2026 Image Competition

We are excited to invite you to participate in the Microscopy New Zealand Photo Competition 2026. This initiative is proudly sponsored by Mediray, Nikon, Sartorius, Interlab, DKSH and Leica Microsystems.

Thank to our generous sponsors we can open the competition to two categories: Unlabelled Microscopy (no dyes), and Labelled Microscopy (with dyes).

The Top 3 images from each category will receive a monetary prize and will be published in the Microscopy in Focus newsletter and on social media.  

1st  Place: $350 Prezzy Card

2nd Place: $250 Prezzy Card

3rd Place: $100 Prezzy Card

Entries close 5pm October 31st 2026 and winners will be announced on social media and the MNZ website.

There will also be a People’s Choice award which will be open for voting from 16th November until 5pm 25th November 2026 with a prize of a $200 Prezzy Card.

A black-and-white silhouette of a knight riding a horse, with a shield and a spear.
Logo with large yellow letters M and R and smaller gray text Mediray+ below
Nikon logo on a yellow background with white streaks
Yellow background with black text reading 'SARTORICS' in a stylized font.
Logo of BMS with a green snowflake on the left and the letters 'BMS' in white on a blue background on the right.

Submission Form

Competition Rules

Competition Rules:

  • Submissions must be received by: 5PM Nov 6th, 2026.

  • We are welcoming everyone’s submission from New Zealand territory. However, MNZ members will be subsidised 25 points in the final score after judging. If you are interested in becoming part of the Microscopy New Zealand Society, please join here.

  • We will be accepting only microscopy images, AI generated images may not be submitted and any use of AI should be disclosed. Note: The original/raw data must be available if requested. 

  • Images must be acquired by the person submitting the image.

  • Images must be a single file in *.jpg, *.png, *.TIF format for compatibility purposes – no other file formats will be considered.

  • Image files must not exceed 100MB in size and should be sufficiently high resolution for web viewing. 

  • A maximum of 3 submissions is allowed per person. Each individual, regardless of whether the submission was by the individual or a team containing the individual, may only be part of a maximum of three submissions. 

  • By submitting this image to this competition, you confirm that you are the copyright holder of the image and are giving Microscopy New Zealand Inc. permission to use this image for media purposes, including but not limited to: website, social media, flyers, event advertising, and videos. You will be cited as the source of the image using the name you provided above.  

Upper banner image courtesy of Joana Merk-Victoria University of Wellington 1st place winner labelled category 2025
Lower banner image courtesy of Karen Reader-University of Otago 1st place winner unlabelled category 2025