This spring we invited the University of Georgia research community to show off their scholarly ink, and they delivered. Big time.

Sixty-four UGA students, faculty, and staff entered our Research Tattoo Contest. They shared sleeves, knees, forearms, backs, shoulders, some stroked in black and gray, others in vivid color. Sailor Jerry nurses, Canada geese, literate dinosaurs, flycatcher birds, and Cottus fish—all these creatures and more sailed into the contest aboard the skin of UGA researchers.

“I loved the creativity of some of these designs and the diversity of subject matter,” said Sara-Maya Hans, manager of Pink Goblin Tattoo & Piercing and one of four contest judges. “It is really cool to see how dedicated everyone is to their work and fields of study.”

And now it’s time to announce the winners:

  • 1st place: Jakub Baczyński, postdoctoral researcher, Franklin College Department of Plant Biology
  • 2nd place: John Maerz, Dennis & Sarah Carey Distinguished Professor of Forestry and Natural Resources and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
  • 3rd place: Magen Lord, Ph.D. student in nutritional science, College of Family & Consumer Sciences

Honorable mentions:

  • Lewis Bartlett, assistant professor of entomology, Odum School of Ecology and College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
  • Rebecca Mayo, assistant compliance officer for animal care & use, Office of Research
  • Julien Mijangos, undergraduate student majoring in scientific illustration and minoring in avian biology

“As a biomedical illustrator, valuing the relationship between art and science is a vital component of my career, so I enjoyed seeing how our community members celebrate this bond in ways so personal to them,” said Amanda Manowski, scientific illustration area chair in the Lamar Dodd School of Art and another of the contest judges. “The competition offered a striking reminder of the incredible diversity within UGA’s research community.”

Please take a moment to admire the body art of all six chosen winners in the photos above. The three top winners will receive prizes of UGA gear and artwork from the bookstore.

The Office of Research Communications would like to thank the four judges who generously volunteered their time to review 64 tattoos and descriptions, then deliberate to choose the winners. They are:

  • Sara-Maya Hans, Pink Goblin Tattoo & Piercing
  • Amanda Manowski, lecturer and area chair of scientific illustration, Lamar Dodd School of Art
  • Brandon Ward, communications specialist, Office of Research Communications
  • Nadja Zeltner, associate professor of biochemistry, molecular biology, and cellular biology, Franklin College of Arts & Sciences and Center for Molecular Medicine

“I knew that UGA’s research areas span a huge variety, which is what I love about the university,” Zeltner said. “But I was excited to see how many scientists are loving what they do so much that they make it forever visible on themselves.”