MILSET Science Photo Contest 2025 | Winners
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Animal Reproductive Behavior
by WILSON WAN
WINNNER
Description: These damselflies are engaged in copulation, a key part of their reproductive cycle. During mating, the male clasps the female behind the head (tandem position), and they form a "mating wheel". This behavior ensures sperm transfer for fertilization, vital for continuing their species. Damselflies, as aquatic - terrestrial insects, use such rituals to successfully reproduce, showcasing nature’s intricate reproductive strategies.
by WILSON WAN
Metamorphosis
by Ziyue Zhou
2°
Description: This fleeting moment of an adult harlequin lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, juxtaposed with its larval shell on the bean pod of Cytisus scoparius, Scotch broom, was captured in Glasgow, Scotland. It shows the beauty of change as the beetle moves on to the next stage of its life cycle. An insect belonging to the clade Holometabola, the beetle experiences complete metamorphosis, transitioning from egg, larva, pupa to adult. While Scotch broom is native to Scotland, harlequin lady beetles are an invasive species originating in Asia, showing disturbance in this seemingly serene snapshot of nature.
by Ziyue Zhou
Flower And Pollinator
by Ziyue Zhou
3°
Description: An Asian Swallowtail, Papilio Xuthus, is shown pollinating purpletop verain, Verbena bonariensis. Flowers and their pollinators form a mutualistic symbiosis: both organisms benefit. The flower provides the butterfly with nectar, supplying it with energy, and the butterfly carries pollen to other flowers, aiding pollination. Each species occupies its own niche in this balanced ecosystem as a result of adaptation. The flower is bright coloured to attract butterflies, who have colour vision, and the butterfly has a long proboscis for sucking nectar from within the depths of the flower.
by Ziyue Zhou
The Camouflage
by ANTONELLA NICOLE MAGRI PAREDES
People's Choice Award
Description: Small butterflies feed on fruit on a rock. Their wings, with their distinctive color, resemble an eye. When they gather together, they form a beautiful owl-like camouflage pattern to scare away predators and defend themselves.
by ANTONELLA NICOLE MAGRI PAREDES
Ceratomantis Saussurii Nymph
by WILBUR JINGXUAN SUN
4°
Description:
Arms raised, ready to pounce, I stared at the giant through my microlens. It mimics bird droppings with white color and black spots, lying on the leaf’s surface to enhance disguise, evading predators and attracting prey. Similarly, frogs, spiders, and butterfly larvae also use black-white camouflage.
by WILBUR JINGXUAN SUN
Wings Of Connection
by Kuzey Ünlüyol
5°
Description:
Butterfly mating, as seen in the image, involves a male and female joining at the abdomen tip to transfer sperm. This vital process ensures fertilization of eggs. They stay connected for minutes to hours, often still or camouflaged on leaves for safety during the act. Their mirrored wings and synchronized posture symbolize nature’s delicate balance between beauty and reproduction.
by Kuzey Ünlüyol
Scaterred Emerald
by ZHENMING HU
6°
Description:
"The aurora, a celestial symphony of light, arises from the dance between the Sun and Earth. Solar winds—streams of charged particles—are captured by Earth’s magnetic field, funneling toward the polar regions. Upon colliding with atmospheric gases in the ionosphere, these particles transfer energy, which radiates as light. Oxygen atoms, when excited at altitudes of 100–300 km, emit the iconic green hue dominating this image; at higher altitudes, they glow red. Nitrogen, by contrast, produces blue or purple tones. The photograph frames this natural light show above a polar settlement, where the warmth of human-made structures contrasts with the ethereal cold of the aurora. This spectacle reveals the dynamic interplay of cosmic forces: the Sun’s energy, Earth’s protective magnetosphe
by ZHENMING HU
The Beauty Of Light Refraction
by YIDAN TANG
7°
Description:
"This photographic work showcases the wonderful physical phenomena and unique artistic sense edede indd ao different interfaces of the prism, changing the direction of propagation; Meanwhile, the internal deee ro reflection effects cause light to pass through complex paths within the prism before exiting, combined with the structural design of the prism, ultimately presenting the visual effectshown in the figure. This process reflects the characteristic of optical components regulating light through refraction and reflection.It showcases the unique charm of the interaction betweenlight and special optical structures, with a deep dark background highlighting the prism and refracted light and shadow, creating a strong visual contrast. After being modulated by a prism, the light is
by YIDAN TANG
Blending In
by Ziyue Zhou
9°
Description:
A brimstone moth, Opisthograptis luteolata, is seen resting on a yellow Hypericum flower on a sunny afternoon. Brimstone caterpillars are known as masters of camouflage, disguising themselves as twigs. This adult is no different – with its yellow background, the moth blends perfectly into its surroundings. This is a perfect example of natural selection, as only the most well-hidden individuals survive.
