The Eden Project will be hosting an exhibition of some of the most remarkable and striking scientific images of the past year, starting on Thursday, March 16.

The exhibition of the shortlisted images for the twentieth annual Wellcome Image Awards opens on the day after the winner of the prestigious prize is announced.

Showcasing the best in science image making, this year’s awards include a broader range of cutting-edge artistic and scientific techniques than ever before. From photography and illustration to super-resolution microscopy and medical scans, the images use a variety of methods to capture the imagination and bring complex concepts to life.

This year’s images include a beautiful illustration of Nobel laureate and neurobiologist Rita Levi-Montalcini, a glimpse at the intricate system of blood vessels inside an African Grey Parrot and a fascinating visualisation of Twitter conversations about breast cancer.

Dr Jo Elworthy, Eden’s director of interpretation, said: “We’re very pleased to be hosting work from the remarkable Wellcome Image Awards at Eden again. This year’s images are some of the most vibrant, striking and thought-provoking we have seen so far and we are proud to help showcase some of the groundbreaking scientific work that has happened in the last year.”

Fergus Walsh, BBC medical correspondent and a member of the judging panel, said: “The Wellcome Image Awards continuously uncovers striking images that open up a world of science often hidden to the naked eye. There is a spectacular array of images here which will draw the public in, make them wonder and make them ask questions about things they’ve never even imagined.”

Catherine Draycott, head of Wellcome Images and chair of the judging panel, said: “It’s now 20 years since the first Wellcome Image Awards and we continue to be surprised and delighted by the range of extraordinary images we receive each year. We are thrilled that they will be displayed across the UK and abroad so that people can come and explore the stories behind these stunning images.”

The Wellcome Image Awards were established in 1997 to reward contributors to the Wellcome Images collection for their outstanding work. Over the last 20 years as science and technology has progressed, the awards have embraced new styles and pushed the boundaries of science image making.

The 22 winning images were chosen by nine judges from all those acquired by the Wellcome Images picture library in the past year.

This is the second year that the Julie Dorrington Award for outstanding photography in a clinical environment will also be awarded. Named after one of the founders of the Wellcome Images clinical collection, this award honours Julie’s contribution to Wellcome and to the clinical photography profession and the service it provides to medicine and medical education.

The images will be on display in Eden’s Core building until July 16, and access to the exhibition is included in Eden Project admission. For more information, see edenproject.com.

To see the full selection of winning Wellcome Image Awards pictures, see www.wellcomeimageawards.org.