2026 SME Photo Contest Winners

1st Place Winner: Maribel Durand Fernández

1st place photo by Maribel Durand Fernández: (Click to expand)

2nd Place Winner: Mark Rubalcava

2nd place photo by Mark Rubalcava:
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3rd Place Winner: Armats Giarnelly

3rd place photo by Armats Giarnelly:
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Honorable Mentions(Click any photo to expand)

Honorable Mention: Xiaozhen Song

Honorable mention photo by Xiaozhen Song: Pennsy Supply Silver Spring Quarry , Mechanicsburg, PA A drill jumbo operating deep inside a limestone mine, illuminated by dust-filled beams of light that reveal the scale and structure.

Honorable Mention: Fanteri Suparno

Honorable mention photo by Fanteri Suparno: East Kalimantan, Indonesia The beginning after the end

Honorable Mention: Venkata Aneesh Kona

Honorable mention photo by Venkata Aneesh Kona: Graham, Virginia Modern aggregate processing is the foundation for future infrastructure, driven by precision engineering to minimize energy use and environmental impact.

Honorable Mention: Idelso Jamin Chávez Cruz

Honorable mention photo by Idelso Jamin Chávez Cruz: BSA-100 tunnel, San Agustín (Colquirrumi) mine, Tumbacucho This photograph shows snottites, microbial consortia that thrive at extremely acidic pH.

Honorable Mention: Sophie Dessart

Honorable mention photo by Sophie Dessart: Florence Copper (Florence, AZ) Tankhouse Florence Copper is the world’s first greenfield in-situ copper recovery (ISCR) operation.

Honorable Mention: Monica Campos

Honorable mention photo by Monica Campos: Lagunas Norte-Peru Not big in size, but big enough to drive giants. That’s me, I don’t have limits in my body when my mind loves what it does and feels at home among giants.

Honorable Mention: Abduljeleel Ajibona

Honorable mention photo by Abduljeleel Ajibona: Illinois, Foresight Energy (Deer Run Mine), United States Abduljeleel Ajibona monitoring the height of the coal refuse disposal impoundment using GPS.

Honorable Mention: Shiva Kumar

Honorable mention photo by Shiva Kumar: Jonnagiri, India Gold mines in jonnagiri

Honorable Mention: Juan Pablo Carmona Perez

Honorable mention photo by Juan Pablo Carmona Perez: Underground tunneling project, Colombia, South America Seeing the human scale meet this modern infrastructure really symbolizes the collective path we’re taking toward the future.

Honorable Mention: Marco Esau Portal Valdivia

Honorable mention photo by Marco Esau Portal Valdivia : Newmont Yanacocha Mine, Cajamarca, Perú A vicuña grazing freely on a reclaimed mining area, illustrating how technology and responsible mine closure enable coexistence.