Congratulations to Steven Paton!

Steven Paton from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is the winner of the Summer 2025 Windows Lock Screen Photo Contest with this adorable image of a strawberry poison dart frog.

 

Close-up of a strawberry poison dart frog. Photo by Steven Paton

Steven writes:

This is the Strawberry poison-dart frog (Oophaga pumilio). This frog can be found from Nicaragua to the western side of Panama. The frog’s skin is very poisonous. The frogs do not produce the poison themselves, rather they acquire it from the ants and mites that they eat.

The photo was taken at STRI’s Punta Culebra Nature Center which maintains a public exhibit that showcases Panama’s frogs and presents the work that STRI is carrying out to study and protect them. The new lock screen will be in place on all SI-managed Windows computers until September. OCIO wholeheartedly thanks everyone who voted. Congratulations once again to Steven and to all those who submitted photos.

Submit your Photo to the Windows Lock Screen Photo Contest

Each season, the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) installs a custom image on SI-managed Windows computers for the lock screen. This custom image is necessary to block Microsoft advertising on your desktop and creates a fun and exciting opportunity for Smithsonian professional and amateur photographers alike to showcase their photography Staff can submit up to two photos throughout the quarter, and the top submissions will be open for an Institution-wide vote.

Review the Lock Screen Photo Contest page for all photo submission requirements.The submission deadline for the Autumn 2025 contest is Friday, September 5.