Agar art, created using living microbes in a petri dish, is a great way to show off your model research strains . The annual Agar Art Contest has been hosted by the American Society of Microbiology (ASM) for over 10 years. Entries have been featured worldwide including in displays, podcasts, and media outlets.
‘Microbes Make the World Go Round’ was the theme this year to demonstrate the vital role microbes play in our daily lives. ASM saw a record-breaking 557 submissions from around the world. From food fermentation to antibiotic production, creative agar artists embraced the challenge.
The winner of the professional category was submitted by Johnie Urias from the Heath Sciences Center in Winnepeg, Manitoba with the entry ‘Circles of life: Microbes in motion’. The piece features the bacterium Chromobacterium violaceum which produces a bright purple pigment called violacein. It demonstrates the role microbes play in nutrient recycling, fermentation, antibiotic production, plant microbiota and the gut microbiome.
Second place winner was Sarah Levovitz of New York University with her entry ‘Self-portrait of Saccharomyces cereviseae’. Brewer’s yeast is often used in research labs as a model organism. The art featured a cloning strain engineered to express a variety of different colors.
Taking third place was Ajesh K from Kims Screechland Hospital in Kannur, Kerala, India with the entry 'Microbes: The invisible life forces of the planet earth’ and shows the various role microbes play in human existence.
We applaud from the sidelines, and look forward to what the microbes will be showing off next year.
For more contest winners, check out the following link.