Competitions · Mathematics and sciences · AAPT Physics Photo Contest
The AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest.
One photograph and under 250 words. The photograph is worth 60% and the writing 40%, which tells you what this really is: a physics competition that happens to be judged through a camera.
What it is
A physics contest with a photographic submission.
The American Association of Physics Teachers has run this for years as a way of getting students to look at the physics in natural and constructed situations - and then explain it.
The weighting is published
The physics shown in the image counts for 60% and the written description for 40%. A beautiful photograph of ordinary physics scores worse than an ordinary photograph of something genuinely interesting.
The writing is nearly half the mark
Under 250 words of English explaining the phenomenon. The committee looks for writing that shows the student can think about a phenomenon the way a physicist would.
Two categories, and both are legitimate
Natural - physics occurring by itself in everyday life. Contrived - a situation the student deliberately set up to demonstrate a specific concept. Building an apparatus is entirely within the rules.
Judged by physics teachers
The AAPT High School Physics Committee and the Educational Technologies Committee organise and judge it. These are people who teach the subject.
At a glance
The essentials.
AAPT was founded in 1930 with the stated aim of advancing the dissemination of physics knowledge, particularly through teaching. In the China region, entries pass through ASDAN’s preliminary selection before being forwarded to AAPT.
- Who can enter
- Students in grades 9 to 12
- What you submit
- One photograph, an English title, and an English explanation of under 250 words
- Two categories
- Natural, and Contrived
- Image quality
- High resolution - it must enlarge cleanly to a 10-inch print, so at least 8 megapixels
- File types
- JPG and PNG only
- Editing
- None. The work must be original, with no computer compositing and no photo editing
- The China route
- ASDAN’s China office runs a preliminary selection, then forwards the selected entries to the AAPT committee
- Registration
- Historically 1 March to 15 May. Several schedule dates in the current material are inconsistent or unconfirmed - check with the organiser
- Cost
- A registration fee per entry. Ask the organiser for the current amount
- Judging
- The committee selects the top 100 from all entries, then those are exhibited and judged at the following AAPT summer meeting
The rule people misread
Contrived means built, not edited.
This distinction decides whether an entry is valid, and the published material describes it in a way that can mislead.
Contrived is about the physical setup
You may arrange, construct and light a situation specifically to show a physics concept. Building a rig, timing a strobe, setting up a tank of water - all fine, and all what the category is for.
But the image itself must be untouched
Rule six is explicit: original work, with no computer compositing and no photo editing. What the camera recorded is what you submit.
Where the confusion comes from
One passage describes the top hundred as fifty "artificially synthesised" and fifty natural. That is a translation of Contrived, not permission to composite. Read it as fifty constructed setups.
So do the work in front of the lens
Everything clever has to happen before the shutter. That constraint is the competition.
The submission rules
Six requirements.
Short, and each one is checkable before you submit.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Subject | The image must express a physical phenomenon or principle - occurring naturally, or arranged deliberately |
| Explanation | Fewer than 250 words, in English, describing the physics the image shows |
| Title | Each photograph needs an English title |
| Resolution | High enough to enlarge cleanly to a 10-inch print - at least 8 megapixels |
| Format | JPG or PNG only |
| Originality | Original work. No computer compositing, no photo editing |
The resolution requirement exists because the top hundred are printed and exhibited at the AAPT summer meeting. A phone photograph can meet 8 megapixels, but it has to be shot at full resolution and not sent through a messaging app, which recompresses it.
How judging works
Two stages, months apart.
The contest is decided in two passes, and only the first is done on screen.
Stage one - the top 100
The physics teachers’ committee reads every entry and selects a hundred, looking for high-quality photographs paired with writing that shows the student thinking about the phenomenon like an expert.
Stage two - the summer meeting
The hundred - fifty contrived, fifty natural - are exhibited and judged in person at the next AAPT summer meeting to decide the winners.
Scored 60/40 throughout
The physics in the image against the quality of the written explanation. Both stages apply the same weighting.
With a China-region layer first
Entries from China pass ASDAN’s preliminary selection - in a recent year fifty works were selected as nationally outstanding and forwarded to the global stage.
The awards
Small prizes, and one for the teacher.
