Images capture science in action and nature’s beauty
This year’s Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability photo contest highlights Earth’s beauty, challenges facing people and the planet, and action to advance global sustainability.
A curious bear forages at sunrise, silhouetted against snow-capped mountains. A pair of researchers collect tidepool samples at sundown in Morro Bay. A harbor seal pup nuzzles its adoring mother near Elkhorn Slough. Such are a few of the treasures among the winners of the 2024 Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability photo contest.

Each year, the school’s photo contest showcases the remarkable talent of the Stanford community – not only as visual artists and storytellers, but also as scholars working to make the world more sustainable – all while highlighting nature’s struggles to survive.
“I think photography, when it's done well, can communicate about sustainability in a very profound way that you can't with words or any other medium,” said this year’s guest judge, George Steinmetz, ʻ79 Geophysics, a photographer known for his striking images of the world and the times in which we live.
“Overall, I was impressed with the diversity of subject matter and with the talent among the contestants who are, after all, essentially taking pictures at their workplaces. That’s not easy, even for a professional,” Steinmetz said. “So, congratulations to all the photographers on that count. It was a great honor to be invited to be a judge and a great way for me to reconnect with this university that has meant so much to me.”
One-hundred-forty Stanford students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, staff, and alumni submitted 409 photographs to the 2024 photo contest – the most submissions in the contest's history.
Judges selected a dozen finalists and a handful of honorable mentions. A quick scan of the images provides a deeper appreciation of all that is at stake should sustainability efforts fall short. There is no lack of beauty and power, awe and cuteness among the winners, but there is also a bittersweet sense of all that has been lost already.
The judges evaluated photos in four categories reflecting the school’s focus on cultivating deep knowledge and high-impact solutions to pressing planetary challenges: Action and Impact in the Field; Action and Impact on Campus; Beauty in Nature; and The Challenges We Face.
Research, fieldwork, and collaboration on a global scale are showcased in the Action and Impact in the Field category. First place winner Paul Summers, a geophysics PhD candidate, took top honors with his photo of fellow PhD candidate Danny May heading out for fieldwork on Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica.
Images in the Action and Impact on Campus category portray Stanford changemakers, researchers, and students at work on campus. Physics doctoral student Bernardita Ried Guachalla topped the category with her analog selfie in front of a filter for the world’s largest digital camera at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
Photos entered in the Beauty in Nature category present wildlife and landscapes in their ever-changing glory. Category winner Kate Bradley, BS/MS ‘24, Earth Systems, captured an austere scene of a lone soul standing atop the ridge of a sand dune at sunrise in Oman’s Āl Wahībah Dunes.
Submissions in the final category, The Challenges We Face, draw focus to wildfires, ocean plastic pollution, drought, and other environmental challenges. Matt Flores, a staff member in the Office of Development, won the category with a stark black-and-white image of fire-ravaged trees against a somber sky in Santa Rosa, California, following the Tubbs Fire.
Judges ranked images on artistic merits including color, composition, and lighting, as well as on content such as subject, emotional impact, and category fit.
First-place winners receive an annual pass for U.S. National Parks and federal recreational lands and a Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability water bottle. All awarded photographers, including honorable mentions, receive a certificate of recognition and the opportunity to have their work displayed at Roble Arts Gym during the Spring Arts Fair on April 26, at Stanford’s Redwood City campus, and in the Mitchell Building’s Hartley conference room.
Action and Impact in the Field
First Place
Paul Summers
PhD candidate, Geophysics, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Second Place
Nicole Lin
Postdoctoral research fellow, School of Medicine

Third Place
Submitted by Lauren Lubeck
PhD student, Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, School of Humanities and Sciences
Photographed by Laurent Formery
Postdoctoral researcher, Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, School of Humanities and Sciences

Honorable Mention
Gert van Dijken
Staff, Earth System Science, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Action and Impact on Campus
First Place
Bernardita Ried Guachalla
PhD student, Physics, School of Humanities and Sciences

Second Place
Emily Chu
Class of 2027

Third Place
Sammy Andrzejaczek
Postdoctoral researcher, Oceans, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Beauty in Nature
First Place
Kate Bradley
Earth Systems, BS/MS Class of 2024, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Second Place
Vanessa Chen
Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2025, School of Engineering

Third Place
Ashnee Gounden
Staff, Oncology, School of Medicine

Honorable Mention
Jason Hu
Computer Science, Class of 2026, School of Engineering

Ken Schultz
Faculty, Political Science, School of Humanities and Sciences

The Challenges We Face
First Place
Matt Flores
Staff, Office of Development

Second Place
Aslam Khan
Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine

Third Place
Joel Simon
Alumnus (MS ʻ77), and staff, Continuing Studies Program

Honorable Mention
Eric Hartge
Staff, Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions

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