Liru Feng wins LION Image Award 2025
Fifty euros, a place on the LION photo wall and eternal fame: this is what the winner of the annual LION Image Award gets. This year, the prize goes to Liru Feng for his photo titled Entangled Fate: From Fluid to Rigid.
The ability to beautifully capture physics research in images is clearly demonstrated at this year’s LION Image Award ceremony. The photographs also highlight the vastness of the field of physics. Complex topics such as electron beam lithography and Fourier explosions are brought to life for everyone through vibrant, colorful images.
Jury struck by story behind picture
Liru says about his photograph: ‘Once a free-flowing green protein droplet, it succumbs to an ominous fate. Like an evil octopus, its fiery orange tendrils twist and constrict, weaving a prison of amyloid fibres, trapping the mind in the relentless grip of dementia.’
Jurycomment
‘What a mysterious description and dramatic photograph, the ten-legged octopus looks amazingly beautiful. I want to know what it will capture next.’
‘An otherworldly thrilling triptych. Like a print of a classic science fiction comic.’
Building block in dementia research
Feng: ‘In cells, a protein can change into tiny, liquid-like drops (shown in green) by separating from the surrounding material. These protein droplets help control various important processes in the cell. Sometimes, the protein can also mistakenly aggregate into a solid, rigid structure — amyloid fibres (orange). These are associated with and other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. This image captures the moment of transition, resembling an evil octopus: a healthy droplet being “eaten up” and converted into harmful fibres.’
Other prizewinners
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2nd prize: Spin-Orbit Coupling of Light in a Cavity by Jonah Post -
Shared 3rd prize: The glimpse by Jacopo Piantanida Chiesa -
Shared 3rd prize: Fourier Explosie by Guido Stam