Last Call

If you’re feeling particularly creative, you still have a few more days to submit entries in 23andMe’s first “Genetics Image Contest.”

Get your entries in before Monday night and get a chance to have your image showcased in the Genetics Gallery at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California. We recently expanded who is eligible to enter allowing all US residents who are 18 or older to enter. The contest isn’t just for students anymore. We’re looking for unique images that capture the meaning of a few genetic terms – DNA, chromosome, gene, allele, heredity, and inheritance pattern.

To enter, submit up to three original images, which capture the meaning of at least one of those terms. These images can either be photographs or images you’ve drawn, painted or created with computer software.

Images will be evaluated based on originality, visual impact, and the written description. The contest is already shaping up with some fantastic entries. Check out a few of the more recent submissions and get inspired.

: Submission by Brooke F.

: Submission by Sara L.

: One of the winning images. This one “Human Karyotype” by Drury University student Ashleigh Spalding

: Submission by Roger Y.

: Submission by Sarah D.

: Submission by Sharlene N.

Summary of Contest Rules – Participants must be 18 years or older and legal residents of the United States. – Images can be drawn by hand, photographed, or generated by computer software and must be in digital format (JPG, PNG, GIF or BMP). – Each image must have a title and a short (50 words or less) written description of how it conveys the genetic term(s) selected. – Works previously published will not be considered. – Images containing defamatory, obscene or inappropriate content will be automatically disqualified. – Contest concludes November 3, 2014 at 11:59PM. Go here for a complete description of the rules. Email questions about the contest to: [email protected]

Each of the three winners will receive a $100 Amazon gift card. Finalists will receive 23andMe T-shirts. The three student groups, classes, or schools with the highest number of participants will receive a $300 prize to raise awareness of personal genomics through a journal club, a lecture or other learning events on campus, including the option to organize a Google Hangout or host an in-person event with a 23andMe scientist, depending on the location. Winners will be announced in a 23andMe blog post on the week of November 16th.