The SPM Pro Tips (scanning probe microscopy) competition is accepting submissions until August 31, 2026 but you can vote from now until September 30, 2026.
An August 25, 2026 news item on Nanowerk provides more information about the competition,
A teddy bear thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair, flower-like molecules, and even a working QR code assembled from individual atoms are among the images featured in a new competition celebrating the visual side of scanning probe microscopy.
The SPM Pro Tips competition brings together images produced with techniques such as scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), both of which can reveal matter down to the level of individual atoms. The goal is to give researchers a place to share images that are scientifically interesting but might otherwise never leave the laboratory.
Seeing matter atom by atom
Scanning probe microscopes build images by moving a very sharp probe across a surface and measuring extremely small interactions between the probe and the sample.
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In STM, electrons tunnel across the tiny gap between the probe and a conductive sample, generating a current that can be used to map the surface. AFM instead detects minute forces between the probe and the sample through tiny deflections of the tip. Both approaches can achieve atomic-scale resolution.
That resolution makes scanning probe microscopy valuable for studying the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of materials and for identifying products formed during chemical reactions. But the resulting data can also produce images with an unexpected visual appeal.
The competition was created to highlight that less formal side of microscopy. Researchers routinely produce hundreds of images during experiments, yet only a small fraction appear in scientific papers or presentations. The organizers want to provide an outlet for particularly striking images that may have scientific or aesthetic value even when they never become part of a publication.
From molecular flowers to atomic arcade games
Entries so far span a wide range of scales, materials and imaging techniques.
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Some researchers have drawn playful comparisons between nanoscale structures and familiar objects. Submitted images resemble teddy bears, flowers, honeycombs and gummy bears, while another entry recreates the look of a classic arcade game using atoms. Other images focus more directly on unusual material structures, measurement methods, defects or distinctive physical properties.
Each submission is accompanied by a short explanation describing what the image shows and the research behind it, allowing the competition to serve as both an image gallery and a form of science communication.
One of the most unusual demonstrations associated with the competition is a functional QR code created by positioning individual atoms.
Using STM, atoms were manipulated into precise locations corresponding to the dots of the code. The completed structure was then imaged with the same microscope. Despite its atomic-scale construction, the resulting image can be scanned with a conventional smartphone and links directly to the competition website.
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You can find the QR code and more such as the judging criteria in the August 25, 2026 news item.
Here’s about SPM Prot Tips from the organization’s About page,
What is SPM Pro Tips?
Got some great data that didn’t quite make the paper? Had a great sample that you only saw once? Or was your tip strangely beautiful just for one image? The SPM Pro Tips image competition is intended to be a fun and friendly way to celebrate scanning probe microscopy. Only a tiny fraction of data collected is usually published — SPM Pro Tips hopes to get some more images off the hard drives and into the community!
The competition is also intended to be a fun means for the SPM community to share information about their science with the broader community. Each submission should include a non-expert description helping provide context to the image and its significance.
The competition includes a People’s Choice Award selected by public vote and an Expert’s Choice Award selected by the judging panel, with custom trophies and digital prizes for both winners.
Awards & prizes
Two major awards recognise the community favourite and the expert panel’s choice.Public vote
People’s Choice Award
AUD $350 digital voucher
Plus the custom CNC-machined SPM Pro Tips People’s Choice perpetual trophy.Expert panel
Expert’s Choice Award
AUD $500 digital voucher
Plus the custom CNC-machined SPM Pro Tips Expert’s Choice perpetual trophy.
A trophy that travels. Each winner’s name is engraved on the relevant trophy. The trophies are passed from winner to winner each year, creating a permanent record of SPM Pro Tips champions.
Voters can win too. Verified voters go in the draw to win one of several AUD $50 digital vouchers.
Digital voucher values are listed in Australian dollars and will be converted into the winner’s currency of choice at the prevailing exchange rate when the prize is issued. Vouchers can be used internationally.
Awards kindly sponsored by [Monash University]
Contact the organisers
Have a question, want to get involved, or interested in partnering with us? Reach out to the team directly.
SPM Pro Tips Team
General enquiries, sponsorship, judging panel, and everything else: spmprotips@gmail.com
Julian Ceddia, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia: julian.ceddia@monash.edu
Benjamin Lowe, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic: lowe@fzu.cz
Anyone interesting if looking at the entries and, perhaps, voting can visit: SPM Pro Tips (scanning probe microscopy) competition.