Vote for People's Choice Awards!

Who did the best job depicting "Microbiology in Space" in this year's contest? Help us choose by voting for the People's Choice Awards.

Visit the ASM Facebook page, or search for #ASMAgarArt2023 on Instagram, to vote on your favorites from this year's finalists. Note that only the top 50 submissions in the "Creator," "Open" and "Professional" categories are posted. ASM members can also vote for winners in the "Professional" category by logging into our internal gallery.

Voting closes Dec. 3, 2023.

What Is 'Agar Art'?

Have you ever seen art created in a petri dish using living, growing microorganisms? That's agar art! Creators use either naturally colorful microbes, like the red bacteria Serratia marcescens, or genetically modified microbes, like the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae transformed with violacein genes, as 'paint' and various types, shapes and sizes of agar as a 'canvas.' In fact, the original agar artist was none other than Alexander Fleming himself!

ASM Agar Art Contest 2018, 1st Place. "The battle of winter and spring," Ana Tsitsishvili, Undergraduate Student, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia.
ASM Agar Art Contest 2018, 1st Place. "The battle of winter and spring," Ana Tsitsishvili, Undergraduate Student, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia.

Read More About Agar Art

How to Create Agar Art: Video Tutorial

Step inside the creative process with Agar Art 2015 winners Maria PeƱil Cobo, Mixed Media Artist, and Mehmet Berkmen, Ph.D., Staff Scientist at New England Biolabs. During their multi-year collaboration, Maria and Memo have created astonishing works of art using living microbes. Find out how they meld science and art with this behind-the-scenes how-to video guide.


Agar Art Media Coverage

In 2015, ASM launched the ASM Agar Art Contest to share the beautiful and diverse world of microbes with the public. Submissions from past years of the contest have been featured worldwide: 

Questions? Contact communications@asmusa.org.

Twitter Feed #AgarArt