Bridging Two Worlds: The Global Physics Photowalk
In a world often perceived as divided between the analytical precision of science and the emotive power of art, a unique international event continues to prove that these realms are not just compatible, but deeply intertwined. The results of the 2023 Global Physics Photowalk have been announced, once again pulling back the curtain on the awe-inspiring machinery and human dedication at the heart of humanity’s quest to understand the universe. This celebrated competition invites photographers—both amateur and professional—to step inside the world’s most advanced physics laboratories, tasking them with capturing the beauty, complexity, and sheer scale of fundamental research. The winning images serve as stunning visual ambassadors, translating the abstract language of particle physics into a universal dialect of wonder and curiosity.
Organized by the Interactions Collaboration, a consortium of particle physics communication specialists from laboratories around the globe, the Photowalk is more than just a contest. It is a powerful exercise in public outreach, a deliberate effort to demystify the colossal experiments that probe the very fabric of reality. This year, thousands of photographers applied for the coveted opportunity to gain exclusive access to facilities that are typically off-limits to the public. From the subterranean tunnels of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland to the sprawling campus of Fermilab in the United States and the precision-engineered halls of KEK in Japan, selected participants were given a rare chance to aim their lenses at the cathedrals of modern science.
The resulting photographs are a breathtaking collection of contrasts: the delicate intricacy of wiring against the cold, hard steel of a cryostat; the vibrant colors of data visualizations projected in a darkened control room; the solitary figure of a scientist dwarfed by the immense machinery they operate. After months of local competitions and a rigorous international judging process, the global winners have been chosen, representing the pinnacle of this extraordinary fusion of art and science.
The Jury and the Vision: Defining Scientific Art
Selecting the winners from a pool of exceptionally high-caliber submissions was a formidable task, entrusted to an international jury of esteemed experts. The panel was carefully curated to represent the three pillars of the competition: science, photography, and communication. This year’s jury included Dr. Hitoshi Murayama, a renowned theoretical physicist from the University of California, Berkeley; acclaimed science photographer and National Geographic contributor, Enrico Sacchetti; and Sarah Douglas, a leading curator of digital art and editor-in-chief of a major art publication. Their diverse expertise ensured that each photograph was evaluated not only on its technical merits but also on its ability to tell a compelling story.
The judging criteria were multifaceted, extending far beyond simple aesthetics. The panel looked for images that possessed a strong artistic composition, masterful use of light and shadow, and impeccable technical execution. However, the deciding factor was often the photograph’s narrative power. A winning image had to do more than just document a piece of equipment; it needed to evoke a sense of the scientific purpose behind it. Did the photo convey the immense scale of the endeavor? Did it capture the human element of discovery? Did it spark curiosity and inspire the viewer to ask questions?
In a statement, jury member Enrico Sacchetti elaborated on their process: “We were searching for images that stopped us in our tracks. A great photograph in this context is one that makes you feel the intellectual weight and the profound beauty of the scientific pursuit. It’s about finding the sublime in the infrastructure, the poetry in the physics. The winning selections are those that managed to capture a moment of dialogue between the human-made and the fundamental laws of nature.” This philosophy guided the judges as they narrowed down hundreds of regional finalists to the handful of images now being celebrated on the world stage.
Unveiling the 2023 Winners: A Gallery of Scientific Wonder
The announcement of the winners has sent ripples of excitement through both the scientific and artistic communities. The chosen photographs are a testament to the photographers’ vision and skill, transforming complex scientific apparatus into breathtaking works of art.
Global First Prize: “Symmetry’s Echo” by Elara Vance (CERN)
The coveted Global First Prize was awarded to Elara Vance, an architectural photographer from the United Kingdom, for her mesmerizing image “Symmetry’s Echo,” captured deep within one of the experimental caverns of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The photograph is a masterclass in composition and patience. Using a long exposure, Vance transformed the cavern housing the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector into a cathedral of light and form.
