Two works submitted by researchers from the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), a joint centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), have been recognised in the second edition of AR(t)RBMP, an initiative that brings together art and science and which concluded in Bilbao during RBMP 2026.
Following its first edition, held in Castellón in 2024, AR(t)RBMP has continued to grow and attract increasing interest from the plant science community. This year, a total of 21 works were submitted, with four prizes awarded through an online vote.
In the student category, Borja Diego, from IBMCP, received the first prize with 28% of the votes for his work Pinceladas luminiscentes sobre lienzo de benthamiana. The award consisted of a €50 cash prize, generously donated by an anonymous supporter.
The second student prize went to Maitane Juárez Mugarza, from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), whose work Perseverance under adversity received nearly 11% of the votes.
In the category for principal investigators, Manuel Rodríguez Concepción, from IBMCP, was awarded for his work Se viene arriba, which obtained 10% of the votes. The prize consisted of laboratory material worth €150, sponsored by EPICA.
The other prize in this category went to Nuria Sánchez-Coll, from CRAG (Barcelona), for her work The Auxin Angel, which received 12% of the votes.
At IBMCP, we warmly congratulate all award winners and participants, as well as the organisers for promoting an initiative that offers a creative and artistic perspective on plant research.
The next edition of AR(t)RBMP will take place in Zaragoza, during RBMP 2028.
