Plenty of Beauty at the Bottom NNCI Image Contest: "Most Whimsical" Category 2026

In honor of National Nanotechnology Day, October 9th, the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) hosts our annual Plenty of Beauty at the Bottom image contest. Referencing Richard Feynman’s 1959 lecture, "There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom," this image contest celebrates the beauty of the micro and nanoscale. Images featured in this contest were produced at one of the 16 NNCI sites during the past two years.

Sites from across the NNCI contributed stunning, unique, and whimsical images of the micro and nanoscale for the 2025 image contest, and public votes will determine this year’s winners. In addition to first place, honorable mentions are also selected. First place winning artists will receive up to $1,000 in travel support to a professional conference of their choice and their sites receive a framed print of their winning image. Sites who received honorable mentions will also receive a framed print of their image.

More information on the Most Whimsical images can be found here