The 2024 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition, now in its 50th year, celebrates the beauty and science behind the smallest details of our world. Each year, scientists and artists from around the globe submit stunning microscope images that reveal extraordinary views of life on a microscopic scale. From intricate cell structures to fascinating natural phenomena, these images offer a unique glimpse into the hidden world around us.
This year’s winners did not disappoint. First place was awarded to Dr. Bruno Cisterna for his incredible image of mouse brain tumor cells, which sheds light on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and ALS. The 2024 competition continues to highlight how microscopy advances both art and science.
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#1 Image Of Distinction – Zhang Chao
National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Beijing, China
“Beach sand.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#2 Image Of Distinction – Dr. Laurent Formery And Dr. Nathaniel Clarke
Stanford University
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Pacific Grove, California, USA
“Nervous system of a young sea star.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#3 12th Place – Daniel Knop
Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany
“Wing scales of a butterfly (Papilio ulysses) on a medical syringe needle.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#4 Image Of Distinction – Timothy Boomer
Vacaville, California, USA
“Slime mold (Prototrichia metallica).”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#5 Image Of Distinction – Dr. Håkan Kvarnström
Bromma, Sweden
“Peacock plume feather.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#6 Honorable Mention – Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Janelia Research Campus
Ashburn, Virginia, USA
“Antenna of a mole crab.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#7 3rd Place – Chris Romaine
Port Townsend, Washington, USA
“Leaf of a cannabis plant. The bulbous glands are trichomes. The bubbles inside are cannabinoid vesicles.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#8 Image Of Distinction – Uwe Lange
Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany
“Pollen on the compound eyes of a fly.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#9 Image Of Distinction – Ted Kinsman
Rochester Institute of Technology
Photosciences Department
Rochester, New York, USA
“A common house cat claw.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#10 13th Place – Paweł Błachowicz
Bedlno, Świętokrzyskie, Poland
“Eyes of green crab spider (Diaea dorsata).”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#11 2nd Place – Dr. Marcel Clemens
Verona, Veneto, Italy
“Electrical arc between a pin and a wire.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#12 5th Place – Thomas Barlow And Connor Gibbons
Columbia University
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
New York, New York, USA
“Cluster of octopus (Octopus hummelincki) eggs.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#13 Honorable Mention – Randy Fullbright
Vernal, Utah, USA
“Agatized dinosaur bone.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#14 Honorable Mention – Jochen Stern
Mannheim, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
“Golden bug eggs on a sage leaf.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#15 Honorable Mention – Dr. Bruce Douglas Taubert
Glendale, Arizona, USA
“Ocelli between the compound eyes of a yellow jacket.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#16 Image Of Distinction – Thomas Neumann
Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
“Ink dot on Japanese washi paper.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#17 6th Place – Henri Koskinen
Helsinki University
Helsinki, Uudenmaan lääni, Finland
“Slime mold (Cribraria cancellata).”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#18 Image Of Distinction – Elkhan Yusifov And Dr. Martina Schaettin
University of Zurich
Department of Molecular Life Sciences
Zurich, Switzerland
“Developing nervous system in the eye of a 7-day-old chick embryo.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#19 7th Place – Gerhard Vlcek
Maria Enzersdorf, Austria
“Cross section of European beach grass (Ammophila arenaria) leaf.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#20 Honorable Mention – Daniel Evrard
Aywaille, Liege, Belgium
“Vinyl player needle on scratched vinyl disk.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#21 9th Place – John-Oliver Dum
Medienbunker Produktion
Bendorf, Rheinland Pfalz, Germany
“Pollen in a garden spider (Araneus) web.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#22 Image Of Distinction – Dr. Saikat Ghosh
National Institutes of Health
NICHD
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
“Human neurons.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#23 Image Of Distinction – Joshua Coogler
Dallas, North Carolina, USA
“Moss sporophyte with spores (green).”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#24 Image Of Distinction – Daniel Knop
Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany
“Opening of a hibiscus flower (Hibiscus moscheutos) exposing the pollen in four stages, each ten minutes apart.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#25 11th Place – Dr. Ferenc Halmos
Bánd, Veszprém, Hungary
“Slime mold on a rotten twig with water droplets.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#26 Image Of Distinction – Daniel Knop
Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany
“Dorsal part of cuckoo wasp (Hedychrum gerstaeckeri) abdomen.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#27 Image Of Distinction – Jacek Myslowski
Wloclawek, Kujawko-Pomorskie, Poland
“Water mite (Arrenurus).”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#28 16th Place – Marek Miś
Suwalki, Podlaskie, Poland
“Two water fleas (Daphnia sp.) with embryos (left) and eggs (right).”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#29 Image Of Distinction – Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Janelia Research Campus
Ashburn, Virginia, USA
“Aster anther cross-section with pollen grains (green).”
Image source: Nikon Small World
#30 Image Of Distinction – Dr. Robert Markus
University of Nottingham
School of Life Sciences, Super Resolution Microscopy
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
“Dandelion (Traxacum officinale) cross section showing curved stigma with pollen.”
Image source: Nikon Small World
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