser lab with mist. The day you've got an air-free reaction rig that's bigger than you. The day you get the hugest, prettiest crystals.

I want to see that day. It's time for a Tree Town Chemistry photo contest.


The Contest
Submit your photo along with a ~100 word caption to treetownchem@gmail.com by June 12. If you're a computational/theoretical chemist, no worries - we'll accept screenshots and visualizations as well. I'll be judging the entries along with two celebrity* judges: world-famous science photographer Sung-Hei Yau and the Queen of Magnesium Emily Nelson, both recent graduates from our department. Entries will be judged on the quality of the composition and the clarity of the caption. (Don't worry about explaining your project in 100 words. Just let us know what's going on in the picture.)

The Prizes
The winner locks down a cash prize of $20 and will be the subject of a blog article featuring their research and elaborating on the 100 word photo caption. The winning photo will also become the blog's banner image until next summer's contest (provided this one is successful).

Two runners-up will also have their photos displayed in the blog.

The Rules
1) The photo must be your original work, and you agree to have it potentially published on this blog under a Creative Commons license.
2) Photos depicting unsafe lab conditions (inadequate PPE, unsafe reaction setups, or unnecessary use of dangerous chemicals) will be disqualified. Please don't pull out the diethyl zinc just to win the photo contest.
3) If there are any people besides yourself depicted in the photo, make sure you have their permission before submitting. Similarly, if you're depicting any unpublished data in your photo, clear it with your PI.
4) Each person can only submit one photo.

Email submissions to treetownchem@gmail.com by June 12. Winners will be announced shortly thereafter. I'm looking forward to your submissions!