This is a natural carbon trap.

This wavy structure is a tiny type of algae made by silica (glass-like structure), called a diatom. It has a diameter of around 100 µm, so is as thick as a single human hair - but the contribution that such diatoms make to the natural economy of the earth is enormous.

It has been estimated that their photosynthesis traps 2×1016 (twenty quadrillion) grams of carbon each year, which is more than all of the world’s rainforests trap together. Roughly 20% of the oxygen produced by plants each year is due to diatoms – every fifth breath you take!

Terpsinöe musica shown here is found all around the globe, living in tropical coastal areas.

For the jury, this picture shows the infinitely small, the unexpectedly beautiful and mesmerising structures found at this scale. It is like a sculptural masterpiece with something of Matisse about it - such unusual form, dimension and depth.

PHOTO: The image was taken with a scanning electron microscope by researcher Carlos Wetzel from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) who has been working on diatoms from rivers, lakes and soils at the Observatory for Climate, Environment and Biodiversity (OCEB).

This is what a future battery could look like inside.

This image shows the inside of a blended cathode, which is being considered for future application in all-solid-state lithium batteries. The different colours blue, magenta, red and yellow represent charged atoms (called ions) of lithium, carbon, aluminium and nickel respectively.

The image was taken with a special electron microscope, giving researchers unique insights into the complexity of battery materials needed for the development of novel energy storage solutions.

When researcher Luca Cressa from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) took this image, he couldn’t oversee a central feature being shaped like a human brain (actually a Lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide particle) in the middle of a dynamically chaotic environment.

Seeing other “brains” flying around in the image inspired him to call this image ‘Brainstorm’. Magnification: 6500x (micrometer-scale).

For the jury, the picture invites the viewer to unleash their imagination. It is grainy and mysterious, as if it were a shot from outer space even though it is not.

PHOTO: Luca Cressa, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)

This is a piece of bone.

This is a piece of woven bone from cattle imaged with a scanning electron microscope. The harsh contrast gives the small fragment of bone the appearance of a large object in space. In reality, it measures a little less than 2 mm.

Material from such bones is used in dental medicine to fill defects in the jaw bone.

This image was taken by Felix Kleine Borgmann from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) for a study investigating the use of such material in an animal model of guided bone augmentation.

Using microscopy, the ability of the surrounding bone to integrate the bovine bone and eventually replace it was investigated.

For the jury, this is an image that indeed amazes. What looks like a large object in space turns out to be a tiny fragment of a bone. This is a shining example of how a detailed image changes the perspective of the viewer. It conveys the message not to trust first impressions and always to take a closer look.

PHOTO: Felix Kleine Borgmann, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)

These are imperfections in liquid crystals.

The multicoloured lines in this image represent defects in a non-uniform film of liquid crystal. Liquid crystals are a state of matter between liquid and solid crystals.

You may have heard about LCD flat-screen TVs: LCD stands for liquid crystal display, so the screen is made up of liquid crystals.

Researcher Anjali Sharma from the University of Luxembourg took this image with a microscope that uses polarized light to show the colours. Liquid crystals easily and strongly respond to external electrical or magnetic fields, making them perfect materials for sensing.

Anjali studies how liquid crystals could be shaped to be used for the detection of biological or chemical substances.

For the jury, this picture simply evokes a beautiful neon dream.

PHOTO: Anjali Sharma, University of Luxembourg

These are the hot spots in Luxembourg-City.

The image shows the generated Land Surface Temperature (LST) information for Luxembourg City based on satellite imagery during one of the warmer and cloudless days of the year.

LST indicates how hot the ‘surface’ of the Earth would feel to the touch in a particular location. The temperatures in this picture range from 27°C (purple) to 45°C (yellow).

The coolest areas in the city are the forests and valleys, such as the ‘Polvermillen’ or the ‘Pafendall’, whereas the urban zones are mostly hot spots.

The map was made using data collected by Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor on the Landsat 8 satellite (NASA, USGS) and LiDAR point clouds (data.public.lu).

Researcher Karolina Zięba-Kulawik, in cooperation with Konrad Skoczylas from the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) uses them in research on the monitoring and impact of greenery on the urban environment using spatial indices.

For the jury, the composition of this picture stands out. It is captivating and intriguing - the viewer has to look twice to recognise the city of Luxembourg underneath.

PHOTO: Karolina Zięba-Kulawik (LISER)

This is a drone research lab.

This photo composed by robotics researcher Philippe Ludivig gives an insight into the Aerial Robotics Lab testing facility at the University of Luxembourg.

Snapshots of the different stages of a flight trajectory flown by a single drone were merged here into a single image.

The researcher operating the drone is Jose Luis Sanchez Lopez from the Automation Research Group at University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT). The goal of his research is to improve autonomous trajectory planning for unmanned aerial vehicles.

For the jury, this is an exciting image. The viewer is drawn in and wonders what these multiple drones are, only to discover that a single person controls them all.

PHOTO: Philippe Ludivig, SnT

This was a brittle star - 183 million years ago.

