To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the launch of Nature Photonics, we asked eight sets of experts (in the fields of photovoltaics, X-ray science, imaging, terahertz technology, quantum optics, plasmonics, organic optoelectronics and optical communications) to write a set of short, easy-to-read, opinion articles on how their fields are likely to evolve over the next ten years. On the following pages, you can read their thoughts on the trends, challenges and possible achievements for a variety of important areas of photonics. These are complemented by a graphical representation of the Nobel Prizes related to photonics that have been awarded since our launch. We hope you find the section to be illuminating, informative and thought provoking.