SEMI-FINALISTS 2025

A silhouetted figure atop a hill reaches for a heart-shaped balloon against a purple and blue twilight sky.
Youth, Care, and the Fragile Thread of Hope
by Aidan Lee
Magnified view of stainless steel surface showing abstract patterns of swirls and scratches from surface defects and contaminants.
Steel Canvas: Abstract Expressionism in Stainless Steel Surfaces
by Allison Thome
This image shows a surgeon working. The glowing crescent represents the meniscus and the promise of helping the body heal itself.
The Crescent of Hope
by Ashif Rahman
A black beetle with orange markings stands on top of a dead mouse. Several small mites crawl on the beetle's body.
Bucket of Mice
by Bennett Grappone
~35 bison on a road in Wood Buffalo National Park run toward a wolf on the right side of the road bordering the forest edge.
Unbroken Relationships
by Brennan Stanfield
A boot holds down a wood frame in the snow as a hand pulls a string tightly to stretch a moose hide.
Pass on the Teachings
by Carla Taylor
Sunset over the grassland at Mattheis Research Ranch, Alberta, Canada with researchers walking back after a long day of fieldwork.
Twilight of Discovery: An Exhausting but Rewarding Journey in the Prairies
by Chathuranga De Silva
Mussels clustered between barnacle-crusted rocks in a tide pool, a habitat threatened by invasive crabs and climate change.
Tension in the Tides
by Dustin Doty
Two women, Non-African and African in vibrant African print dresses sit apart on benches, outdoors, in front of a building.
Styled Across Continents
by Elsie Rebecca Osei
Image of a duck-billed dinosaur, showing a new cheek muscle or ligament revealed by histology of skull bones
Building the Exoparia
by Henry Sharpe
A colourful painting depicts neighbourhood houses and buildings with people gathering inside and in the front garden.
Emergent Landscapes: Urban Gardens and Bicycle Infrastructure Explored in Painting through the Lens of Human Ecology – Material Culture
by Jill Thomson
Grayscale visualization of turbulent airflow patterns using smoke structures within a sewer pipe cross-section.
Flowing Insights: Illuminating Turbulance in Sewer Airflows
by Khaled Mohamed
Numerous green crabs piled on top of each other.
Green Crab Galore
by Kiara Kattler
Fluorescent micrograph of a fungal rhizomorph; bright cyan patches indicate local membrane depolarisation zones.
Electrical Activity in an Armillaria Ostoyae Rhizomorph
by Liam Easton
Two researchers stand before a lighthouse under a starry sky on a remote island, evoking solitude, connection, and climate ties.
Under the Same Sky: Echoes from a Remote Fishing Community
by Marina Banuet-Martinez
A woman weaving a shawl on a traditional loom, representing cultural heritage and women’s economic empowerment.
Weaving Her Own Path: a Journey towards Empowerment and Self-Reliance
by Masoma Akbari
Swirling bands of molten metal and light intertwining, symbolizing the layered creation process of metal 3D printing.
Layer by Layer: The Thermal Symphony of Metal 3D Printing
by Mia Abdulla
A street performer balances on a unicycle at night while holding a flaming staff.
On the Edge: Balancing Privacy and Fairness in Machine Learning
by Rabeya Bosri
Microscopic image of a 100-million-year-old rock showing alternating sand and mud layers deformed by ancient minuscule worms.
Worm World
by Sara Biddle
Image of a burned tibia captured with a microscope, showing a saw kerf and heat fracture, viewed under filtered lighting.
When Violence Disappears
by Tristan Mula
Actors perform in an outdoor community theatre, engaging a seated rural audience in a participatory drama.
Theatre for Change
by Valentine Ukoh
Mixed media painting of a face split into two with a tree replacing the mouth, nose, and forehead.
The Blurring of Imperfect Pieces
by Wanas Radwan
An oil painting of blooming canola flowers with pests and pathogens around the frame, representing canola farming challenges.
A Blooming ‘Canola Painting’ Beckons – Even to Pests
by Xinlong Dong
A person sits quietly on a bench under a tree; the drooping branches have been digitally edited to resemble neurons.
A Mind Reaching Out
by Zijia Yu