On September 14, the Image Contest 2026 reached its grand finale at the planetarium — and what a night it was. After weeks of public exhibition, hundreds of votes, and months of scientific storytelling, our researchers took center stage to pitch their images live, under the full-dome projection, Science-Slam style.
By the Numbers
This year’s contest brought together 32 submissions from researchers and students across Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and regional research institutions. Over the four-week exhibition period, visitors cast more than 350 votes to choose their favorite image, and 11 brave scientists took the stage at the planetarium to pitch their work live to the audience and jury.
And the Winners Are…
Best Pitch Award (jury decision)
- Simon Kusnezow (Institute of Pathology, UMH) — „At first sight“
- Cornelius Gantz (Mineralogy/Geochemistry & Institute for Technologies and Economics of Lithium) — „Slagpocalypse“
- Lisa Ahne (Institute of Pharmacy, Experimental Pharmacology for Natural Sciences) — „Diversity of Macrophages“
Visitors‘ Favorite Award (public vote)
- Gregory Gan (Anthropogeography, Just Transition Center) — „Amsdorf“
- Larissa Fleischmann (Just Transition Center, MLU) — „The Last Stopover“
- Tom Schlegel (Leipzig University, Institute for Drug Discovery) — „First Contact: Human Antibodies Engaging an Alphavirus“
Congratulations to all six winners — and to every researcher who submitted an image, stood on stage, or simply shared their passion for science with the public this year.
Thank You
A huge thank you to our jury — Prof. Edgar Peiter, Dr. René Schlesier, and Steve Laubenstein — for their thoughtful evaluation of this year’s pitches.
We’re also deeply grateful to our sponsors, Leica Microsystems and Zeiss, whose support made this event possible.
And of course, thank you to everyone who visited the exhibition, cast a vote, asked a question at the planetarium, and helped turn scientific research into a public experience.
What’s Next
The online gallery featuring all 32 submitted images will be published soon — so if you missed the exhibition, stay tuned.
heading into its final round. On 14 September 2026, the researchers and students who dared to pitch will present their winning images live at Planetarium Halle — three minutes each, projected large-scaleonto the dome.
Scientists, researchers, and students from Martin Luther University and regional institutions are invited to submit their best scientific images — from microscopy to data visualizations. Selected entries will be displayed in a four-week public exhibition, culminating in a live pitch night at the planetarium.
