The Winners of the Inaugural Woman Science Photographer of the Year
“Watershed Triptych harnesses the light of bioluminescent dinoflagellates to illuminate watershed maps from the United States Geological Survey Hydromap project. These organisms, colloquially known as sea sparkle, are also the same marine life that generate red tide algal blooms. Though sometimes naturally occurring, these harmful blooms have been increasing in numbers over the past 30 years as larger and more powerful storms flood factory farms causing excessive nutrients to spill into the waterways from CAFO overflows. These maps represent the three largest watersheds in the United States and the outflow areas where algal blooms have been recorded.”
The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) has announced the finalists of its inaugural Woman Science Photographer of the Year competition at an awards ceremony hosted by the RPS in Bristol, United Kingdom. The announcement comes a day ahead of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a United Nations initiative.
Photographers from around the globe submitted images for consideration. The competition was open to all female and female-identifying photographers, regardless of age and photographic experience. Submissions were judged by a panel comprising professional photographers Yas Crawford, Kym Cox and Gigi Williams, and Teri Walker, the RPS Women in Photography Group chair.
The winning photograph is “Watershed Triptych” by American artist Margaret LeJeune, above. Juror Yas Crawford says LeJeune’s artistic interpretation of a critical environmental issue is “an endorsement of just how far we can go when combining science and art in a thoughtful and informing way.”
LeJeune is an image maker, curator, and educator from Rochester, New York. She is an Associate Professor of Photography at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Her creative work combines art, science, and technology to provide meaningful, personal commentary on global issues, such as the ongoing climate crisis and humanity’s relationship with our natural world. Her work has been widely exhibited, including at The Griffin Museum of Photography, The Center for Fine Art Photography, the ARC Gallery, Circe Gallery Cape Town in South Africa, the Science Cabin in South Korea, and Umbrella Arts.
She has been a resident with many organizations, including the Global Nomadic Art Project — The Ephemeral River, University of Notre Dame Research Center, Trout Lake Research Station, Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation — Ives Lake Field Station, and most recently, the 2023 Changing Climate Residency at Santa Fe Art Institute. LeJeune has also earned two Puffin Foundation Artist Grants, the Sally A. Williams Artist Grant, and a Bradley University Research Excellent “New Directions” Grant for her interdisciplinary project Growing Light.
Zhang says, “I took this photograph of soap bubbles in 2022 and was genuinely amazed by their iridescent hues and rich textures. The swirling pattern of colors is caused by thin-film interference, where light reflected from the outer soap layer interferes with light reflected from the inner soap layer.”
Fellow American photographer Kelly Zhang has been named The Young Woman Science Photographer of the Year for her image, “The Beauty of Soap Bubbles.” Based in New York, Zhang specializes in abstract macro photography. A high school junior, Zhang began photographing soap bubbles last year. She has received several awards for her work, including first place in the 2022 American Association of Physics Teachers High School Physics Photo Contest and an honorable mention in the 19th Julia Margaret Camera Awards.
Lina Yeleuova from Kazakhstan was named runner-up in the Young Woman Photographer category for her documentation of the UniSat Nano-satellite Educational Program for Girls (UNEPG), a joint initiative between UNICEF and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
Additional shortlisted photographs are available below.
The exhibition will be displayed at RPS House in Bristol until March 30, 2023.
Image credits: All photos are individually credited. The RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year 2023 competition is organized by the Royal Photographic Society in Bristol, England.
