Visualization Challenge

Mind Bytes Data Visualization Challenge 2026

At the intersection of data and insight, visualization is more than presentation—it is a catalyst for discovery. Thoughtful, effective visualizations transform complex data into insight, enabling researchers to uncover relationships, communicate ideas clearly, and inspire action across disciplines.

Does your visualization tell a powerful research story that can illuminate new perspectives, inform decisions, or spark meaningful dialogue? Are you ready to share your work on a platform that brings together researchers, students, and innovators from across the University?

Enter the RCC Visualization Challenge 2026 to showcase your work, engage a broad audience, and compete for exciting prizes.

  • Current University of Chicago students or postdocs from any area of study or field are encouraged to participate.
  • Individuals and teams are eligible.
  • Those who participate in the challenge (either as an individual or team) must be directly involved in the creation of the visualization. To prevent multiple entries for the same visualization, permission from all those involved in the original creation of the visualization must be received.

We encourage submissions that reflect the diverse perspectives and experiences of the University of Chicago’s students and researchers.

Data visualization may include but are not limited to maps, charts, graphs, data art, 3D models, web applications, videos/animations, etc. They can be static (figures from a paper, posters, infographics) or dynamic visualizations (videos, interactive stories, dashboards).

Submissions must be received on or before March 31, 2026. Only one submission per individual or group is allowed.

 

To participate, you must:

 

  • Submit your visualization along with a brief narrative or abstract that describes the visualization, how the data was collected or received (including any required acknowledgements), and any other relevant information you believe the reviewers should know.
  • Upload your submission to a Box folder and send the link to events@rcc.uchicago.edu.
  • Be available to present your visualization if selected.
  • Not supply untruthful, incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading information.

The top 10 finalists will be invited to present on April 8th, 2026. Winners will be selected and announced that day. The first three places will receive an iPad.

The top 3 winners will present at MindBytes on April 22nd, 2026. At least one member from each of the three winning teams will be required to present at MindBytes.

 

Questions are welcome, and we can be reached at events@rcc.uchicago.edu.

Explore examples from Mind Bytes 2025 Visualization Challenge winners.

Previous winners of the Mind Bytes Visualization Challenge are highlighted below as examples of projects that combine research, data, and visual storytelling.

Random Attractors: Images From Chaotic Systems

Student: David Feng

Optimized by: Dr. Gordon Kindlmann

Random Attractors: “Images From Chaotic Systems” visualizes the long-term behavior of chaotic 2D discrete dynamical systems, also known as “Random Attractors.” The visualization is created by tracing billions of iterations of these systems, with each pixel’s color determined by the number of times the attractor landed in that location. The resulting intricate patterns resemble two-dimensional projections of smooth, higher-dimensional structures, suggesting potential connections to other areas of mathematics. These visualizations are automated into a video pipeline and are published daily on Instagram at @bo_is_coding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tracing Journeys

Student: Magdalena Barros

Course: CAPP 30239: Data Visualization for Policy Analysis

Tracing Journeys is an interactive data visualization that explores global migration as a lived human experience rather than a purely statistical phenomenon. Drawing on international migration and population data from Our World in Data, UN International Migration Flows, and the IOM World Migration Report 2022, the visualization covers the period 1990–2020. Through an exploratory, user-driven interface built with D3.js, the project invites viewers to trace movements across countries and uncover patterns, stories, and disparities over time. By encouraging open exploration, the visualization aims to foster empathy and deeper reflection around migration journeys and their complexity.

Whole Genome

Students: Lu Li, Minhein Htet, Dametria Jetters

Faculty: Amy Weinmann

Most drug therapies that show promise in preclinical studies ultimately fail in human clinical trials. Therefore, it is imperative to develop better strategies to translate findings from model organisms into human health. Analyses of genomics datasets from model organisms currently lack steps to assess sequence and location conservation to identify events most likely to translate to humans. To address this knowledge gap, we developed a user-friendly informatics tool with dynamic visualizations to characterize how sequence variation and evolutionary genome rearrangements between mice and humans affect gene expression patterns and regulatory landscapes on a genome-wide scale.

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Email us at events@rcc.uchicago.edu