The image is dominated by the repeating, concentric rings of the detector’s “endcap,” a massive structure designed to track particles flying out from the collision point. Vance’s low-angle perspective exaggerates the scale, making the 14,000-tonne machine feel both overwhelmingly vast and infinitely intricate. The metallic surfaces gleam under the carefully controlled lighting, creating a kaleidoscopic pattern of reds, blues, and yellows from the countless cables and components, all converging towards a dark, mysterious center—the beam pipe where protons collide at nearly the speed of light. What elevates the image is the inclusion of a single engineer, a small silhouette in the bottom right corner, holding a tablet. This human element provides a crucial sense of scale and grounds the technological marvel in the reality of human endeavor. It is a powerful reminder that behind the colossal machinery are dedicated individuals working to unravel the universe’s greatest mysteries.
Jury chair Dr. Hitoshi Murayama praised the work, stating, “‘Symmetry’s Echo’ is a perfect marriage of technical brilliance and profound storytelling. It captures not just the physical structure of the detector but also the philosophical concept of symmetry that is so central to particle physics. The repeating patterns in the machine echo the fundamental symmetries we seek in the laws of nature. It is an image that is both beautiful and deeply intelligent.”
People’s Choice Award: “Neutrino Dreams” by Kenji Tanaka (Fermilab)
While the jury deliberated, the public cast their own votes in the People’s Choice Award. Tens of thousands of votes were cast online for a shortlist of 30 images, and the overwhelming winner was “Neutrino Dreams” by Kenji Tanaka, a university physics student and amateur photographer from Chicago. His image, taken at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), offers a starkly different, yet equally compelling, vision of science.
Instead of focusing on immense scale, Tanaka’s photograph is an intimate, almost abstract macro shot of the internal components of a prototype detector for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). The frame is filled with a dense, chaotic yet beautiful web of thousands of fine, gold-plated wires and shimmering light-sensitive collectors, which are designed to detect the faint flashes of light produced when a ghostly neutrino interacts with a liquid argon atom. The shallow depth of field creates a dreamlike quality, with sharp points of focus dissolving into a soft, glittering background. The lighting is ethereal, seemingly emanating from within the delicate structure itself. The image feels less like a piece of hardware and more like a captured nebula or a visualization of a neural network.
The photo’s appeal lies in its ability to transform a highly technical object into something organic and celestial. It speaks to the mystery and elusiveness of the neutrino, a particle so insubstantial it can pass through a light-year of lead without interacting. Tanaka’s work resonated with the public by capturing the delicate, almost magical nature of a frontier scientific experiment.
Honorable Mentions: A Glimpse Across the Globe
Beyond the top two prizes, the jury recognized several other photographers with honorable mentions, highlighting the global diversity of the participating labs and artistic styles. A stark black-and-white image from TRIUMF in Canada, titled “Cyclotron’s Heart,” captured the raw industrial power of the world’s largest cyclotron accelerator. From KEK in Japan, a photograph named “Belle II’s Gaze” used a fish-eye lens to offer a disorienting and immersive view from inside the Belle II particle detector, creating a sense of being enveloped by the experiment. Another striking entry from DESY in Germany showed a laser physicist silhouetted against the intense, green beam of a high-power laser, a dramatic and futuristic scene that could be mistaken for science fiction.
Behind the Lens: The Photographers’ Journey
For the photographers, the experience was as rewarding as the accolades. Global winner Elara Vance described her day at CERN as transformative. “As an architectural photographer, I’m used to capturing spaces built for human experience—homes, museums, offices. But the LHC cavern was different. It’s a space built for fundamental particles, a place where human intuition about scale and purpose breaks down,” she explained. “I spent hours just observing, trying to understand the visual language of the machine before taking a single shot. My goal with ‘Symmetry’s Echo’ was to convey that sense of reverential awe, to show this incredible place as a modern-day temple dedicated to knowledge.”
People’s Choice winner Kenji Tanaka shared a similar sense of inspiration. “Being a physics student, I understood the science behind the DUNE detector, but seeing it up close was another matter entirely,” he said. “The complexity was overwhelming. I decided to focus on a small detail, to find the order within the chaos. The way the light caught the delicate wires felt almost alive. I called it ‘Neutrino Dreams’ because the image felt like a visual representation of the faint, elusive signals we’re hoping to catch from the cosmos. Winning the People’s Choice award is especially meaningful because it means the image connected with people who might not think about particle physics every day.”
