Agar art is created in a petri dish using living growing microorganisms. Creators use colorful microbes such as the red bacteria Serratia marcescens, or genetically modified microbes, like the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae transformed with violacein genes, as 'paint' and various types, shapes and sizes of agar as a 'canvas.' Agar art is one intersection of art and science, providing scientists and students to express their creativity using microorganisms as their medium. Interestingly, Alexander Fleming, who discovered the antibiotic properties of penicillin, was the first agar artist!

The ASM launched the Agar Art Content in 2015 to share the beautiful and diverse world of microbes with the public. ASM's Agar Art Contest has 3 different categories, with different eligibility criteria and different prizes: Agar Art Kids, Agar Art Professional, and Agar Art Maker.

This year, ASM received an astounding 347 entries from 43 countries and 23 US states. Please join us in supporting these bioartists by voting!