First RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year winner announced

Today, there are over a million women working in the UK STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) sector, and the numbers are steadily rising.

However, that only equates to 24 per cent of the overall workforce. And according to research from PwC, when it comes to women in STEM leadership positions that percentage drops to five per cent.

For those women who choose to follow a STEM path, they often go on to have shorter and less well-paid careers than their male counterparts.

Portrait of an Alien by Irina Petrova Adamatzky (UK) – photo: courtesy of RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year 2023

In an effort to bring increased attention to this gender gap (which also exists in the field of photography), the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) have launched the first annual RPS Women Science Photographer of the Year competition, open to all female-identifying photographers of all ages from across the UK, both amateur and professional.

“Our culture cannot be imagined without science,” they say. “And, in our visual world, it’s not enough to just speak about science; we must also show it. For this, we need photographers to capture it and to share it.

Helping Hands by Prelena Soma Owen (South Africa) – photo: courtesy of RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year 2023

“With this competition, our goal is to encourage women of all ages to use their cameras as a tool to explore the science in the world around them, raising the awareness of women in both science and photography.”

The diversity of submitted images spanned agriculture, marine biology, global food chain, medical research and microscope photography, showcasing the impressive “breadth of talent and skills evident at the intersection of art and science”.

Colony by Jindra Jehu (UK) – photo: courtesy of RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year 2023

On February 10 at a ceremony featuring guest presenters Kym Cox and Yasmin Crawford – who were also on the judging panel – the following winners were announced:

• Margaret LeJeune (USA): Watershed Triptych ­– overall winner, Woman Science Photographer of the Year

Watershed Triptych by Margaret LeJeune (USA), winning image – photo: courtesy of RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year 2023

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 at the outflow areas where algal blooms have been recorded.

• Kelly Zhang (USA): The Beauty of Soap Bubbles – winner, Young Woman Science Photographer of the Year

The Beauty of Soap Bubbles by Kelly Zhang (USA) – photo: courtesy of RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year 2023

“I took this photograph of soap bubbles in 2022,” says Zhang, “and was genuinely amazed by their iridescent hues and rich textures. The swirling pattern of colours is caused by thin-film interference, where light reflected from the outer soap layer interferes with light reflected from the inner soap layer.”

• Lina Yeleuova (Kazakhstan): Nanosatelite – runner-up, Young Woman Science Photographer of the Year

Nanosatelite by Lina Yeleuova (Kazakhstan) – photo: courtesy of RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year 2023

150 female participants were selected from a group of 2,000 to launch three state-of-the-art nanosatellites into the stratosphere. They are equipped with cameras, able to capture elliptical images of the Earth in 4k resolution.

Overall winner LeJeune’s work has been exhibited widely around the world. Her photographic practice, which is a fusion of art, science and technology, focuses on the climate crisis: including investigations of habitat loss, sea level rise, the current mass extinction event, and humanity’s precarious relationship to the natural world.

Leap of Science by Lianna Nixon (USA) – photo: courtesy of RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year 2023

“This award calls attention to the exciting creative research that many women-identifying artists around the world are doing in their studios, labs, and classrooms,” she reflects.

“Representation helps to invite the next generation to follow their curiosity and get involved in the fields of science and art.”

All the shortlisted images, as well as the winning shots, will be exhibited digitally at the RPS headquarters until the end of March.

Rugose Coral by Christine Fitzgerald (Canada) – photo: courtesy of RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year 2023

Women Science Photographer of the Year digital exhibition is at RPS House from February 10-March 30. For more information, visit: www.events.rps.org.

To join the RPS and become a member of the Women in Photgraphy group, visit: www.rps.org/groups.

Main photo: Margaret LeJeune

Read more: International contemporary photography exhibition to open at the Royal Photographic Society

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