The Canvases: A Tour of the World’s Premier Physics Laboratories
The success of the Photowalk is built upon the willingness of the world’s leading research institutions to open their doors. These laboratories are not just backdrops; they are active participants, sharing their passion for discovery with a wider audience. Each participating lab offers a unique visual and scientific landscape.
CERN: The Epicenter of Particle Physics
Home to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is arguably the most famous particle physics laboratory in the world. Straddling the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, it is a global hub for scientific collaboration, where thousands of scientists work to uncover the secrets of the Big Bang and the fundamental constituents of matter. The sheer scale of its experiments, like the ATLAS and CMS detectors—each several stories high and weighing thousands of tonnes—provides an unparalleled photographic canvas of industrial grandeur and technological sophistication.
Fermilab: America’s Particle Physics Pioneer
Located outside Chicago, Fermilab has been at the forefront of high-energy physics for over 50 years. While its Tevatron collider was once the most powerful in the world, the lab has now pivoted to become a world leader in neutrino research. Its campus is a unique blend of futuristic scientific facilities and a restored tallgrass prairie, complete with a herd of bison. Photographers at Fermilab have the opportunity to capture everything from the iconic, sweeping curves of the main administrative building, Wilson Hall, to the intricate, high-tech detectors of its neutrino and muon experiments.
A Truly Global Effort: KEK, TRIUMF, and Beyond
The “Global” in the event’s name is no exaggeration. Japan’s High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) is home to the SuperKEKB accelerator and the Belle II experiment, which studies the subtle differences between matter and antimatter. Canada’s national particle accelerator centre, TRIUMF, hosts the world’s largest cyclotron, a powerful tool for nuclear physics and medical isotope production. Other participating labs included DESY in Germany, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the U.S., and more, each contributing its own unique scientific mission and visual identity to the competition.
The Power of a Picture: Photography as a Gateway to Science
At its core, the Global Physics Photowalk is a powerful demonstration of the importance of innovative science communication. The fundamental concepts of particle physics—quarks, leptons, quantum fields, dark matter—are notoriously abstract and difficult to grasp. While equations and data are the currency of scientists, they can be impenetrable barriers for the public. Photography, however, offers a different path to understanding.
An image like “Symmetry’s Echo” doesn’t require the viewer to understand the Standard Model of particle physics. Instead, it communicates on a more visceral level, conveying the scale, precision, and dedication involved. It invites curiosity, prompting questions like, “What is that machine?” and “What does it do?” This curiosity is the first step toward genuine public engagement and scientific literacy. The Photowalk champions the idea of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), an educational philosophy that integrates artistic thinking and creativity with traditional STEM subjects. By showing that science is not just a collection of facts but also a source of profound beauty and inspiration, the competition helps to break down cultural barriers and inspire the next generation of researchers and innovators.
Looking Ahead: The Future of the Photowalk and Public Engagement
With the success of the 2023 competition, organizers are already planning for the future. There is talk of expanding the Photowalk to include even more laboratories, potentially venturing into adjacent fields like astrophysics and fusion energy. Plans are also underway for a traveling exhibition of the winning and finalist photographs. The exhibition is expected to tour museums, galleries, universities, and science festivals around the world, bringing these extraordinary glimpses into the world of physics to an even broader audience.
The Interactions Collaboration also hopes to use the momentum from the event to foster more direct engagement between scientists and the public. “These photographs are conversation starters,” said a spokesperson for the collaboration. “Our goal is to use them as a springboard for discussions, workshops, and online events that connect people directly with the researchers who are pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.”
Conclusion: A Universe Captured in a Single Frame
The 2023 Global Physics Photowalk has once again demonstrated that a single photograph can encapsulate a universe of ideas. The winning images are more than just beautiful pictures; they are windows into a world of immense complexity, profound questions, and relentless human ingenuity. They remind us that the pursuit of knowledge, much like the creation of art, is driven by a deep-seated desire to find patterns, to understand our place in the cosmos, and to marvel at the beauty of it all. As these remarkable images begin their global tour, they will carry with them a powerful message: that the quest to understand the fabric of reality is not a remote or inaccessible endeavor, but a shared human adventure, as wondrous and inspiring as any masterpiece.
