2026 Catalyst Creative Contest

Interested in sharing your scientific ART or story?

Catalyst is proud to present its annual CNS-wide Creative Contest, designed to showcase the interdisciplinary talents and unique voices of UT’s CNS students. We hope to encourage, recognize, and promote creativity in the sciences and beyond, supporting the ever-growing community of thinkers at the University of Texas at Austin.

This year’s theme centers on Constellations in the Night Sky. We invite you to explore how humans have long looked to the stars to find meaning and stories — bridging science, mythology, and personal reflection. Use written, visual, or performance art to interpret constellations and show how the night sky shapes our sense of wonder, identity, and place in the universe.

ACCEPTABLE ENTRIES:

The Catalyst Creative Contest allows submission of original artwork falling in one of three categories: written art, visual art, and performance art. Some example of possible artwork genres for each category are listed below, but this list is by no means exhaustive.

Writing:

  • Humor

  • Fiction

  • Personal essay

  • Short script

  • Poetry

Visual:

  • Graphic design

  • Sketches

  • Paintings

  • Sculptures

  • Pottery

Performance:

  • Spoken Word

  • Monologue

  • Storytelling

  • Comedy

  • Song/Dance

For any questions about submission classification or acceptable submissions, please contact: nsc.catalyst.chair@gmail.com. 

Our magazine strives to be respectful to the identities, experiences, and backgrounds of CNS students and in the UT community. We ask that submissions to our Creative Contest also hold themselves to this standard.

Only individual submissions will be accepted. Please ensure that all submitted work is your own, and any information drawn from outside sources is appropriately attributed.

submit your work here

JUDGING CRITERIA:

All entries will be scored based upon the following criteria:

Writing:

  • Adherence to the theme

  • Originality

  • Clarity

  • Voice + Style

  • Grammar + Mechanics

  • Ideas + Impact

Visual:

  • Adherence to the theme

  • Originality

  • Quality of Composition

  • Aesthetic + Style

  • Ideas + Impact

Performance:

  • Adherence to the theme

  • Originality

  • Quality of Composition

  • Passion + Style

  • Ideas + Impact

HOW TO ENTER:

Eligibility: Current UT undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Natural Sciences are eligible to participate in the Catalyst Creative Contest. If chosen, students must be available to exhibit their piece(s) at the Texas Science Museum on February 26 from 6-8 pm.

Submission: Submissions close at 11:59 PM Central Time on February 14th. You may submit to more than one category. For writing submissions, we do ask that entries be written in Times New Roman 12 pt. font and adhere to a maximum length of 5 single-spaced pages. For visual submissions, please limit your work to 10 images of your singular artwork. Please limit all performance pieces to five minutes. All standard file formats will be accepted. Please submit your final work through the submission link above.

Deadline: All entries are due by 11:59 PM on February 14th. Any entries which are submitted after this time will not be considered. 

Judging: A blind judging process will be implemented to maintain a fair, impartial environment throughout the contest. Winners will be announced in a timely manner following the submission deadline. Results will be posted on the Catalyst website as well as on social media platforms managed by Natural Sciences Council. Participants will also be contacted with the results via email shortly after winners are announced online.

Awards: We will be awarding ten students for this contest cycle. All winners will have their art featured in Catalyst and will be expected to present their piece at the Texas Science Museum on February 25, 2026. The top five winners will be awarded gift card prizes of $100, $75, $50, $30, and $25, respectively.