{"id":70321,"date":"2025-07-25T12:06:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T12:06:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.saigonbiz.com.vn\/2025\/07\/25\/wellcome-photography-prize-2025-winning-images-reveal-powerful-stories-of-science-and-health\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T12:06:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T12:06:54","slug":"wellcome-photography-prize-2025-winning-images-reveal-powerful-stories-of-science-and-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.saigonbiz.com\/vn\/wellcome-photography-prize-2025-winning-images-reveal-powerful-stories-of-science-and-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Wellcome Photography Prize 2025: Winning Images Reveal Powerful Stories of Science and Health"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Sujata Setia, Mithail Afrige Chowdhury and Steve Gschmeissner awarded \u00a310,000 each for images exploring domestic abuse, climate migration and the hidden dangers of cholesterol<\/em><\/p>\n

\"mix2\"<\/p>\n

A Thousand Cuts, Sujata Setia, 2023, Urban Travel, Mithail Afrige Chowdhury, 2023, Cholesterol in the Liver, 2022, Steve Gschmeissner<\/p>\n

Click Here to download press images and captions<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

LONDON, July 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wellcome\u2019s 2025 Photography Prize celebrates three image makers whose work reveals the human stories behind science and health. UK-based artist Sujata Setia<\/strong>, Bangladeshi documentary and street photographer Mithail Afrige Chowdhury<\/strong>, and UK-based electron microscopy specialist and science photographer Steve Gschmeissner<\/strong> have each been awarded a \u00a310,000 prize for powerful images that reflect how science and health shape people\u2019s lives in complex and deeply personal ways, from the from the hidden toll of domestic abuse to the everyday realities of climate migration, to the microscopic processes that underpin heart disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now in its 28th year, the Wellcome Photography Prize celebrates compelling imagery at the intersection of science, health and human experience. From documentary photography to microscopy and medical imaging, it highlights diverse perspectives on global health and the vital role of visual storytelling in creating a healthier future.<\/p>\n

The top 25 entries are now on display in the Wellcome Photography Prize 2025 exhibition, which is free and open to the public at the Francis Crick Institute in London, running until 18 October 2025. Each of the finalists has received a \u00a31,000 prize, with a total of \u00a352,000 awarded across the competition.<\/p>\n

Lara Clements, Associate Director, Engagement, Wellcome<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>says,\u00a0\u201cThe Wellcome Photography Prize offers image-makers a platform to showcase the impact of science and health on lives around the world. This year\u2019s winning works stood out not only for their technical accomplishment, but for the care and collaboration behind them. Sujata Setia\u2019s portraits raised powerful questions around dignity, confidentiality and sensitivity. Mithail Afrige Chowdhury\u2019s image exemplified the value of being embedded in the community and explored themes of adaptation, illusion and fantasy in a compelling way. Steve Gschmeissner\u2019s biomedical image impressed us with its precision and raised important questions about how scientific imagery is shared and understood by the public. We hope audiences will find the winners\u2019 work moving, educational and inspiring, and enjoy the full exhibition at the Francis Crick Institute.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Winners<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the Storytelling Series category, Sujata Setia <\/strong>was recognised for A Thousand Cuts<\/em>, a deeply collaborative portrait project developed with survivors of domestic abuse within South Asian communities. Each image is a composite of personal testimony, visual symbolism, and traditional craft. Setia worked with the women and with the charity SHEWISE to create portraits that protected anonymity without erasing identity, applying the Indian paper-cutting technique sanjhi<\/em> to overlay each photograph. The results are intimate, powerful reflections on generational trauma, silence, survival, and the politics of representation. From the account of a woman forced into marriage twice by her father and left with lasting PTSD, to a mother determined to break the cycle of violence for her daughter, the series captures how abuse can become ingrained and normalised, and how art can offer a means of reclaiming narrative.<\/p>\n

Sujata Setia <\/strong>says, \u201cThis is a monumental recognition. A Thousand Cuts being selected for Wellcome Photography Prize affirms that health cannot be separated from the histories that shape it.\u00a0And that domestic abuse is never a singular event; it leaves a direct, trans-generational imprint on health. As a child who grew up in a home where violence was a daily occurrence, I carry that trauma like another limb.\u00a0This recognition validates not just my story, but the invisible, intangible, yet deeply scarring legacy of gender-based abuse. Domestic abuse is one of the most widespread global crimes; and yet remains among the least publicly acknowledged health crises. I hope this moment becomes a catalyst for deeper dialogue and scholarship around the interrelation between domestic abuse and health. That is our collective hope.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Mithail Afrige Chowdhury<\/strong> was awarded the Striking Solo Photography prize for Urban Travel<\/em>, a deceptively gentle image of a mother and daughter on a rooftop picnic in Dhaka. With few parks left in the city due to rapid urbanisation, this staged moment, a simple attempt to give a child a taste of nature, becomes an act of resilience. Nearly half of Dhaka\u2019s population today are climate migrants, displaced by increasingly extreme weather, and Chowdhury\u2019s work highlights the everyday consequences of these shifts: the loss of green space, of childhood rituals, of breath. The photograph is tender, composed, and yet filled with tension, a portrait of care and adaptation under invisible pressures.<\/p>\n

