Text tips

Your image has drawn your audience in and now your text needs to tell them what they want to know.

Text to support your image - overview of requirements

Element	Limit	Guidance
Title or headline	2-6 words	This will be embedded on your image by the designer Try to make your title as compelling and intriguing as your image. It could be simple but insightful, such as ‘Innovation through humour’. It might be thought-provoking, such as ‘Inner sorrow, outer smile’ (Laura del Carpio’s 2017 entry title, highlighting the psychological struggles of those who are grieving) or pose a question, such as ‘Parasites: friends of foe?’ to peak audience interest.
Three sentence story	50 - 70 words	This will be embedded on your image by the designer With such a small amount of text, it's important to get straight to the point and focus on the most important aspects. Try to answer the three questions below in one sentence each: What does your image show (if not obvious)? What is the problem your research is trying to address? How will your research make a difference? When the reader approaches the panel, they will probably look at the image first. Your text should take advantage of this by explaining the image first (the specifics) before describing why your research is important (the general).

Element

Limit

Guidance

Title or headline

2-6 words

This will be embedded on your image by the designer

Try to make your title as compelling and intriguing as your image. It could be simple but insightful, such as ‘Innovation through humour’. It might be thought-provoking, such as ‘Inner sorrow, outer smile’ (Laura del Carpio’s 2017 entry title, highlighting the psychological struggles of those who are grieving) or pose a question, such as ‘Parasites: friends of foe?’ to peak audience interest.

Three sentence story

50 - 70 words

This will be embedded on your image by the designer

With such a small amount of text, it's important to get straight to the point and focus on the most important aspects. Try to answer the three questions below in one sentence each:

What does your image show (if not obvious)?
What is the problem your research is trying to address?
How will your research make a difference?

When the reader approaches the panel, they will probably look at the image first. Your text should take advantage of this by explaining the image first (the specifics) before describing why your research is important (the general).

Here's an example from the 2018 competition:

Title: Battling the bugs (provides some insight but doesn't completely give the game away)

Story: This exotic collage of micro-oragnisms is just a sample of the bacteria that exist all around us. (Describes what you can see in the image)

Many are harmless but others pose a serious health risk, and their extreme biodiversity can make these difficult to treat and eradicate. (Describes the problem)

At Strathclyde, we are developing new disinfection and sterilisation technologies, and antimicrobial drug delivery methods, in order to improve infection prevention and control methods in the global battle against antibiotic resistance. (Briefly sums up the research and its intended impact).