Eerie Beauty Under the Microscope: Nikon's Small World Photomicrography Competition

A miniature crystal castle of golden rutile quartz. The dark phosphorescent armor of a blue-black weevil. Slime molds growing spores that look like rich caramel apples. An otherworldly alien pineapple, nested as the stamen and stigma of an Hibiscus flower bud.

Nikon Honors Over 80 Stunning Microscopic Images

These mesmerizing images and more than 80 others were celebrated this year as part of the prestigious Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition. For nearly half a century since its inception in 1974, this competition has been a platform to recognize the photographic brilliance of individuals who explore the world through a microscope.

Global Participation and Expert Panel

This year, the competition received approximately 1,900 submissions from photographers and scientists hailing from 72 countries worldwide. These remarkable pictures were meticulously judged by a panel of five experts, including a cell biologist from Princeton and the photo editor of the BBC's Science Focus magazine.

Top Prize Goes to Neuroscientist Aiding Diabetes Patients

The highest honor of the competition was awarded to neuroscientist Hassanain Qambari, a researcher at the Lions Eye Institute's Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science in Perth, Australia. His winning photograph, captured through confocal microscopy, presents a microscopic, compound image of a rodent's optic nerve-head. Beyond its visual appeal, this image serves a practical purpose, aiding patients with diabetes.

Focusing on Diabetic Retinopathy

Hassanain Qambari's work centers on the issue of diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that can result in blurry vision or blindness due to damage in the blood vessels near the back of the eye. He aims to enhance early detection and reversal of this disease, which affects approximately one in five people with diabetes.

Other Standout Images

While the first place went to Qambari, the second prize was awarded to German digital artist Ole Bielfeldt for his close-up of a match igniting along a matchbox. The third-place spot was claimed by healthcare consultant Malgorzata Lisowska from Warsaw, Poland, for her image of a valentine-like structure growing within a cluster of breast cancer cells.

A Visual Delight

All 86 of the top images in this year's Nikon competition are truly remarkable. Here are twelve that have captured our attention:

1. A castle-like image of golden rutile in quartz, captured by Danny J. Sanchez in California.
2. Budding slime molds photographed by Dr. Frantisek Bednar of Slovakia.
3. A blue-black weevil pest captured by Dr. Andrew M. Posselt of the University of California, San Francisco.
4. A crystallized sugar syrup magnified 25 times, taken by Dr. Diego García of Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
5. An image of a match igniting, securing second place for Ole Bielfeldt.
6. A fluorescent photo of Acropora sp. taken by Dr. Pichaya Lertvilai of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
7. A micrometeorite resting on a testing sieve, photographed by Scott Peterson.
8. Venomous tarantula fangs, snapped by John-Oliver Dum in Germany.
9. A cleared mouse embryo by Dr. Arthur Chien of Macquarie University.
10. Diatoms, single-celled algae, arranged on the head of a pin by Jan Rosenboom in Germany.
11. Motor neurons grown in a microfluidic device, captured by Melinda Beccari and Dr. Don W. Cleveland of the University of California, San Diego.

Nikon's Small World in Motion Contest

Notably, Nikon's Small World Competition, which began in 1975 to honor photomicrographers using light microscopes, expanded in 2011 to include a category known as Small World in Motion. This category welcomes videos and digital time-lapse photography captured through microscopes, broadening the creative possibilities for participants. It encompasses various light microscopy techniques and subjects, reflecting the continuous advancement of microscopic photography.