Vote for Your Favourite Capture You Research Contest Entry!

By Maisie Northing | Mar. 13, 2025 | Prize Researcher Experience

During each AuthorAID Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) we host the Capture Your Research Contest. The contest asks for early-career researchers to share a photo of their research, and an accompanying description of their work. In our recent 'Engaged Research for Community and Policy Impact' MOOC we received absolutely fantastic submissions, so thank you to everyone who participated.

We would like for you, the AuthorAID community, to cast your votes on your three favourite submissions! Below you will find the shortlisted ten photos and their descriptions. The winner will be featured in a blog post with an interview on the AuthorAID website. Please vote for your favourite three entries on Mentimeter by clicking here. The voting will close on Wednesday the 19th of March at 12pm GMT.

Two photos - one on the left is a person filling up a water bottle from an outside tap. The photo on the right is of 8 petri dishes - 4 of them have blue writing in them, and 4 have a blue material in them — **Abdifetah Ibrahim Omar**
“Assessing Water Quality in Conflict-Affected IDP Camps in Hodan District, Somalia: A Call for Urgent Action
In the photo on the left, I am collecting drinking water samples from an IDP camp in the Hodan district of Somalia as part of a field study to assess water quality. The photo on the right shows the results of bacterial contamination, highlighting bacterial colony formation using standard microbiological techniques. This study demonstrates the urgent need to improve water safety in compliance with WHO standards, particularly in conflict-affected settings with fragile infrastructure, where vulnerable populations in IDP camps are at high risk. These findings underscore the critical need for enhanced water safety measures, as waterborne diseases pose a serious threat to public health in these communities.”

A collage of 4 images. Clockwise from top-left - a group of people sitting in two lines in a room; four people seated looking at electronic tablets; a group of people stood together some with their backs to the camera, outside with white vehicles in the background; a drawing of a map of the survey area — **Asher Feroze**
“The photos depict activities from the project titled "Impact Assessment of Interventions and MNCH Services Provided by PPHI at Primary Health Care Level. Data Collection Training and Survey Management: Data collectors are trained to use a mobile-based application for efficient data collection.An example of developing a comprehensive map of the survey area to guide the data collection process.The team receives final instructions at the survey site before beginning door-to-door data collection.”

Two people sitting facing each other on two colourful rugs outside. Another person sits off the rug facing them. Small buildings are in the background. — **Basnat Saud**
“Community education: fight against important transboundary animal disease
In this photo, I am surveying smallholder farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices about the Foot and Mouth Disease of cattle. In this survey, we targeted smallholder farmers of the Dhaka division, Bangladesh, who rear cattle for their livelihood. However, FMD, a viral disease of ruminants, is endemic in Bangladesh, severely affecting the cattle of these smallholder farmers. Therefore, we aimed to access their KAPs regarding the disease, which provided the necessary interventions for the control and prevention of the disease.”

3 people in the foreground, pictured in a field. 2 people are crouching looking at something on the ground, and another person is standing, taking notes on paper. Different types of trees are in the background — **Cephas Chisanga**
"Field Research in Agroforestry: Assessing Water Conservation and Soil Health Policy
This photo captures agroforestry research in Uganda, measuring policy impacts on soil health and water conservation. Two female team members using an infiltrometer to analyze soil properties, while I document observations. This collaborative effort aims to enhance sustainable agriculture by understanding soil dynamics in tropical agroforestry systems, improving soil fertility and productivity.”

A group of people sitting in chairs and on benches in a circle, outside. It appears one person is speaking and the others are listening. They are sitting in a clearing, with trees and vegetation in the background. — **Chisoni Mumba**
“Building a sustainable Community Livestock Development Market Model in the Kansanshi Mining Catchment Area”

A person sitting on a green chair next to a person on a bench with a person wearing a black robe. The person on the chair is writing notes. — **Clarisse Engowei Mbah**
“Women increasing access to Sexual and Reproductive Health services. In many low- and middle-income countries, over 60% of women lack access to essential sexual and reproductive health services. This gap is exacerbated by the scarcity of technologically advanced tools tailored to their specific needs. This image captures the efforts of a women-led research team dedicated to improving sexual and reproductive health through community-based STI screening and the identification of potential biomarkers for diagnosing female genital schistosomiasis.”

A group of people sitting on benches in a room. A blackboard is on the wall and a filing cabinet in the background. A person stands in front of the blackboard. — **Ewou Anthony**
“Training and discussion on viral conjunctivitis. The pictorials were taken in May last May last year in lubya island, buvuma district , Uganda. I was pictured training community leaders (the Police representative, teachers, village health teams, and other community leaders) about "Red eye" disease (viral conjunctivitis). This was following the out break of the disease in the community which was affecting school children, teachers, inmates in police, and the community at large. The aim was to teach them on case identification, management and prevention of viral conjunctivitis. This would help them on do's and don't as well as isolation and management of identified cases. This was a success through the following weeks when leaders participated in active sensitization and enforcement of health practices among the people in the community."

A person standing in a field of green plants — **Gemechu Berhanu**
“Building soil health using Climate Smart Agriculture approaches to enhances plant nutrients accessibility and improves crop productivity under acidic soil status in Western Ethiopia”

Two photos together - the first shows a person standing in a room with a microphone, seemingly speaking to an audience. A person is standing in the background. The second photo shows a person speaking into a microphone, standing up in the middle of other people seated in blue chairs — **Olayinka Adebajo**
“End FGM: Empowering Protegees of Traditional Circumcisers to End Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
The pictures are from participatory research and advocacy that brought together 50 children of traditional circumcisers, community stakeholders, government officials (a representative from the Ministry of Health), community-based organisations, academics, and a representative from the primary healthcare board.
The African Union and UNICEF funded the One Voice Initiative For Women and Children Emancipation (OVIWCE) proposal towards ending harmful practices in the Ibadan North Local Government Area (LGA), Ibadan, Nigeria. I gave remarks as the Executive Director of the non-profit organisation.
The 50 Protegees of Traditional Circumcisers became END-FGM champions and have taken the advocacy to their communities.”

A person standing in front of a group of people who are sitting on blue chairs, in a room. — **Oludare Alabe**
“Awareness, Perceptions and Willingness to Accept Malaria Vaccine for Children Under Age Five Among Mothers Attending Immunization Clinic at Federal Medical Centre Bida ic
This is a picture of me interacting with staffs of the Community Medicine Department of the Federal Medical Centre Bida immunization clinic where my research was conducted. The respondents were not captured because they had their children with them.”

For those whose entries are not featured here, your photos may still be used in future INASP and AuthorAID activities, so do look out for INASP and AuthorAID publications to potentially see your photos. We look forward to the next contest!

Thank you for voting and look out for our interview with the winner!

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