Mithail Afrige Chowdhury<\/strong> says, \u201cWhen I got the news, the first thing I did was charge my camera\u2014not to take a photo, but to restart something I thought I\u2019d lost. I won\u2019t dwell on personal or professional hardships, but this moment means more than I can say. I made this image two years ago, as part of a major project on climate change, urban sustainability, and public health. Then life intervened, and fear slowly pulled me away from the work I loved. But now, I can wake up with an objective. Because someone has my back. And that makes all the difference. Awards can feel technical but this recognition from Wellcome feels deeply human.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The winner of The Marvels of Scientific and Medical Imaging was announced as Steve Gschmeissner,<\/strong> whose electron microscopy image Cholesterol in the Liver<\/em> reveals cholesterol crystals (shown in blue) forming inside lipid-laden liver cells (purple). These microscopic shifts, invisible to the naked eye, can have deadly consequences: when cholesterol hardens from liquid to crystal, it damages blood vessels and contributes to heart disease and strokes. Gschmeissner\u2019s colourised SEM image transforms this biological process into something visually striking, part data, part artwork. With a career spanning over four decades, and more than 10,000 images published in scientific journals, stamp collections, fashion collaborations, and music albums, his work exemplifies how imaging can bridge science and culture.<\/p>\n

Steve Gschmeissner <\/strong>says,\u00a0\u201cWhen I discovered that Wellcome had reintroduced the Marvels of Scientific and Medical Imaging category, I was delighted to enter such a prestigious competition. I was thrilled to be shortlisted, and winning first prize is undoubtedly one of the highlights of my 50-year career of trying to bring the wonders of the microscopic world to all.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s prize drew submissions from over 100 countries. The Top 25 entries featured over 30 individuals from 18 countries, spanning Bangladesh, Brazil, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Myanmar, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Uganda, the UK, USA and beyond.<\/p>\n

The winners were selected by an international judging panel comprising leading voices from photography, science, health and journalism. The panel was chaired by Melanie Keen, <\/strong>Director of Wellcome Collection, and included Caroline Hunter<\/strong>, Picture Editor at The Guardian<\/em>; Daniella Zalcman<\/strong>, Photographer and Founder of Women Photograph; Benjamin Ryan, <\/strong>Independent Science Journalist; Elizabeth Wathuti<\/strong>, Environmental and Climate Activist; Esmita Charani, <\/strong>Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town; Helen Fisher,<\/strong> Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at King\u2019s College London; Noah Green,<\/strong> Science Educator at the Beautiful Biology Initiative; and Mark Lythgoe, <\/strong>Director of the UCL Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging.<\/p>\n

Wellcome Photography Prize Exhibition <\/strong><\/p>\n

Curated by Laurie Britton Newell and Ligaya Salazar, the Wellcome Photography Prize exhibition features images that reflect a wide spectrum of health experiences, from everyday routines to global challenges. Using techniques such as portraiture, cyanotypes, drone photography, and light and electron microscopy, the image makers show how health is lived, documented and researched around the world.<\/p>\n

Many of the works respond to Wellcome\u2019s core focus areas, mental health, climate and health, infectious disease and discovery research. Together, they reveal how these issues overlap and take shape in different cultural and geographic contexts. The result is a layered and often unexpected portrait of health today, told through voices and perspectives that are frequently overlooked.<\/p>\n

Among this year\u2019s highlights are Marks of Majesty: Vanessa<\/em> by Julia Comita and Stephanie Francis<\/strong>, a portrait honouring the life and choices of a person impacted by breast cancer who opted for aesthetic flat closure, challenging assumptions around gender, illness and identity. Beautiful Disaster<\/em> by Alexandru Radu Popescu<\/strong> shows a lake of toxic mining waste in Romania that continues to expand each year, an image of both striking beauty and environmental damage. Resilience Artist<\/em> by Pyaephyo Thetpaing<\/strong> captures a craftsman in Myanmar who creates lacquerware using his foot, offering a broader reflection on health, disability and the role of cultural tradition in healing.<\/p>\n

In the scientific imaging category, Ice and Fire Chronics<\/em> by Ingrid Augusto, Kildare Rocha de Miranda and V\u00e2nia da Silva Vieira<\/strong> shows the structure of the parasite that causes Chagas disease, which affects millions across the Americas. Blooming Barrier<\/em> by Lucy Holland <\/strong>presents goblet cells inside the gut of a child with Hirschsprung\u2019s disease, offering insight into how cell structures influence lifelong digestive health. From Butterflies to Humans<\/em> by Amaia Alcalde Anton<\/strong> reveals the brain of a butterfly mid-metamorphosis, part of a study into neurogenesis with implications for human brain development.<\/p>\n

In addition to the Top 25 entries, the exhibition also features Things We Left Unseen<\/em>, a youth-led photography project developed by Cape Town-based public health organisation Eh!woza. Created in collaboration with young people in the township of Khayelitsha, the project explores health, stigma, and daily life through the eyes of a generation growing up with high HIV and TB burdens, but also with hope and agency.<\/p>\n