The cash is modest. The distinction of placing in an AAPT-judged field is the substance.
| Award | What it carries |
|---|---|
| First place | $100 and a certificate |
| Second place | $75 and a certificate |
| Third place | $50 and a certificate |
| The teacher | The teachers of the first, second and third place students each receive a $100 Vernier gift card and a certificate |
| Global category winners | Top three in Natural and top three in Contrived |
| National outstanding | Top fifty in the China region, which advance to the global stage |
| Everyone | A participation certificate. Award winners additionally receive the certificate for their award |
Note that the teacher’s gift card matches the student first prize. This is a contest run by a teachers’ association, and it is designed to reward the teaching as well as the student.
Worth knowing
What the organisers say it is not.
The China-region material carries a disclaimer that is unusually straightforward, and it is worth repeating rather than quietly dropping.
No admissions credit in China
Following the education ministry’s rules on national competitions for school students, the activity was renamed from a "competition" to a "challenge activity", and the organisers state plainly that it carries no admissions credit at any Chinese university, secondary or primary school.
It is positioned as an interest activity
The stated purpose is an extracurricular interest activity for secondary students who like physics. That is what it is, and it is a good one.
Which is a reason to enter, not against it
A contest with a published 60/40 rubric, judged by physics teachers, that makes a student look hard at one phenomenon and explain it in 250 words is a genuinely useful exercise.
And it is a small commitment
One photograph and one paragraph. Compared with a research programme or a modelling contest, the cost of trying is very low.
Preparation
How Hanlin prepares an entry.
The 60/40 split is published, so preparation can be aimed precisely.
Choosing physics worth 60%
Not the prettiest image - the most interesting phenomenon. Diffraction, total internal reflection, resonance, a non-obvious equilibrium. Choosing the physics is the first and largest decision.
Writing 250 words that a physicist would recognise
Naming the phenomenon, explaining the mechanism, and connecting it to what is visible in the frame. Forty percent of the mark, and the part students most often rush.
Building the setup, if contrived
The Contrived category rewards a rig built to make something visible. That is a lab exercise as much as a photographic one, and it usually produces the stronger entry.
And shooting at full resolution
At least 8 megapixels, straight from the camera, unedited. Getting the technical requirements right costs nothing and disqualifies nobody who checks.
Talk to an advisor
Hanlin does not coach AAPT Physics Photo Contest. Ask what it does coach.
The services below are real, but not for this competition. An advisor will say plainly whether there is a route here and what is worth entering instead.
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The AAPT Physics Photo Contest, briefly answered.
What students and families ask before entering.
Who can enter?
Students in grades 9 to 12. In the China region, entries go through ASDAN’s preliminary selection before being forwarded to the AAPT committee.
What do I submit?
One photograph with an English title, plus an English explanation of the physics in fewer than 250 words.
What are the two categories?
Natural, for physics occurring by itself in everyday life; and Contrived, for a situation deliberately arranged to demonstrate a particular physics concept.
Can I edit the photograph?
No. The work must be original with no computer compositing and no photo editing. Building or arranging a physical setup is allowed and is what the Contrived category is for - the distinction is between constructing the scene and altering the image.
How is it scored?
The physics shown in the image counts for 60% and the written description for 40%.
What resolution do I need?
High enough to enlarge cleanly to a 10-inch print - at least 8 megapixels. JPG or PNG only. The top hundred entries are printed and exhibited.
How is it judged?
The physics teachers’ committee selects a hundred entries from all submissions, looking for strong photographs with writing that shows expert-like thinking. Those hundred - fifty contrived, fifty natural - are then exhibited and judged at the next AAPT summer meeting.
What are the prizes?
$100 and a certificate for first, $75 for second and $50 for third, with the teachers of the top three each receiving a $100 Vernier gift card and a certificate. Global awards go to the top three in each category, and the top fifty in the China region are named nationally outstanding and advance to the global stage. Every entrant receives a participation certificate.
Does it help with university admission in China?
The organisers state that it does not. Following the education ministry’s rules the activity was renamed from a competition to a challenge activity, and it carries no admissions credit at any Chinese school or university. It is positioned as an extracurricular interest activity.
When does it run?
Registration has historically run from 1 March to 15 May. Several dates in the currently published schedule are inconsistent or marked as unconfirmed, so check with the organiser before planning.
Who runs it?
The American Association of Physics Teachers, founded in 1930, through its High School Physics Committee and Educational Technologies Committee.
Related
Other physics competitions.
What students enter alongside the photo contest.
Physics photo contest enquiries
One photograph, 250 words, and a published rubric.
Sixty percent for the physics and forty for the explanation, judged by physics teachers. It is a small commitment that makes a student look properly at one phenomenon. Tell us what the student is studying and an advisor will help find the phenomenon worth photographing.