A never-before-seen image of a glowing Eastern Quoll captured in Tasmania’s wilderness has been named among the finalists for the 2025 Beaker Street Science Photography Prize.
Ben Alldridge, Shows the scientific value of other specialised camera equipment or photographic process (e.g. a heat-sensing camera), The Magic Rat and His Slick Machine. In Tasmania's southwest wilderness, many creatures stalk the night. Eastern quolls (Dasyurus viverrinus) are amongst them, harbouring a very neat trick from us. Where their fur is normally fawn or black, under certain wavelengths of light, they exhibit a process referred to as biofluorescence – like nature's version of a white shirt glowing at a disco. All of the light and colour in this image is the subject's natural glow in response to invisible UV light, exploding from its natural sandy colouration. This is the first documentation of the species glowing in the wild and forms part of ongoing research into the impacts of light pollution.
The photograph, taken by Tasmanian photographer Ben Alldridge, shows the endangered marsupial's biofluorescence under ultraviolet light — the first time the phenomenon has been documented in the wild for this species.
Alldridge used specialised UV-sensitive techniques to capture the image, which forms part of a broader research project into the effects of light pollution on native wildlife.
The quoll photograph headlines a shortlist of 12 images selected for the national science photography award, which will be exhibited at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) in Hobart from 6 to 31 August as part of the Beaker Street Festival.
“This year’s finalists really capture what Beaker Street is all about — making science visible, beautiful and emotionally resonant,” said Festival Founder and Executive Director Dr Margo Adler.
“These photographs let us see the world differently, and in some cases quite literally reveal things we’ve never seen before.”
Sarah Lloyd, Utilises macrophotography, Slime moulds - overlooked and underestimated. This 3 mm tall Lamproderma gracile is one of approximately 175 species of slime mould I have found along a one-kilometre forest track, which gives an inkling of just how common they are on vegetation in all terrestrial ecosystems. Now classified as Amoebozoans, the three life stages of slime moulds - amoeba, plasmodium and spore-bearing fruiting body - perform important roles in different ecological niches.
The exhibition spans a wide range of scientific themes, from microscopic organisms and rare ecological behaviours to vast night skies and extreme weather events.
Subjects include slime moulds, photosynthesising sea slugs, frost formations, auroras, high-speed wildlife interactions and lichen photographed by an under-12 entrant.
Rosa Maria Cañedo-Apolaya, Shows a biological concept (e.g. an egg being laid, camouflage, metamorphosis, bioluminescence), Keep swimming... This is my spot. Forsterygion varium, commonly known as the variable triplefin, is a small marine fish usually found around shallow rocky areas and is known for its territorial behaviour. This means they actively defend certain areas as their own, especially during the breeding season. This photo was taken in the summer at the Blessington Coastal Reserve, Here the variable triplefin was seen alongside an eleven-armed sea-star (Coscinasterias muricata).
Visitors to the free TMAG exhibition will be able to vote for the People’s Choice Award, while a Judges’ Choice winner will also be announced at the close of the festival.
The Judges’ Choice winner will receive a $200 voucher, while the People’s Choice winner will receive a Wilderness cruise for two.
Matilda Francis, Under 12, Liken the lichen. I like the depth in this photo and the way that lichen looks different when you look at it close up. I took lots of photos on a trip that we did to Mt Field and this is one of my favourites.
The Beaker Street Science Photography Prize is a key feature of the Beaker Street Festival, held from 12 to 19 August.
Now in its ninth year, the festival includes over 70 events celebrating science through talks, field trips, late-night programs and interactive experiences, including a sexual health nightclub, a slime mould safari, and a live science-themed dating show.
Beaker Street is an independent charitable organisation dedicated to building scientific understanding through community engagement in Lutruwita/Tasmania.
Nicolas Horniblow, Utilises macrophotography, Sea Spider. Pictured here is a specimen of Tasmania's Pallenella ambigua, a small and cryptic marine arthropod species belonging to class Pycnogonida, better known as sea spiders. These animals don't possess a traditional respiratory system and instead rely on pores along the exoskeleton of their legs to extract oxygen from the surrounding seawater via diffusion. Despite their alien characteristics, they are often overlooked or forgotten by divers and biologists in favour of larger and more charismatic creatures. To shine a light on the lesser-known creatures of the ocean is to better consider our impact on the marine environment at every tier and scale.Lily Barnett, Shows an ecological concept (e.g. pollination, impacts of fire, vegetation succession, competition, invasive species, dispersal), Lunch time. Dynamic interaction between two predators vs one prey. Just moments before the photo, the white bellied sea eagle stole the fish out of the jaws of the fur seal. The photo depicts the eagle as a kleptoparasite, stealing food that another animal has already caught.Kelli Miller, Utilises microscopy, Inner terrain. PPPs are found during a dried blood evaluation, which are used to give a more in depth look into the health of the individual. PPPs are seen as white areas which look like holes with black tentacle like lines running out from its form.Jordan Cripps, Shows a physical process in action (e.g. aurora, wave motion, volcanism), Your Hand in Mine. Standing silently on the tiled siltstone of the Tessellated Pavement, this couple watched the immense geomagnetic phenomenon we call the Aurora Australis exploding in the sky above them. The Pavement, comprising 250-280 million-year-old rocks, slowly morphed into patterns that look astoundingly manmade, due to the earth’s movement and jointing combined with continual sea salt erosion.David Nolan, Shows human impact (e.g pollution, extinction, climate change, preservation), Milky Way over Waterworks Reserve. Dark sky conservation is crucial in preserving our view of the night sky, protecting wildlife, and reducing energy waste. Light pollution from cities obscures stars and celestial wonders such as the Milky Way. At places such as the Waterworks Reserve, just minutes from Hobart, we are incredibly fortunate. Despite its proximity to the capital city, for now the skies remain dark enough here for us to witness the Milky Way stretching overhead.Chelsea Bell, Utilises macrophotography, Crystalline Forest. Icicles of hoarfrost form on the finely serrated margins of fallen Nothofagus gunnii (deciduous beech) leaves, shown here at sunrise. Radiative cooling overnight causes surface temperatures to drop below freezing. Water vapour from the surrounding air deposits directly as a variety of intricate ice crystals, highlighting the leaf's venation and structural symmetry.Deon Scanlon, Shows a scientific principle (e.g. evolution, gravity), Aerodynamic attraction. The magic of flight has forever captured the collective imagination of humanity. Birds in flight provide wonderful insights into aerodynamics, and it's not hard to see how bird wings influence human artistic design, when they interact this closely.Alison McNeice , Shows a biological concept (e.g. an egg being laid, camouflage, metamorphosis, bioluminescence), PhotosyntheSlug. The cactus sea-slug (Sacoproteus smaragdinus) is a herbivorous sea slug measuring up to 8 cm in length. Despite its size, it is rarely seen as its appearance is almost identical to the Caulerpa cactoides alga it feeds on.
