Images of Research is a competition and exhibition for University of Bath staff to use visual imagery and a simple short description to tell people about their research and its benefits to society. The image submitted can take any form, it could be a photograph, a drawing, a digital creation or an image from research directly. The image should highlight why research happening at the University matters - the difference University research is making to society.
Competition categories
The Images of Research 2024 competition invites applicants to submit an image into one of five categories reflecting the University’s strategic themes and priorities:
Digital – research that is creating positive digital futures.
Health and Wellbeing – research that is addressing pressing health and wellbeing issues people are facing.
Local – research that is working with people from Bath and North East Somerset and creating positive outcomes for them and their communities.
Partnerships - research that is working in collaboration with people outside academia including industry, policymakers and civil society and community-based organisations.
Sustainability – research that is finding sustainable solutions to issues facing the planet and people.
Who can apply
Images of Research 2024 is open to all staff from the Education and Research (including doctoral students) and Technical and Experimental job families, we also welcome submissions from staff in the Management Specialist and Administration job family who support and input into research.
Entry conditions
The following are the conditions for submitting an entry to Images of Research 2024.
Only one entry per person.
You can name other colleagues and collaborators on your submission but the person submitting will be deemed the lead applicant.
The lead applicant must be a University of Bath staff member.
Submissions must include the following:
- Image - can take any form, a photograph, a drawing, a digital creation or an image from research directly.
- Alternative (Alt) Text - additional information added to an image that describes what the image looks like. It will be read by assistive technologies like screen readers.
- Title – a short snappy title of no more than six words to capture people’s attention.
- Description – using ‘plain English’ and avoiding jargon and acronyms a description should be a maximum length of 150 words.
For help, advice and guidance on writing effective alt-text, titles and descriptions head over to the Images of Research Top Tips blog.
Each image can only be submitted once, into only one category of the competition.
Image must be taken or created by yourself or if not, used with explicit permission from the person who took or created it; you cannot submit images downloaded from the internet.
Completed entries must be received by 4pm, Friday 13 September 2024.
Juding and assessment
Submissions will be judged anonymously by a panel of judges made up of colleagues from across the University and external partner(s). There will be a winning and a highly commended submission in each category.
Judging criteria
The story behind each image and the reasons for its creation are as important as the image itself. Submissions to the five categories will be judged against four criteria:
How well they fit within the themes of the category submitted to (as described above).
Clearly demonstrates the difference that University of Bath research is making to society.
Creativity – images having a strong visual impact.
Storytelling – a compelling narrative behind the image and/or the research.
Judging process
Moderation – submissions will be moderated initially against how well they fit within the theme due to the limited exhibition space available. Those not being progressed will be informed at this stage.
Review – submissions will be reviewed by the judges to put forward for exhibition.
Judging – the images chosen for the exhibition will be reviewed by the judges during the Images of Research exhibition event (date and time tbc).
Submitting entries
Submission is in two stages:
- The Images of Research 2024 Submission Form must be completed in full.
- Image files must be emailed or transferred to the Public Engagement Unit with the entry title in the subject line.
A completed Submission Form and an image must be received by 4pm, Friday 13 September 2024.
Each image can only be submitted once, into one category of the competition.
All images must be submitted as high-resolution files (300ppi) suitable for printing as winning images will be reproduced as high quality prints. TIFF or high-resolution JPG formats are preferred but vector format (.ai, .eps or .pdf) will also be accepted. Images can be full colour or black & white.
An eligible submission must include an image, alt-text, title and description.
Deadline
Completed submission must be received by 4pm, Friday 13 September 2024.
Key dates
Competition opens – Monday 24 June 2024.
Competition closes – 4pm, Friday 13 September 2024.
Images of Research 2024 celebration event – mid-October 2024 (exact date tbc).
Images of Research 2024 city centre exhibition – mid-October to early November 2024 (exact dates tbc).
Images of Research 2024 exhibition
Submission to the Images of Research 2024 competition will form the basis of an exhibition on outside Bath Spa railway station for three weeks from mid-October to early November (exact dates tbc).
Image considerations
Subject limitations
No nudes or portrayals of illegal activities will be accepted. In the sole discretion of the judges, submissions that are considered inappropriate or unsuitable for publication will be deemed ineligible and removed from the competition.
Copyright
The University of Bath retains the right to use all submitted images — including those not chosen to win prizes — in promotional materials without further permission from, or compensation to, the entrant. Credit will be given to the entrant if reproduced. The entrant will retain copyright. We expect the images to be original and produced by you or by someone else who has given permission for their use and who has been credited. Downloaded files from the internet do not qualify. The image source must be stated in the entry form.
Liability
By entering this competition, if your entry is deemed eligible, you consent to the use of your name, biographical information, winning entry and any statements attributed to you, or photographs of you taken subsequently, being used for promotional purposes without additional compensation to you. As such, you hereby grant to the University of Bath a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to reproduce works based on your submission without any obligation to compensate you. The University of Bath shall not be liable in any way for a submission. It is the responsibility of the photographer to secure permission from identifiable persons in their photographs by ensuring that they have written permission to use the image. You represent and warrant to the University that: (i) you are the sole and exclusive owner of your submission, or that you have all right and authority to grant the rights in the submission to the University described herein; (ii) you have obtained any and all releases necessary from all persons (or their legal guardians) depicted in the submissions.