The exhibition is hosted at the Francis Crick Institute, reflecting a shared commitment to making science more visible through culture.<\/p>\n

Ali Bailey, Director of Communications and Public Engagement at the Francis Crick Institute, <\/strong>said: \u201cWe are delighted to host the top images\u00a0from the Wellcome Photography Prize,\u00a0showcasing the power of visual storytelling in health and science. The images explore a number of themes that resonate with Crick research, from the health effects of air pollution to neurogenesis. We hope visitors will be moved by the stories behind\u00a0these incredible photos\u00a0and also inspired by how beautiful science can be.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Notes to Editors:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Media Contacts<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sophie Balfour-Lynn
Sutton
Sophiebl@suttoncomms.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mary-Kate Findon
Wellcome
mediaoffice@wellcome.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Winners\u2019 Biographies<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sujata Setia (Storytelling Series)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sujata Setia<\/strong> is an Indian-born, UK-based artist who’s socially engaged, research-led practice combines photography with traditional artistic interventions to explore subaltern histories, cultural imperialism, and the politics of representation. With a background in journalism and a Master\u2019s in International Relations from King\u2019s College London, her work draws on academic research and community collaboration to centre marginalised voices, particularly through a feminist lens.<\/p>\n

Her acclaimed series Changing the Conversation<\/em> marked a shift away from her earlier portraiture, interrogating the cultural and political construction of beauty. In 2024, she was awarded the Culture King\u2019s Grant to develop a lens-based, interdisciplinary project exploring the role of workplace structures for embroidery women artisans in Kashmir. She also recently received the Centre for British Photography Realisation Grant to further expand the scope of A Thousand Cuts<\/em>, a powerful body of work amplifying the voices of survivors of gender-based abuse.<\/p>\n

Setia\u2019s work has received major international recognition, including the Sony World Photography Award (Creative category, 2024), LensCulture Critics\u2019 Choice Award (2024), Prix Pictet nomination (2023), BJP Female in Focus (2022), and Photographer of the Year at the Tokyo International Foto Awards (2021). Her photography has been exhibited widely\u2014from Somerset House in London to Times Square in New York\u2014and featured in leading publications including The Guardian<\/em>, CNN<\/em>, BBC<\/em>, and Forbes<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Beyond her visual practice, Setia contributes to education and advocacy through teaching ethical storytelling and photography at EFTI in Madrid, and through collaborations with organisations such as\u00a0SHEWISE and WERESTART in the UK. Her work consistently seeks to reshape public narratives around identity, power, and care through interdisciplinary, justice-focused art.<\/p>\n

Mithail Afrige Chowdhury<\/u><\/strong> (Striking Solo Photography)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mithail Afrige Chowdhury<\/strong> is a documentary and street photographer based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Raised in the city of Khulna, his photography is deeply rooted in the lives of ordinary people. \u201cSince then, I have always tried to understand people\u2019s lives\u2014their pain, joy, and the complexities shaped by social, economic, political, and environmental changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He began photography in 2015 and chose to document what he knew best: life around him. His work has captured the Rohingya refugee crisis<\/em>, the effects of climate change on Bangladesh<\/em> (an ongoing project), major festivals, urban water crises, slum fires, and the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Mithail has won numerous international photography awards, including the Life Press Photo Award<\/em> (Ukraine), Xposure International Photography Competition<\/em> (UAE), Compass Photo Competition<\/em> by the University of Oxford (UK), and contests in China. His work has been featured in The Guardian<\/em>, The Daily Sun<\/em>, The Times of India<\/em>, Global Photography<\/em>, and publications from the University of Oxford<\/em>, ASCE<\/em>, and Saturday Magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Steve Gschmeissner<\/strong><\/u>\u00a0<\/u>(The Marvels of Medical and Scientific Imaging)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Steve Gschmeissner<\/strong> is a UK-based photographer and electron microscopy specialist whose career spans over four decades in scientific imaging. After earning a degree in Zoology, he spent 25 years at the Royal College of Surgeons, eventually leading the electron microscopy services, followed by 15 years leading the EM unit at Cancer Research UK.<\/p>\n

In 2002, Gschmeissner retired early to dedicate himself to freelance photography, specialising in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)<\/strong>. Over the past two decades, he has built an archive of more than 10,000 images<\/strong>, widely published across scientific, medical, and popular media. His work has featured in everything from textbooks and advertising to art, fashion, and music, appearing on album covers for Peter Gabriel<\/strong>, artworks by Damien Hirst<\/strong>, on US Postal Service<\/strong> stamps, and as visual inspiration for an Iris van Herpen\u2019s<\/strong> fashion collection.<\/p>\n

In 2021, he was awarded the Lennart Nilsson Award<\/strong> for his lifelong contribution to microscopy. His images continue to bridge the worlds of science and visual culture, offering new ways of seeing the invisible.<\/p>\n

Full list of Finalists – Top 25 Entries <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Striking solo photography<\/strong><\/p>\n