ISME is looking for photos and videos that can be used to promote the ISME Society and our Publications. We are looking for microscopy images for the 2026 front cover of The ISME Journal and ISME Communications. Additionally, we are looking for photos and videos of microscopy images and microbial ecologists at work to be used for the new ISME website and other promotional materials. With the photos of microbial ecologists at work, we hope to make the discipline less abstract for people outside of our field.
We are looking for:
ISME Society
- Photos and videos for promotional materials, including microbial ecologists at work and microscopy images. Show how and where you are engaging with microbial ecology, not only under the microscope, but also in the lab or in the field, underwater, or on the top of a mountain.
The selected materials will be used for the ISME website, promotional videos, and all other ISME promotional materials such as social media banners, flyers, roll-ups, etc.
ISME Publications
- The ISME Journal front cover 2026
- ISME Communications front cover 2026
The selected images will be featured on the ISME and OUP websites and all materials promoting the publications.
Terms and conditions
The photos and videos:
- Must reflect microbial ecology
- Must be your own artwork, i.e., you must own the copyright
- Must be unpublished (unless in ISMEJ/Commun)
- No AI-generated images
- At least 300 dpi set at their required size in .eps or .tiff format, CMYK colour setup
- The preferred size for the journal front covers is 212mm in width and 118mm in height
- If selected, you will give the full copyright of your material to ISME
- If selected, you give ISME the right to use and edit the material as we see fit
Competition submission rules
- You are allowed to submit multiple images and videos
- Send your artwork to the ISME Office
- Feel free to use a file transferring tool like WeTransfer for larger files.
- Include a text file that contains your name, mail address, affiliation and a description of your image(s)
- Indicate if you wish your entry to be reviewed specifically for The ISME Journal or ISME Communications front cover or the ISME Society promotional materials. Please note that the publications have first choice of the submitted photos.
- Submission Deadline: 18 November 2025
The winners of the journal covers will be announced in January 2026. All other winners will be announced on the ISME website in December. The photo and video credits of the winners will be acknowledged on a dedicated page on the ISME website.
If your photos or videos are selected, please note that you would need to give ISME the full copyright to the materials, allowing ISME to use and edit the material as we see fit. ISME would be allowed to use the images in all ISME-related branding and marketing materials and on our social media channels without direct acknowledgement.
Make sure to submit your photos and videos by 18 November 2025!