Get Ready for the Spookiest Image Contest Ever!

Did you capture a spine-tingling, creepy-cool image using one of AIF’s microscopes? Now’s your chance to show off your Halloween spirit at the microscopic and nanoscopic scale!

Enter by submitting your eeriest, most hauntingly beautiful microscope images. Whether it’s a ghostly cellular structure, a wickedly weird bacterium, or anything delightfully disturbing under the lens, we want to see it!

Contest Details

• DEADLINE: October 16, 2026
• Email up to two images to [email protected].
• Include the name of the microscope used for each image.
• Images should be high-resolution JPEG files.
• Each image must include:
  • A title
  • A caption (150 words or fewer) describing the work.
  • A brief 1–2 sentence statement explaining why the work matters.

Hauntingly Good Prizes

Free Entry to the CSS

The Carolina Science Symposium will be held at the McKimmon Center on November 20.

CSS Details

$50 Amazon Gift Card

You’ll receive an Amazon gift card in November.

Email Anna Lumpkin at [email protected] to coordinate pickup.

Bragging Rights

Your image will be displayed on AIF’s website, shown at the Carolina Science Symposium, and posted on AIF’s LinkedIn page.

LinkedIn Profile

Contest Rules 🕸️
By entering, you’re saying:

🕷️ You won’t hold NC State responsible for any claims related to your submission.
🎃 It’s your work.
📸 You keep the rights, but NC State can share it (with credit to you) for education, promotion, and publicity in any format.
👻 You approve of your name, photo, and work being featured on our website, social media, or in exhibits.

The winner will be announced on Halloween (October 31) on AIF’s LinkedIn page and by email. Make sure to connect with us!

Questions? Email Anna Lumpkin at [email protected].