Images of Research ran annually between 2009 and 2018 and was a learning and professional development opportunity for researchers that aimed to develop their skills in communicating their research.

Our approach

The competition was open to researchers, from postgraduate level up, who were invited to submit images and descriptions that showcased how their research made a difference to society, economy, other research or global challenges. Images could take any form, including photos, drawings or digital creations. Descriptions were no more than 150 words and written in plain English.

What we did

Each year, entries were designed into A1 posters and exhibited at a variety of locations on and off-campus including at The Edge. As part of the Vice-Chancellor's Engage Awards, the entries were exhibited and a panel of judges awarded winners in a number of categories including:

• Best Image - entries where an image really drew you in and enticed you to find out more.

• Best Description - entries that contained clear, non-technical, plain English that really gripped the reader as to the relevance of the research.

• Best Overall Entry - entries where the description and image interact in such a way that it clearly communicates the relevance of the research to a public audience.

• Public Choice - entries voted for by visitors to the Images of Research exhibition at The Edge and online exhibition.

Winners of Images of Research 2012-2018

We've captured the Images of Research entries since 2012 and created a series of online exhibitions of shortlisted entries and winners from these previous years.

• Images of Research exhibition 2018
• Images of Research exhibition 2017
• Images of Research exhibition 2016
• Images of Research exhibition 2015
• Images of Research exhibition 2014
• Images of Research exhibition 2013
• Images of Research exhibition 2012

Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Johnathan Knight

This kind of initiative presents a unique challenge to researchers who have to explain why their work matters and do so in a visually compelling way. Over the years the quality has improved greatly and it's been fantastic to see how our researchers used images to capture the essence of their work.