DNRF Photo Competition
POLIMA photo was selected as one of the top 10 images
On 21 November I had the pleasure of attending the Danish National Research Foundation’s Annual Meeting at IDA Conference in Copenhagen — this year with a personal twist. I was invited because my scientific photograph was selected as one of the top 10 images that made a special impression on the judges in the DNRF Photo Competition 2025.
The meeting gathered researchers, university leaders, funding bodies and policymakers to discuss the foundation’s future strategic priorities and reflect on the role of ambitious, curiosity-driven research in an increasingly complex world. Being part of this event offered a rare mix of high-level discussions and genuine celebration of scientific creativity.
My exhibited image — titled Not a Planet — shows a Wabar pearl, captured with a scanning electron microscope. Although it resembles a distant world, it is in fact a tiny glass bead created when a meteorite struck the Arabian desert. According to local legend mentioned in the Qur’an, the Wabar site was once a prosperous but sinful city that was “burned to the ground from the sky.” In reality, the meteor impact flash-melted desert sand and launched droplets that cooled into these pearls. At the micron scale, the surface carries ridges, micro-shocks and flow lines — frozen traces of hypervelocity impact, vaporization and rapid cooling. Presenting this image allowed me to show how advanced microscopy can reveal cosmic-scale processes hidden in the smallest structures.
The photo competition featured a strong selection of winners. First place went to Luka Civa (University of Copenhagen) for Life in Darkness, in Light of Change, showing a mushroom emerging from deep shadow. Second place, Balancing in the Space Between by Marie Odgaard (Aarhus University), captured a construction worker balancing on a narrow wooden beam between unfinished concrete forms. Third place was awarded to Microscopic Beauty Settles an Age-Old Dispute by Heide Wrobel Nørgaard (Moesgaard Museum), a striking micrograph of colourful crystalline structures.
Overall, it was inspiring to see how researchers across disciplines use imagery to communicate science in ways that spark curiosity and connect with a broad audience. I’m honoured that my work was part of this year’s selection.
The meeting gathered researchers, university leaders, funding bodies and policymakers to discuss the foundation’s future strategic priorities and reflect on the role of ambitious, curiosity-driven research in an increasingly complex world. Being part of this event offered a rare mix of high-level discussions and genuine celebration of scientific creativity.
My exhibited image — titled Not a Planet — shows a Wabar pearl, captured with a scanning electron microscope. Although it resembles a distant world, it is in fact a tiny glass bead created when a meteorite struck the Arabian desert. According to local legend mentioned in the Qur’an, the Wabar site was once a prosperous but sinful city that was “burned to the ground from the sky.” In reality, the meteor impact flash-melted desert sand and launched droplets that cooled into these pearls. At the micron scale, the surface carries ridges, micro-shocks and flow lines — frozen traces of hypervelocity impact, vaporization and rapid cooling. Presenting this image allowed me to show how advanced microscopy can reveal cosmic-scale processes hidden in the smallest structures.
The photo competition featured a strong selection of winners. First place went to Luka Civa (University of Copenhagen) for Life in Darkness, in Light of Change, showing a mushroom emerging from deep shadow. Second place, Balancing in the Space Between by Marie Odgaard (Aarhus University), captured a construction worker balancing on a narrow wooden beam between unfinished concrete forms. Third place was awarded to Microscopic Beauty Settles an Age-Old Dispute by Heide Wrobel Nørgaard (Moesgaard Museum), a striking micrograph of colourful crystalline structures.
Overall, it was inspiring to see how researchers across disciplines use imagery to communicate science in ways that spark curiosity and connect with a broad audience. I’m honoured that my work was part of this year’s selection.
Sergii Morozov
