This article was originally published on Sept. 10, 2019 and has been updated.

Check out our Top 5 tips for creating your Agar Art masterpice!

5. Get creative with your materials.

Serratia marcescens, Micrococcus luteus, transgenic Escherichia coli are all staples of the agar art palette. What can you do that goes beyond the staples? Can you showcase a biological or metabolic process that hasn’t been explored before? Below is a piece from the contest that shows incredible creativity, not necessarily because of what it portrays, but because of how it was created. This image, created in 2015 by Paul Rowley, used an actual virus as "paint". 

As Rowley explains, "In this art piece, a strain of S. cerevisiae, infected with a virus called L-A, has been painted onto the agar to represent virus particles. The remaining agar was seeded with a competing strain of S. cerevisiae. The virus-infected strain produces a potent viral toxin that prevents the growth of the competing strain, leaving areas free of growth upon the agar. Dark blue areas are dead yeast cells that got too close to the toxin-producing yeast!"

4. Look at what others have submitted to the contest.

Past submissions can be a great source of inspiration. They also let you know the level of artistry you’ll be up against—our previous submissions are intricate and wildly creative, so think beyond a Serratia smiley face.

Beware, though, of creating pieces similar to what’s been done before. Every year, we get many pieces with similar themes: mandalas, recreations of famous paintings, global maps, institutional logos, birds and fish. Though beautiful, these pieces don’t stand out from the crowd.

3. Leave time for the unexpected.

Test your design and the materials you want to use in case your piece doesn’t grow as you intended. After all, your ‘paints’ aren’t static; they’re living creatures. Painting 2 species in close proximity may not turn out how you imagine (this concept is the basis of Sarah Adkins-Jablonsky and Jeff Morris’ undergraduate course at the University of Alabama Birmingham). Or, your transgenic strain might unexpectedly stop producing gobs of fluorescent protein. There’s also the specter of contamination. Just as experiments can go belly-up when something unexpected takes over the plate, so can agar art.

2. Pay attention to lighting when you photograph your piece.

There is nothing more heart-wrenching than looking at a poorly shot photo of a cool piece of agar art. These days, most phone cameras take decent photos, so you don’t need professional equipment to get a good shot, but, you DO need to set up your shot carefully. Here's what we recommend:

• Lay your piece flat on a neutral background and take the photo from directly overhead, preferably using a gooseneck clamp that will hold the phone or camera steady.
• Turn off overhead lights and use ambient light from a window instead. This will prevent the phone or camera from creating shadows and will minimize glare from the petri dish(es).
• If it’s safe (i.e., everything on the plate is BSL-1), remove the top of your plate before photographing to eliminate glare completely. 

​1. Craft a meaningful description for your piece.

This often overlooked component is a critical part of your submission. Some amazing, artistically-detailed pieces have lost out in years past because their descriptions were spartan. Write your description in narrative style using complete sentences. Tell the story of your piece. Describe not only the organism(s) and agar(s) you chose to use, but also why, and how your materials or techniques tie in to the subject of your piece. And finally, avoid using scientific abbreviations.  

Although this piece from ASM’s 2017 Agar Art Contest did not win, it’s description is outstanding:

"This negative space art was made by using a Thermoactinomyces sp. strain isolated from geothermal spring located near Akhurian River (Armenia). The strain used is an extremophile and grows optimally in environments with high temperatures (>55°C) and forms white colored aerial mycelium.

The rare allele of the White Siberian Tigers (1/10000) causes a lack of pheomelanin (a pigment) in the skin and the fur of the animals which makes them snow white. There are only about 200 individuals left in the world. They are mainly held in captivity since there may be no wild white tigers left in the wild. 

The 'negative space' art style is chosen for making this agar art, since in case of incorrect preservation and insufficient care of these magnificent beasts we might be left with a big negative space in our hearts."

Following these tips will put you in a great position to compete with your submission. Still have questions? Get in touch with us at communications@asmusa.org.