A rare snapshot of excitement when palaeontologists realise they just discovered a species new to science.

The tiny object on a slightly sweaty fingertip is a microscopic fragment of a 183-million-year-old brittle star extracted from a drill core sample from Dudelange.

Because it belongs to a previously unknown species, palaeontologists Ben Thuy and Lea Numberger at the Natural History Museum Luxembourg (MNHN - natur musée) have the privilege to name it.

For the jury, this picture is an excellent snapshot as it captures the emotion and excitement of a palaeontologist who has just made an exciting scientific discovery. The drops of sweat on the fingertip speak for themselves: this is not a random piece of dust, but an exciting scientific find!

Photo: Ben Thuy, natur musée

This is a test lab for a lunar rover - in Luxembourg.

Here is a lunar rover in the LunaLab testing facility of the SpaceR research group at the University of Luxembourg.

The facility focusses on recreating the visual characteristics experienced by robotic systems on the lunar surface in order to test computer vision systems. The bright light is artificial sunlight and the surface of the moon is simulated with basalt sand.

The image was taken by robotics researcher Philippe Ludivig during an experiment to evaluate the efficiency of different camera-based localisation algorithms.

The jury awarded this picture for several reasons: The beautiful and intense interplay of light and darkness, and because it can be surprising that research is being done in this area in Luxembourg. And finally, because it takes the viewer to a place to which he usually has no access.

Photo: Philippe Ludivig, SnT/ispace

This is how microorganisms are analysed nowadays.

Here you see instruments used for the quantification and identification of microorganisms in environmental samples.

The samples investigated in this experiment originate from grassland soils that have been fertilized with different organic and chemical fertilizers. The outcome of this study will assist in understanding the impact of different fertilizers on soil microorganisms, and consequently provide support in environment policy making.

The instrument on the left is a DNA sequencer and the one on the right a real-time PCR machine. Both are used in deciphering the genetic code of microorganisms present in various samples.

The first snow of the year during laboratory work concluded this productive day for researcher Bella Tsachidou at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)!

The jury loved this image for its poetic combination between the snowflakes in the background and the seemingly boring machine set-up in the foreground. Like the winning image, this one invites the viewer to spend a day in a laboratory.

PHOTO: Bella Tsachidou, LIST

This is an explosion in slow motion.

This image shows the classical experiment of a lycopodium powder explosion, which is shown during a science show about fire at the Luxembourg Science Center in Differdange.

Lycopodium powder consists of spores from a moss that if dispersed as a cloud in the air and ignited, they give rise to a large fireball. In this image, iron shavings were added to the powder, to produce the sparks you see in the image.

The image was taken with a high-speed Phantom v2640 camera with 8500 frames per second. The explosion took only 1,1 seconds in real-time, but with the slow motion camera, it lasts 2 minutes and 33 seconds.

The Science Center uses this camera to slow down natural phenomena to be able to explain them better to their visitors.

For the jury, this image holds the beauty of science and art in equal measure. It is like an abstract landscape. At the same time, it captivates the viewer - a beautiful and very appealing picture.

PHOTO: Luxembourg Science Center

Changing the climate: When the greenhouse effect suddenly makes sense.

A school class on a guided tour at the Luxembourg Natural History Museum (MNHN), a palaeoclimatologist, and a topic of burning timeliness are united in a moment of emotion and sensitisation.

Lea Numberger demonstrates climate change through a simple experiment: What happens to the temperatures under a glass bowl exposed to cold ultraviolet light?

Even cold ultraviolet radiation that does not emit any noticeable heat itself can cause a temperature rise when that radiation is reflected and then partially trapped by the glass bowl in the experiment – or greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

When the greenhouse effect suddenly makes sense, the seed of understanding and awareness is planted. The photo was taken by Ben Thuy, also a paleontologist and avid science communicator at MNHN.

For the jury, this picture shows dialogue and the transmission of knowledge. It is a beautiful snapshot and captures that very emotional "caught in the act" feeling.

PHOTO: Ben Thuy, MNHN (taken in pre-pandemic times)

Could augmented reality facilitate urban forest inventories?

New solutions to gather data from urban forest inventories in a more precise way: here we see a test of the reliability of a laser scanner application attached to an iPad Pro for perimeter at breast height and tree position estimations. These are two of the main variables collected during urban forest inventories.

PHOTO: Karolina Zieba-Kulawik (LISER)

This is a powder used for 3D-printing of ceramics

This is a scanning electron microscopy micrograph of modified alumina powder used for 3D printing.

PHOTO: Anaïs Carpentier (LNS)

This can happen when two chemicals meet.

The chemical reaction that occurs at the surface of the water solution drop leads to a polymer film that displays brilliant colours due to the effect of thin-film interference.

PHOTO: Manos Anyfantakis, University of Luxembourg

This is an appendix under a layer of wax.

This is a thin section of an appendix, embedded in paraffin and imaged with polarization contrast under a light microscope.

PHOTO: Felix Kleine-Borgmann, LIH