Overview
The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) High School Physics Photo Contest isn't a science fair, and it isn't a photography competition. It's a contest that asks your child to slow down and notice the physics in the world around them — and then explain in 250 words what they're seeing. The contest is run by AAPT, a professional association of physics educators founded in 1930, and it draws more than 1,000 students each year from around the world. It's overseen by AAPT's Committee on Physics in High Schools and Committee on Educational Technologies, with sponsorship from Vernier Software & Technology. The format is deliberately spare: one photo, one essay, one entry per student. What sets it apart is the second-stage judging — the top 100 photos are physically displayed at the AAPT Summer Meeting and judged in person by working physics teachers.
How the Contest Works
Your child submits one photograph — black-and-white or color, taken with any camera — that captures a physical phenomenon they observed or set up themselves. The photo is paired with a written essay explaining the physics at work. Entries fall into one of two categories:
- Natural — phenomena anyone can find in the world (light through water, shadows, motion, weather, reflection)
- Contrived — phenomena set up by your child or engineered to demonstrate a specific physical concept
The contest unfolds in two judging stages.
- Stage 1 — First Cut: A committee of physics teachers reviews all entries and selects the top 100, looking for technically strong photographs paired with essays that show your child is thinking like a physicist — not just naming a concept, but reasoning through it.
- Stage 2 — Final Judging: The top 100 photos are displayed at the AAPT Summer Meeting and judged in person to determine first, second, and third place in each category.
Who It's For
This is a strong fit for the kid who already takes pictures on their phone of the weird things they notice — a rainbow in a sprinkler, the way a spoon looks bent in a glass of water, the shadow patterns on a sidewalk. It rewards observation and curiosity over technical polish. Your child doesn't need a fancy camera or a physics lab. They need a question worth asking, and the patience to figure out what's actually happening in the frame.
It's also a genuinely rare entry point for the kid who loves physics but doesn't see themselves on the competition-math track. The Olympiad and Physics Bowl reward speed and problem sets. This one rewards a different kind of thinking.
Judges & Mentorship
Judging is done by working high school and college physics teachers, organized through AAPT's national committees. There's no formal mentorship built into the contest — the teacher of record at your child's school is their primary guide, which is why this contest works best when there's a physics teacher willing to sponsor entries.
What Makes This Different
Most physics contests are timed exams. This one rewards the opposite: looking carefully at a single moment and explaining it well. Winning photos are published in a poster mailed out with The Physics Teacher journal, giving your child — and their teacher — recognition inside the national physics-teaching community. For a high schooler thinking seriously about physics in college, that's a credential that signals real engagement with the field.
Application & Eligibility
- Open to high school students worldwide in grades 9–12
- Individual entries only — group work is not permitted
- A school-based teacher must register the school and submit student names before your child can upload their entry
Cost & Information
- Entry fee: $5 for AAPT members, $10 for non-members
- Teacher registration window: Opens in early March, closes mid-May
- Student photo upload deadline: Late May
- Prizes per category: $100 (1st), $75 (2nd), $50 (3rd), plus a certificate. Teachers of winning students receive a $100 Vernier gift certificate.
Important Note on Originality
The photo must be taken by your child. Cropping is allowed, and minor adjustments to brightness, color, and sharpness are permitted — but the image has to be their own work, and the essay does too.