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2019 will be the fifth year The Micropalaeontological Society will be running the Microfossil Image Competition. The outstanding success of the last four years is reflected by the creation of our annual Micropalaeontology Calendar! Each year, the calendars have required two print runs and have sold out! A summary of the winning images can be found here (2014, 2015 2016, 2017, 2018) whilst a Flickr archive of all submitted images can be found here.

We would like to continue this success and The Micropalaeontological Society is therefore pleased to announce the start of the 2019/20 Image Competition. All TMS members are invited to submit images of microfossils. Non-members are also encouraged to take part. An overall winning image will be selected and eleven joint runner-up images will be chosen for use in a TMS calendar for 2020.

We will be accepting images until 30th September 2019 at 2359 Pacific Standard Time. This will provide the competition panel sufficient time to select the best 12 images for the calendar, get the calendar designed and subsequently printed in time for distribution towards the end of the year.

All images are judged by the TMS committee (mix of early career and senior scientists from a variety of institutions), however not all committee members take part – only those who are able to. We give committee members a choice to participate, as it is recognised that competition judging is external to their main committee role. Thus this activity is made fully inclusive i.e. personal and caring responsibilities are taken into account. Images are all anonymised to ensure the judging process is fair and free from bias. The judging process in general will be double blind (the panel is never announced publicly)

Image submissions should be of micropalaeontology-related material. The subject can be an individual specimen or an assemblage and it can be a fossil or a living organism from a microfossil producing group. The type of image is also entirely open, and can include microscope photographs (reflected light, compound), SEM images or other innovative visual techniques, or more traditional artwork. Micropalaeo-geochem hybrid scientists are most welcome to send in images.

Twelve winning images will be selected for the calendar, with one image being chosen as the overall winner of the 2019/20 Image Competition! The winner will receive €200. All twelve winners will of course receive free copies of the calendar in addition to a certificate!

The society will print a fixed number of these calendars in the first instance, with additional print runs possible depending on demand. The society will charge a small fee for the purchase of a calendar – the price is to be confirmed but will be kept low, with all proceeds contributing towards supporting TMSoc activities. Prices will be around £10 (UK), £12 (EU) and £14 (International). Prices include postage.

Images should be submitted via this form https://forms.gle/ZjpLLqMpK4pMsMzM6 OR via email (Download Form Here). Please put TMS Calendar Competition Submission as the subject title.

Submissions should be high-resolution (300dpi) JPEG or TIFF files (less than 20mb).  If you have any problems please contact us.

– Your image blurb should be easily understood by a member of the public (test out your blurb on a family member if you aren’t sure!)

– Do not include anything within the blurb which might identify you, for example an sample site, or laboratory location that your image was taken in. If you are selected as a winner you will be able to refine your blurb, this is just a precaution we are taking to make sure the judging process is fully anonymised.