Gallery of Soft Matter 2026

Highlighting the Work of Soft Matter Researchers

The Gallery of Soft Matter Physics is an image and video competition at the APS Global Physics Summit that showcases the elegance and aesthetics of soft matter and highlights the work of the soft matter community to fellow researchers and the general public.

Video Winner:

Photoelastic Particles in a Rolling Drum Video by Rylan Hodgson (University of Colorado - Boulder, ryho4570@colorado.edu)

Image winners

Swelling-induced wrinkling of floating granules | Juyeong Hong (Seoul National University)

Swelling-induced wrinkling of floating granules

Image by Juyeong Hong (Seoul National University, juyeonghong@snu.ac.kr)

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Starch Patterns Phase Transitions of DNA Nanostars | Ian Lillie (University of San Diego)

Starch Patterns Phase Transitions of DNA Nanostars

Image by Ian Lillie (University of San Diego, ilillie@sandiego.edu)

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All video submissions

    All image submissions

    Swelling-induced wrinkling of floating granules | Juyeong Hong (Seoul National University)

    Swelling-induced wrinkling of floating granules

    Juyeong Hong (Seoul National University, juyeonghong@snu.ac.kr)

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    Starch Patterns Phase Transitions of DNA Nanostars | Ian Lillie (University of San Diego)

    Starch Patterns Phase Transitions of DNA Nanostars

    Ian Lillie (University of San Diego, ilillie@sandiego.edu)

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    A time crystal made of waves and grains | Mia Morrell (New York University, mcm8850@nyu.edu)

    A time crystal made of waves and grains

    Mia Morrell (New York University, mcm8850@nyu.edu)

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    Triblock copolymer phase seperation | Hala Farghaly (University of Houston, hafargha@cougarnet.uh.edu)

    Triblock copolymer phase seperation

    Hala Farghaly (University of Houston, hafargha@cougarnet.uh.edu)

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    Merons Mediate Re-ordering of Curved Rods Under Simple Shear | Nicholas Hackney, Sandia National Laboratories, nwhackn@sandia.gov

    Merons Mediate Re-ordering of Curved Rods Under Simple Shear

    Nicholas Hackney (Sandia National Laboratories, nwhackn@sandia.gov)

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    Patterns in Cake | Karolina Koutova (University of California Santa Barbara, kkoutova@ucsb.edu)

    Patterns in Cake

    Karolina Koutova (University of California Santa Barbara, kkoutova@ucsb.edu)

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    Helical Flagella in Microtubule active matter | Ibrahim Abu-Hijleh, Georgia Institute of Technology, iabuhijleh3@gatech.edu

    Helical Flagella in Microtubule active matter

    Ibrahim Abu-Hijleh (Georgia Institute of Technology, iabuhijleh3@gatech.edu)

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    One way to Puncture the network | Jiyong Cheon, Georgia Tech, jcheon9@gatech.edu

    One way to Puncture the network

    Jiyong Cheon (Georgia Tech, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, jcheon9@gatech.edu)

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    Deformable particle simulations reveal that moving cells have plastic shapes | Gautham Gopinath, Yale University, gautham.gopinath@yale.edu

    Deformable particle simulations reveal that moving cells have plastic shapes

    Gautham Gopinath (Yale University, gautham.gopinath@yale.edu)

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    Blue Rondo à la Steppe | Tejasvi Venkat, Rutgers University, tkv15@scarletmail.rutgers.edu

    Blue Rondo à la Steppe

    Tejasvi Venkat (Rutgers University, tkv15@scarletmail.rutgers.edu)

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    Near-contact lubrication induces hydrodynamic stress | Ryker Fish, Colorado School of Mines, rfish@mines.edu

    Near-contact lubrication induces hydrodynamic stress

    Ryker Fish (Colorado School of Mines, rfish@mines.edu)

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