Photography & Digital ArtOCT 27, 2023

30 Jaw-Dropping Science Images From The 2023 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition

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The winners of the 49th annual Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition have been revealed. This year’s first-place prize was awarded to Hassanain Qambari, assisted by Jayden Dickson for his image of a rodent optic nerve head. The second-place winner is Ole Bielfeldt with his image of a matchstick igniting against the surface of a matchbox. Third place was awarded to Malgorzata Lisowska for her image of breast cancer cells.

In addition to the top three winners, the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition recognized 83 photos out of nearly 1,900 photo entries from 72 countries.

“The past 49 years of this competition have borne witness to many innovative and pioneering advancements in scientific imaging technology,” Eric Flem, Senior Manager, CRM and Communications at Nikon Instruments, said. “I am consistently awed by how these advancements make it possible to create art out of science for the public to enjoy,” he added.

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#1 2nd Place - Ole Bielfeldt

Macrofying
Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

"Matchstick igniting by the friction surface of the box."

Nikon Small World Photography Competition

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287points

Nikon Small World is very well known for being the leading forum where people celebrate the skill and beauty of photomicrography.

Competition organizers shared that there are 4 factors to consider when evaluating submissions: originality, informational content, technical proficiency, and visual impact. To select the winners, judges looked at entries that came from all around the globe.

#2 11th Place - Dr. Diego García

Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Real Sociedad Española de Física
Madrid, Spain

"Crystallized sugar syrup."

Nikon Small World Photography Competition

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216points

#3 14th Place - John-Oliver Dum

Medienbunker Produktion
Bendorf, Rheinland Pfalz, Germany

"Sunflower pollen on an acupuncture needle."

Nikon Small World Photography Competition

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215points

The judges of the 2023 Nikon Small World Competition were: Ed Cara, Science and Health Reporter at Gizmodo, James Cutmore, Picture Editor at BBC Science Focus Magazine, Dr. Gary Laevsky, Director of the Confocal Imaging Facility at Princeton University, Dr. Igor Siwanowicz, Research Scientist at Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Dr. Clare Waterman, Cell Biologist and Member of the National Academy of Sciences.

#4 8th Place - Stefan Eberhard

The University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia, USA

"Caffeine crystals."

Nikon Small World Photography Competition

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210points

#5 12th Place - Sherif Abdallah Ahmed

Tanta University
Faculty of Science
Department of Zoology
Tanta, Egypt

"Cuckoo wasp standing on a flower."

Nikon Small World Photography Competition

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193points

The Nikon Small World competition was founded in 1974 and in 2011, Nikon Small World in Motion was launched because of advancements in technology that made it possible to record videos or digital time-lapse photos through a microscope.

The 2023 video winners were announced on September 26th.

#6 17th Place - Yuan Ji

World Expo Museum
Shanghai, China

"Chinese moon moth (Actias ningpoana) wing scales."

Nikon Small World Photography Competition

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172points

#7 20th Place - Daniel Castranova And Dr. Brant M. Weinstein

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Bethesda, Maryland, USA

"Adult transgenic zebrafish head showing blood vessels (blue), lymphatic vessels (yellow), and the skin and scales (magenta)."

Nikon Small World Photography Competition

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170points

Hassanain Qambari, the first-place winner, shared: “The Nikon Small World competition is great, as it showcases amazing work across many disciplines from around the world. All the images presented in the competition represent the beauty and artistic side of science which may otherwise get overlooked. Such a competition not only celebrates the participants' hard work and passion but may also draw and inspire young scientists to pursue a career in STEM. It certainly inspired me.”

#8 Image Of Distinction - Priscilla Vieto Bonilla And Brandon Antonio Segura Torres

Universidad Nacional del Comahue
Department of Biological Sciences
San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina

"One-week-old Axolotl after hatching."

Nikon Small World Photography Competition

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161points

#9 3rd Place - Malgorzata Lisowska

Independent Value-Based Healthcare Consultant Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland

"Breast cancer cells."

Nikon Small World Photography Competition

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152points

Calling all scientists, photography and video enthusiasts! The Nikon Small World Competition, marking its 50th anniversary in 2024, invites everyone to join in. To be part of this incredible milestone, you can upload your digital images and videos directly on nikonsmallworld.com. Entry forms for Nikon’s 2024 Small World and Small World in Motion Competitions are available at enter.nikonsmallworld.com.