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BRISTOL, R.I. - A Martha’s Vineyard bay scallop is now the star of an  honored in an international photo and video competition. The short video – a depiction of the native mollusk enjoying a meal, created by Kathryn Markey, a technician in the Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory at

– was one of just nine videos awarded among the thousands of digital entries in the .

The global competition is the world’s premier platform for honoring images and movies of human, plant and animal subjects as captured through light microscopes. Markey created the 25-second video, which captures a stunning visual of how scallops consume nutrients by filtering water, with the goal to drive further awareness around the powerful role shellfish play as filter feeders. By filtering gallons of water every day, aquatic animals such as scallops, clams and oysters improve water quality and clarity measurably.

A panel of judges selected the video from more than 2,000 entries submitted by scientists, researchers, hobbyists and students across 70 countries. The accolade marks the second time Markey’s microphotography has been recognized in the international competition; her 2011 award-winning still photograph ended up on the pages of .

“I am fascinated by bay scallops,” Markey says. “Anytime I can put them under the microscope, I will. I captured this video, and it astounded me every time I watched it. The families visiting the University during Alumni Weekend would ‘Ooh’ and ‘Aah’ when I played it, so I knew I had something special here.”

The winning entry depicts the scallop’s blue “eyes” and tentacles along with its striated gills filtering the food and directing it to the body cavity. The scallop, which was later returned to the tank, was harvested on Martha’s Vineyard for the Luther H. Blount Shellfish Hatchery at 51����.

Entries were judged based on the science they depict, aesthetics including beauty or impact of the image, and technical expertise. Markey’s entry is one of nine videos awarded that will travel in a museum tour in the U.S. with exhibition stops in New York, Maryland and North Carolina. A selection of the winning entries is also displayed in the of Scientific American.