Three photographers have captured winning shots in Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory’s 2025 Photowalk competition. These photographers will move on to the international Photowalk, with their images competing with photos from laboratories around the world.
The winning photos, in alphabetical order by photographer, are “The Underside of Quantum Computing” by Mark Kaletka of Batavia, Illinois, “SSR1” by Krsto Sitar of Lombard, Illinois, and “QUANTUM COMPUTING” by Perry Slade of Aurora, Illinois.
A panel of four Fermilab judges reviewed 63 photos submitted by 21 photographers. They selected three winning images that represented the science and spirit of America’s premier particle physics and accelerator laboratory.
On Saturday, July 26, 2025, two dozen photographers visited Fermilab from across the United States; two even came from Europe. Guided by scientists and staff, the photographers received exclusive, behind-the-scenes tours of areas and experiments that are typically not accessible to the public: the Quantum Garage at the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems (SQMS) Center, the Muon g-2 experiment hall, the Short Baseline Near Detector (SBND), the Fermilab Accelerator Science and Technology/Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (FAST/IOTA) facility and the Industrial Center Building.
“It was an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to participate in the 2025 Fermilab Photowalk. Photography’s my way of showing how I see the world and this recognition inspires me to keep creating,” said winning photographer Perry Slade from Aurora, Illinois.
“I’m very familiar with Fermilab, so I especially enjoy seeing it revealed through new perspectives — an unusual angle, the play of light or a close-up detail that transforms the familiar,” says Georgia Schwender, visual arts coordinator at Fermilab. “What intrigues me most is the sheer range of possibilities; every photographer brings their own way of seeing, reminding us that even the most well-known places can surprise us when viewed through a fresh lens. Serving as a judge for this contest was an honor, and it gave me the chance to experience Fermilab through the creativity and vision of others.”
Kaletka’s, Sitar’s and Slade’s winning photos will now advance to the worldwide Global Physics Photowalk competition. A shortlist of global finalists will be announced by the Interactions Collaboration in September, followed by a final selection through a jury and public vote. The winners of the international competition will be featured in a future issue of the CERN Courier and in Symmetry magazine.
The Fermilab Photowalk is part of the global event organized by the Interactions Collaboration, an international group of science communicators dedicated to telling stories about particle physics research and achievements. Fermilab has taken part in previous Photowalks organized by Interactions, and this year is one of 16 participating particle physics laboratories on three continents. Winners from the local contests advance to the international Photowalk competition, where the final winners will be chosen later this fall.
Fermilab will display a selection of photos from the Photowalk in Wilson Hall’s second-floor Art Gallery in September. A reception for will be hosted from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 5 at the Fermilab Art Gallery. No registration is required for this event. Wilson Hall is open to visitors on Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. All visitors age 18 and older must present a Real ID-compliant form of identification to enter.
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
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