by Ziyue Zhou
Butterfly Gathering: Butterfly Gathering: A Natural Mineral Feast
by EDSON ALESSANDRO CACERES KASPRZYK
10°
Description:
Butterflies gather on moist ground to absorb minerals and salts, a behavior known as 'puddling.' This helps them supplement their diet and is essential for reproduction and survival.
by EDSON ALESSANDRO CACERES KASPRZYK
Optical Romance Within The Arctic Circle
by RUOYU JI
11°
Description:
The Lofoten Islands of Norway were once rated as the second most beautiful islands in the world by National Geographic For geography, the Lofoten Islands are located within the Arctic Circle (68°N to 69°N). In polar regions, the altitude Angle of the sun is relatively low, and the light shows a slanting characteristic, forming long shadows and soft pinkish-purple light. The clouds in the picture are low and thick, close to the mountaintop, which is a typical topographic uplift cloud, formed by the uplift of the mountain when the sea breeze meets the mountain. The most conspicuous optical phenomenon in this photograph is the multi-color combination of pinkish-purple, golden-orange, and blue-gray in the sky. Rayleigh scattering explains the cause of the pinkish orange tone: As the sun app
by RUOYU JI
Dew Of The Morning
by Houssein Babir
12°
Description: Dew is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the early morning when the temperature drops. Water vapor in the air condenses into tiny droplets on grass, leaves, flowers, and other surfaces, causing them to shine when illuminated by the sun.
by Houssein Babir
The Power Of Ants
by Kuzey Ünlüyol
13°
Description: Ants exhibit extraordinary strength due to their high muscle-to-body ratio and exoskeletal leverage. In this image, an ant pulls a bee many times its size—a feat made possible by biomechanical efficiency and cooperative instinct. Ants also communicate through pheromones, enabling complex group behavior despite their size. Their strength and teamwork inspire robotics and swarm intelligence in AI research. Nature’s smallest engineers prove that power isn’t always about size, but design.
by Kuzey Ünlüyol
Silicon Rising
by QI RUI LIU
14°
Description: This photo shows a microchip standing upright in a small pile of sand. It might look simple, but this chip represents the powerful technology we use every day—like in phones, computers, and even space rockets. What makes this photo special is that silicon, the main material used to make computer chips, comes from sand. I wanted to show how something as ordinary as grains of sand can become something extraordinary when used in science and engineering. The colorful reflections on the chip show the tiny circuits inside it, which are invisible to the naked eye but can do amazing things. This picture is a reminder that science helps us transform raw materials into tools that change the world.
by QI RUI LIU
Prismatic Mist: Unveiling Poetry In Photons
by YANHUA WANG
15°
Description: "This experiment vividly illustrates the poetic verse ""Purple smoke rises from the incense burner in the sunshine"" through scientific principles. When white light passes through a prism, it undergoes dispersion and splits into a spectrum of rainbow colors. Different colored lights possess distinct wavelengths and therefore refract at varying angles, creating this chromatic separation. The burning substance in the incense burner generates heat, causing surrounding air to expand and decrease in density. As the heated air rises, cooler ambient air flows in toreplaceit, establishingthermalconvection currents.These convective movements cause the smoke to ascend in elegant, undulating patterns. Subsequently,smoke particles scatter this chromatic light through Rayleigh scattering a ph.
by YANHUA WANG