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2016 Nikon Macro Photo Contest Winners Show The World Like You've Never Seen Before

2016 Nikon Macro Photo Contest Winners Show The World Like You've Never Seen Before

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Nikon has just announced the winners of its annual Small World Photomicrography competition, and as you can see from these stunning photographs, bigger isn't always better.
The competition is in its 42nd year and this year over 2000 people from 70 countries entered. For those that don't know, photomicrography is the practise of taking a photograph through a microscope or similar magnifying device in order to capture the intricate details of things invisible to the human eye. From the proboscis of a butterfly and the foot of a beetle to espresso coffee crystals, the pictures below give us a whole new way of looking at world. The categories are divided into winners, honorable mentions, and images of distinction, and you can find the full list on the Nikon Small World website.
More info: Nikon Small World (h/t: demilked)

#21 Egg Of A Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

Egg Of A Gulf Fritillary Butterfly
75points

#22 Prolegs Of A Hairy Caterpillar Gripping A Small Branch

Prolegs Of A Hairy Caterpillar Gripping A Small Branch
75points

#23 Interference Patterns On A Glycerin Based Soapy Solution

Interference Patterns On A Glycerin Based Soapy Solution
73points

#24 Robber Fly

Robber Fly
70points

#25 Beta-Alanine And Taurine Crystals

Beta-Alanine And Taurine Crystals
64points

#26 Gears Coupling Hind Legs Of A Planthopper Nymph

Gears Coupling Hind Legs Of A Planthopper Nymph
62points

#27 Twentieth Place. Cow Dung

Twentieth Place. Cow Dung
60points

#28 Water Mite

Water Mite
59points

#29 Leg Of A Water Boatman

Leg Of A Water Boatman
58points

#30 Black Elder Tree Flower Stamen

Black Elder Tree Flower Stamen
50points

#31 Ant Leg

Ant Leg
49points

#32 Wildflower Stamens

Wildflower Stamens
49points

#33 Twelfth Place. Human Hela Cell Undergoing Cell Division

Twelfth Place. Human Hela Cell Undergoing Cell Division
47points

#34 Sixteenth Place. 65 Fossil Radiolarians (Zooplankton) Carefully Arranged By Hand In Victorian Style

Sixteenth Place. 65 Fossil Radiolarians (Zooplankton) Carefully Arranged By Hand In Victorian Style
46points

#35 Licmophora Flabellata Diatoms

Licmophora Flabellata Diatoms
45points

#36 Third Place. Brain Cells From Skin Cells

Third Place. Brain Cells From Skin Cells
44points

#37 Spore Capsule Of A Moss

Spore Capsule Of A Moss
43points

#38 Green Bottle Fly

Green Bottle Fly
43points

#39 Curvepod Fumewort (Corydalis Curvisiliqua) Seed

Curvepod Fumewort (Corydalis Curvisiliqua) Seed
42points

#40 Seeds Of An Indian Paintbrush Wildflower

Seeds Of An Indian Paintbrush Wildflower
42points
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