The cat’s-eye effect, a platinum accident and galaxy-like proteins: Three winners share the Physics Image Award
The glow of a century-old ceramic glaze, a microscope tip covered with platinum and a network of proteins that looks like a galaxy. These three beautiful images won the Physics Image Award 2026 at Leiden University.
The annual competition celebrates the beauty of physics research, by inviting researchers to share the most striking images from their work. This year, the jury could not choose just one favourite. Once the jury members' scores had been added up, it became clear that there were three winners.
The audience voted for the winner of the Audience Award during the ceremony. This photo is placed on the Physics Wall of Fame.
Jury struck by the stories behind the pictures
The winning photographs prove that physics is much more than numbers and equations. The physicists turn complex topics such as nanostructures, protein networks and optical effects into colourful images that everyone can enjoy. They also show that science often produces unexpected beauty, even when experiments do not go as planned.
Platinum accident
The first winning image shows a microscope tip coated with platinum. The original aim was to create a strong conductive surface, but after heating, the platinum formed tiny islands instead. Although the experiment did not achieve its intended result, it created a remarkable pattern.
The jury especially liked the texture on the image. ‘This is what the pyramids of Egypt should have looked like!’ Another praised it as an example of how ‘failed experiments can create beauty’. The jury also pointed out that physics is often about ‘failing forward’ and learning from surprising results. The bright yellow colouring made the picture even more memorable.
Galaxy-like proteins
The second winning photograph shows a cyan structure of a fibrin network with protein droplets embedded within. Fibrin is a protein that plays a crucial role in wound healing, while the orange droplets are proteins that separated into tiny condensates.
The image immediately impressed the jury with its artistic appearance. Some compared it to a galaxy or a cosmic web: ‘a striking image at the protein scale showing a universe of structure’. At the same time, the picture demonstrates important physical processes such as self-organisation and phase separation, showing the close connection between physics and biology.
A Cat’s-eye effect
Last but not least, the third winner, Tessa van der Ent, explored a special glaze used on Delft ceramics more than one hundred years ago in her research.
Depending on the lighting and viewing angle, colourful halos appear around the reflection. Scientists believe this effect is caused by silver nanoparticles inside the glaze, although the complete explanation is still unknown.
The jury praised both the scientific mystery and the artistic quality of the photograph. It was described as ‘mesmerising’, ‘hypnotising’ and beautifully symmetrical. One juror even suggested that the pattern would make ‘a lovely architecture for the new building’.
The Physics Image Award demonstrates that scientific research sometimes produces images that raise curiosity and inspire researchers. We celebrate these unexpected glimpses into phenomena that are normally invisible to the human eye.