The University of Connecticut Office of the Vice President for Research is hosting the Featured Research Art and Media Exhibit competition, which encourages individuals to create 2D representations of university research from any field.
According to the competition’s website, they are accepting entries from UConn undergraduate and graduate students, UConn Health students and UConn faculty and staff between Sept. 8 and Nov. 10.
This is the first year FRAME is being hosted. A panel of judges will evaluate each research submission based on four categories: aesthetics, originality, creativity and composition. 2D artistic representations can vary from photography, microscopy, data output, digital modeling or graphic design. All forms are acceptable, as long as the entries are 300 DPI to get quality printing.
According to the contest website, entrants are allowed to submit individually or as a group, and each individual or group can submit up to three entries. The results of the contest will be announced in December 2025.
The winner’s artwork will be featured on the OVPR office walls at the Storrs campus and at UConn Health, with credit to the artists. However, OVPR does reserve the right to display any entry digitally or in print after the contest has ended and also reserves the right not to select a winner.
According to Interim Provost Pamir Alpay, who previously served as the vice president for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, the inspiration for this contest began in 2017 with UConn’s Innovation Partnership Building.
“The building has big, empty walls that we were preparing for visitors, students, legislators, and other high-profile individuals,” Alpay said. “I thought, why don’t we tell a story here that connects science and technology in a way that catches people’s eye?”
This notion eventually transformed into the FRAME contest. Alpay’s personal appreciation for the arts, especially art history, heavily influenced his approach to this initiative, which emphasized the artistic perspective.
“You need that artist’s touch,” Alpay said. “Researchers have outlets like papers and theses, but how do we excite young people about research? Art helps make science feel alive and approachable.”
Though this may be the first contest to occur, Alpay hopes that it will grow beyond just its inaugural year. The OVPR aspires to create a catalog of artwork that represents UConn’s research.
“Perhaps, in five years, we can see some partnerships or collaborations with science museums or other universities,” Alpay said.
More information about the FRAME contest and what the OVPR does can be found on the OVPR’s website.