The Royal Photographic Society, Science Photographer of the Year. / by John Hooper

I am very proud to have been shortlisted for this important award. To commemorate this I have produced a limited edition 10x8 print of my shortlisted image available Here it has been printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper and is shipped in an archival sleeve with a certificate of authenticity.

Science Photographer of the Year: Winning Images Throw Light on the Climate Emergency

The Royal Photographic Society is delighted to announce the winners of the 2020 Science  

Photographer of the Year competition which can be viewed from today in an online exhibition which  

headlines Manchester Science Festival: scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/msf-spoty.  

British photographer Simon Brown has been named Science Photographer of the Year in the General  Science category for his photo Orthophoto of SS Thistlegorm, an intricate reconstruction of a  

shipwreck using photogrammetry as his imaging technique. The Young Science Photographer of the  

Year is awarded to Katy Appleton for her image Rainbow Shadow Selfie that captures the beauty of  a common phenomena.  

For 2020/21, the category Climate Change was introduced to reflect this year’s theme of the  

Manchester Science Festival which is taking place digitally from 12 - 21 February. Sue Flood FRPS  

wins Science Photographer of the Year in the Climate Change category for her striking photo North  

Pole Under Water and the Under 18’s Young Science Photographer of the Year in the Climate  

Change category goes to Raymond Zhang for his image Apollo’s Emissary, one of the largest solar  power stations in western China.  

Originally planned to be shown at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, the four winning  

images will now be displayed alongside 75 selected photographs as part of an online exhibition for  

Manchester Science Festival, which is produced by the museum. It will lead the event’s digital line-up,  launching on 12 February, and continue running beyond the festival dates, until 2 May. It is the first  

time an exhibition between the two organisations has been showcased digitally from the city. 


The Science Photographer of the Year competition celebrates the remarkable stories behind scientific  exploration and application, depicting its impact on our everyday lives and illustrates how photography  helps record and explain global issues and scientific events.  

The selected images were chosen from over 1,000 entries submitted for free by both amateur and  

professional photographers. This year’s selection document our fragile planet, the human cost of  

global warming and actions being taken by communities around the world such as innovative  

irrigation methods and solar and turbine energy sources. They reveal incredible imaging techniques,  

from microscopic observations, medical examinations, fossil evacuations and kaleidoscopic patterns  

of refractions, oscillations and crystallisations.  

Dr Michael Pritchard, Director, Education and Public Affairs at the RPS said: “This year’s Science  

Photographer of the Year is more relevant than ever before in documenting how science and climate  

change are impacting all our lives. The selected images are striking and will make us think more  

about the world around us.”  

To support young people and schools, the RPS has created educational resources in collaboration  

with PhotoPedagogy. The Science Photographer of the Year competition was supported by Olympus,  who provided camera prizes to both Under 18 winners.  

For more information, visit: rps.org/spoty 

Visit the online exhibition: scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/msf-spoty