Congratulations to our  winning entries 2026!

 

Overall winners

	Title	Category	Photographer	Research institution
1st Place	Refined Tunnel Handling	Small animal	Elissa Hardman	The Florey Institute of Neuroscience, Victoria, Australia
2nd Place	Why didn’t the Tasmanian Tree Frog go extinct?	Wildlife	Daniel van Duinkerken	University of Tasmania
3rd Place	Wild and Free	Wildlife	Alexandre Fontanella	University of Tasmania

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category winners

Small animal

1st Place	Refined tunnel handling			Elissa Hardman
2nd Place	Little gaze, big moment

Wildlife

1st Place	Why didn't the Tasmanian tree frog go extinct?	Daniel van Duinkerken
2nd Place	Wild and free

Aquatic

1st Place	Danio rerio larva, a valuable model for antibiotic discovery		Michelle Novais de Paula
2nd Place	Bull shark and pilot fish		Nico Fassbender

Large animal

1st Place	A Tasmanian devil coming out of a modified devil trap	Prithul Chaturvedi
2nd Place	Brushtail possum enjoying a cheeky placebo treat	Prithul Chaturvedi

Open

1st Place

Varroa destructor

Joana Merk

 

Celebrating real stories, real environments, and the care at the heart of animal research

The Research Animal Photography Award invites photographers, researchers and animal care staff across Australia, New Zealand and Oceania's Islands to submit images that capture the reality of animals in research.

This award recognises photography that is both great to look at and which tells meaningful stories. We are looking for images that reflect real research environments, both captive and in the field, the care and consideration given to research animals, and the science taking place.

 

Total prize fund: $4,000 AUD

Grand prize: $2,000 AUD

Many thanks to Charles River for their generous support of the Research Animal Photography Awards 2026 

 

About the award

The images of research animals don't always show the passion, wonder or commitment that reflect the projects they are part of.  Increasingly, science stories are illustrated with staged or AI-generated images. Stories told through authentic images are necessary to communicate that excellent science and care is taking place, and help everyone understand the importance of the work. 

We are looking for the passionate, purposeful and visually creative minds working with animals in science, to share their research stories through a photograph that shows their passion for the animals and the importance of the research. 

The Research Animal Photography Awards is both a photography and a science communication competition. It is a chance to share your research, and best images with the world, so they can share in your experiences. 

The strongest entries will combine good photography with a clear sense of what is happening and why it matters. They will communicate the complexities of science visually, and help someone outside your field see both scientific purpose and compassion for animals more clearly.

If you have an image that shows this well, we encourage you to submit an entry.

 

What we are looking for

Entries will be judged on two equally important areas:

Photographic quality
Composition, technical execution, use of light and overall finish

Scientific communication
Clarity of context, authenticity, and the ability to help a wider audience understand the work

Strong entries will:

• Show real research settings and practice
• Communicate something meaningful about the science
• Be suitable for use in public-facing communication

 

Who should enter

We welcome entries from:

• Researchers working with animals
• Animal care and research services staff
• Professional and amateur photographers working in scientific settings
• Students and early career researchers

Entrants must be affiliated with a research organisation responsible for the work shown. They are required to share ethical approval information for their project as part of the entry process. 

 

Categories

• Wildlife
• Small lab animals
• Large animals
• Aquatic animals
• Open category

 

Key information

• Entries must be original photographs taken on or after 1 January 2025
• Each entry must include a short explanation (up to 500 words) describing the scientific context
• Images must not be generated or altered using AI
• All work must comply with relevant ethical approvals and institutional requirements
• Submissions closed Sunday 26 July

 

This award is possible thanks to the support of our sponsor.