Agar Art 2025 Winners Showcase How Microbes Sustain Life

Agar Art 2025 Winners Showcase How Microbes Sustain Life

Dec. 12, 2025

Washington, D.C.-The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has announced the winners of the 11th annual Agar Art Contest, which received a record-breaking 557 submissions from around the world. Since 2015, ASM's Agar Art Contest has provided a platform for scientists and artists to showcase their creativity by using live microbes to "paint" images on agar-a gelatin-like medium used to grow microorganisms. This year's contest theme, "Microbes Make the World Go Round," invited participants to highlight the essential role microbes play in our daily lives, from supporting ecosystems to enabling key innovations in health and industry.

"Each year, the Agar Art Contest entries reveal just how beautiful, diverse and surprising the microbial world can be," said Aleea Khan, Director of Marketing and Communications at ASM. "This year's theme inspired entries that illuminate the essential and often unseen roles microbes play in sustaining life."

Professional Category Winners

Submissions to the "Professional" category came from individuals with regular access to laboratory space and materials.

Johnie Urias, a medical lab technologist at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg in Canada, won first place with "Circles of Life: Microbes in Motion." Urias' winning piece features 7 interconnected plates in which microbes appear to move from 1 to the next, symbolizing the vast networks microbes create across soil, water, plants and the human body. He used Chromobacterium violaceum, a soil and water bacterium that produces the vivid purple pigment violacein, a compound known for its striking color and its ability to combat bacteria, fungi, parasites and even cancer cells.

"Circles of Life: Microbes in Motion."

Sarah Levovitz, a graduate student at New York University in the U.S., took second place with her piece "Self-portrait of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae." Levovitz crafted a playful, colorful self-portrait of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the well-known yeast used in cooking and baking. The piece celebrates the yeast's versatility and the many products, from bread to beer, that it creates.

"Self-portrait of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae."

Ajesh K, laboratory manager and microbiologist at KIMS Sreechand Hospital in Kerala, India, won third place in this category with "Microbes; the invisible life forces of the planet earth." The piece depicts microbes across oceans and continents, illustrating their roles in food and antibiotic production, gut health, nutrient cycling, sewage treatment and the contributions of extremophiles to modern biology.

"Microbes; the invisible life forces of the planet earth."

Creator Category Winners

The "Creator" category includes artists who created their work in informal settings, such as community labs, or undergraduate students who made their work as part of a classroom assignment.

Stephany Young, a professor at Universidad de Panamá in Panama City, won first place with "The Hidden Power of Microorganisms: No microbes, no life…" Young's piece was created using Serratia marcescens, Micrococcus spp. and a diverse collection of environmental bacteria isolated from insects, small animals and leaves placed onto nutrient agar. After incubation, colonies with distinct pigmentation were selected to form the final artwork, a depiction of the rich microbial world that surrounds us.

"The Hidden Power of Microorganisms: No microbes, no life…"

In second place is "The Symbiotic Planet: A Microbial Perspective," by Ankit Gurung, an undergraduate student at Sri Sathya Sai Institution of Higher Learning in India.

"The Symbiotic Planet: A Microbial Perspective."

In third place is "Dynamism of Decay and Creation," by Tamaki Gozu, an undergraduate student at Fukushima Medical University in Japan.

"Dynamism of Decay and Creation."

Kids Category Winners

The "Minors" category accepts art submissions from artists under 18 years of age.

The first-place winner in the "13 & Over" age group is Hexu An from Hangzhou No. 4 High School in China. An's piece, "Microbial mineralization makes the life go round," features a panda eating bamboo, representing how microbes solubilize essential minerals, such as phosphorus, potassium and silicon, supporting plant growth. Plants nourish animals, and animal waste in turn feeds plants and microbes, completing the cycle of life.

"Microbial mineralization makes the life go round."
The first-place winners in the "12 & Under" age group are Lin Yu Kwan, Chen Yuk Ham, He Wen Yan and Wong Sam Shan from the Tsuen Wan Chiu Chow Public School in Hong Kong. Their artwork, "Ancient Engineers: Cyanobacteria's Role in Shaping Earth's Atmosphere," used Escherichia coli to depict the role of cyanobacteria in oxygenating the planet, stabilizing the climate and enabling the explosion of biodiversity.
"Ancient Engineers: Cyanobacteria's Role in Shaping Earth's Atmosphere."

This year's Agar Art Contest is sponsored by MilliporeSigma*, a leader in innovative life science products and services, which supports prizes awarded to the contest winners.

*MilliporeSigma is the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

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The American Society for Microbiology is one of the largest professional societies dedicated to the life sciences and is composed of over 38,000 scientists and health practitioners. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.  
  
ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications, educational opportunities and advocacy efforts. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to all audiences.