Academics With Cats 2016: the winning photographs

Glen Wright reveals the best #AcademicsWithCats of 2016

December 16, 2016
Cat, feline
Source: iStock

Cats and academia have a rich history. From writing papers and urinating on books, to providing the wonderful fodder for procrastination that is #AcademicsWithCats, we academics love cats (OK, perhaps not all academics). 

The Third Annual Academics with Cats Awards, organised by Academia Obscura, celebrates academic cats and injects a bit of fun into the pre-Christmas panic.

Almost 2,000 people voted this year, from a shortlist drawn from 500 entries. 

The votes have been tallied and we are pleased to announce Best in Show and the winners from the four CATegories (Academics and their Cats, Bookish Cats, Cats on Computers and Research Assistants). 

And the winner is…

Mike Jones from the University of Melbourne takes the award for Best in Show (and the Cats on Computers category) this year, with his candid photo of his cheeky kitty taking over his laptop. Photos of cats on computers were particularly popular, perhaps unsurprising given how long we spend on our laptops. 

Category winners this year were:

@Klugman, a “junior postdoc with butterfingers”, won the Academics and their Cats section with this excellent shot of some relaxing reading.

 

Katie Hodges-Kluck, a medieval historian at the Marco Institute, with her cat Flavia, still focused after six chapters, won the Bookish Cats section.

 

Grad student Lia Dykstra’s cute research “assistant” (who doesn’t appear to be helping very much) won the Research Assistants category.     

 

The runners-up this year were:

French literature researcher Sam Ferguson with his research assistants Spike and Drusilla.

 

Min Seok Kim’s cat, anxiously waiting for news on that research grant.

 

Western University PhD candidate Dana Gold, whose cat is trying to find the right cable.

 

Fredric Bauer’s fluffy moggy taking a break from reviewing drafts.

 

Finally, in case you missed it, last year’s winner was Kirsty Liddard with her serially tweeted cat, Scholar Ted.

Glen Wright runs the @AcademiaObscura Twitter feed, covering the quirky side of academia.

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