Sleepy Hollow High School students made an outstanding showing in this year’s national Physics Photo Contest, earning more recognition than any other school represented in the Top 100 submissions.
Out of more than 600 entries nationwide, six SHHS students secured a spot in the Top 100, an incredible achievement on its own. Even more impressively, two of those students earned additional awards for their submissions.
One of those winners, rising senior Cody Choi, found inspiration for the photo Attracted to U in an unexpected place.
“My photo was inspired by nail art. I took fifty photos while getting my nails done, attempting different angles and poses,” Cody explained. “I researched how the polish worked and discovered it involves fluids, magnetism, reflection, and electromagnetic waves. The polish contains iridescent, ferromagnetic iron oxide flakes. In liquid form, these particles flow freely, but once exposed to UV light, intermolecular forces lock them in place.”
Fellow rising senior Eoghan Glynn also used his passion for photography to guide his project. Earning Honorable Mention for Metacognitive Reasoning for his photo titled Exposing the Photoelectric Effect.
“For this photo I came up with the idea of creating a light painting. To create this light photo, I set my camera to long exposure for 30 seconds. This means that the camera shutter was open to all light rays for the full duration. Whatever light/photons were detected, they showed up as a line or “art” when the picture was done. Leaving the shutter open allowed me to use a release of electrons to draw wherever I wanted, with light as my tool,” said Eoghan.
Following the preliminary round of judging, the final winners were chosen by physics professors and teachers attending the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Summer Meeting in Washington, D.C., held August 2–6, 2025. Judges noted that they were especially impressed by the high level of both photographic skill and physics understanding demonstrated in this year’s essays and images.
Other Top 100 winners include:
- Celeste Nieves (Class of 2026) – Flipping Flames
- Joshua Miller (Class of 2026) – Fork Tines and Light Lines
- Bricelys Ramirez Pichardo (Class of 2025) – Secrets Behind the Shavings
- Christos Polycarpou (Class of 2026) – Vaulting to New Heights: The Physics Behind the Jump
This accomplishment highlights the creativity, talent, and academic excellence of Sleepy Hollow students, and we couldn’t be prouder of the recognition they’ve earned on the national stage.
