Photo contest: Diversity of Life

From molecular structures to complex ecosystems, drug development and nutritional processes

Research at our faculty is one thing above all else: diverse!

To showcase this diversity, we are looking for extraordinary and exciting snapshots from the world of biology, pharmaceutical and nutritional sciences.

Our research does not always take place in laboratories, which is why this year, for the first time, a special prize will be awarded for the best field research photo.

From 2 March to 15 April 2026, all students and staff of the Faculty of Life Sciences are cordially invited to submit their best photos here. In addition to the three main prizes a special prize for the best depiction of field research and a public choice award will be awarded.

How to participate

Eligibility + Requirements

Open to students, general staff, and academic staff of the Faculty of Life Sciences, one photo per person
Photos must be self-taken and originate from research, fieldwork, or experimental settings. If there are people visible on the photograph, their consent must be given for participation.
No AI-generated, AI-edited, or third-party content permitted

Image Description & Accessibility

Please provide a short image description (max. 500 characters) explaining the context and the depicted object or process.
To comply with accessibility guidelines, please also provide an alt text describing what is visible in your image (max. 150 characters).

File Format & Technical Specifications

Submission: only digital, accepted formats: JPG, PNG, TIFF
Minimum width: 2835 px | Maximum file size: 20 MB
File name: LastName_FirstName_ShortTitle.fileextension

Prices

The winners of the competition will receive the following prizes:

1st place: 150 Euro
2nd place: 100 Euro
3rd place: 50 Euro
Special price for field research: 150 Euro
Public Choice Award: Guided tour of your choice in facilities of the faculty, depending on availability

How will the winners be chosen?

Entries will be evaluated by a jury composed of experts, faculty members, and students. The jury will assess each submission based on the following criteria: scientific relevance and clarity, aesthetics and composition, creativity, special criterion: field research (if applicable).

After jury evaluation, the Top 10 selected entries will be presented online for public voting. This will determine the winner of the Public Choice Award.

Submission

Required fields are marked with a red square

Submission for the photo contest

First and last name

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Univie e-mail address

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Title of photo

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Short description (max. 500 characters)

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Alt text (max. 150 characters)

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I participate in the special price for field research

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Yes No

Upload photo (max. 20 MB)

Select file

Authorship

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I confirm that I am the creator and copyright holder of the submitted work and that the entry is my original work.

Consent of third parties

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By submitting the photo, I confirm that no personal rights and/or copyrights of third parties are violated. I confirm that all identifiable persons depicted in the photo have given their written consent to the submission, the use and storage of the photo and that they agree to the data processing and, if applicable, to the publication of the personal data by the University of Vienna, and I will provide copies upon request.

Transfer of rights

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By participating in the contest, I transfer to the University of Vienna the non-exclusive right to use the work, in full and without restriction in terms of space and content, for the duration of the statutory protection period and any extensions thereof. Copyrights remain unaffected. The transfer of rights applies to a protected asset as a whole as well as to parts thereof. The transfer of rights includes, in particular, the right to electronic storage in a database, the right to reproduction, distribution, exhibition and presentation, the right to edit and otherwise transform the protected material, and the right to use the resulting edits and transformations. The transfer of rights includes the right to use the protected material in connection with all publications, products, and services of the University of Vienna, in particular for the purposes of public relations, in particular for publication on websites, social media, PPT slides for lectures, media for press relations, print products (catalogues, brochures, folders, posters, performance reports).

Data processing

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I expressly consent to the processing, storage, and publication of my personal data by the University of Vienna for the purposes of conducting the photo competition and for public relations activities, as well as for the storage in the image database of the Faculty of Life Sciences. Consent is given freely and can be withdrawn at any time with effect for the future. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out up to that point.

Person responsible for this data processing:

University of Vienna, Universitätsring 1, 1010 Vienna.
Dean's Office of the Faculty of Life Sciences
+43-1-4277-50001
dekanat.lewi@univie.ac.at

You can reach the data protection officer of the University of Vienna via e-mail: datenschutzbeauftragter@univie.ac.at

The University of Vienna processes the following categories of personal data in the context of the data processing in question:

Name
Electronic contact data
Electronic photographs
Electronic copies of consent forms

Legal basis of processing:

Processing of image data Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO
Overriding legitimate interests of the University of Vienna for the purpose of conducting the photo competition and storage in the image database of the Faculty of Life Sciences.
Consent to the processing of "other personal data"

Your data will not be disclosed to third parties outside the University. They will be deleted as soon as the purpose of the data processing has been fulfilled. Click here for the Data Protection Declaration.

Rights of data subjects / Privacy policy of the University of Vienna