The field of neuroscience has progressed immensely since the days of Ramón y Cajal's intricate hand-drawn illustrations over a century ago. We can now capture the intricate beauty and wonder of the brain through technological advancements.
As we mark the moment of 10 years of BRAIN-funded science, we invite neuroscientists from diverse disciplines, career stages, and funding sources to enter your most creative, beautiful, and inspiring images (1-10 MB) or short videos (<30 s) of your research in the 2024 BRAIN Initiative Photo and Video Contest. (Formally, the BRAIN Initiative's Show Us Your BRAINs! Photo & Video Contest). Help us showcase the art, science, and beauty of neuroscience research!
Submissions will be accepted until 5:00 pm (ET) on Monday, April 15, 2024. The 2024 Program Committee for the 10th Annual BRAIN Initiative Conference will review anonymized submissions and select the entries that they feel capture the creative spirit of the BRAIN Initiative. Then, the finalists will be posted online for public voting. Winners will be announced at the 10th Annual BRAIN Initiative Conference—with prizes! Need some inspiration? Check out previous years' winners below and details in The Art of the BRAIN: Snapshots from the 2022 Contest article.
Eligibility and Rules
Please follow the rules carefully. Submissions that do not follow the rules listed below will not be considered.
- Any individual or team is eligible to submit one photo and one video entry.
- At the time of submission, participants must be 18 years or older after March 25, 2024.
- Winners of the 2022 and 2023 BRAIN Initiative Photo & Video Contests are not eligible to win this year but are welcome to submit.
- Participants do not need to participate in the 10th Annual BRAIN Initiative Conference to enter or win.
Evaluation Criteria
After the contest closes for submissions, the 2024 Program Committee for the 10th Annual BRAIN Initiative Conference will review anonymized submissions to narrow down the field to the top 6 photos and top 6 videos to entries they feel capture the creative spirit of the U.S. BRAIN Initiative.
Entries will be evaluated on:
- Aesthetics
- Creativity
- Relevance to the U.S. BRAIN Initiative and/or field of neuroscience
Following the committee review, photo and video finalists will be displayed and open for public voting on NIH BRAIN Initiative website. All entries will be made anonymous—only the photos or videos will be accessible, and voters will be masked to contest participants' names, affiliations, and all other personal information. The first, second, and third place winners (confirmed by NIH BRAIN Initiative Director Dr. John Ngai following the public vote) will be announced during the 10th Annual BRAIN Initiative Conference.
Prizes
The top three photo and video winners will receive a certificate recognizing their accomplishment, recognition during the 10th Annual BRAIN Initiative Conference, and will have their submissions posted on the NIH BRAIN Initiative website. In addition, the finalists will have a chance to be featured in our popular BRAIN Initiative calendar.
2024 BRAIN Initiative Calendar
Past Winners
Check out the winning entries from past contests below.
2023 Winners
Video Winners
Photo Winners
2022 Winners
Video Winners
Photo Winners
2021 Winners
Download the 2022 BRAIN Initiative single page calendar(pdf, 5983 KB) featuring the top entries from the 2021 BRAIN Initiative Photo & Video Contest.
Video Winners
Photo Winners
2020 Winners
Download the 2021 BRAIN Initiative single page calendar(pdf, 2289 KB) featuring the top entries from the 2020 BRAIN Initiative Photo & Video Contest.
Video Winners
Photo Winners
2019 Winners
Video Winners
Photo Winners