Photo contest reveals strange beauty of the microscopic world

Each year, rigorous science and dazzling artistry meet in Nikon’s Small World photomicrography competition.

Started in 1975, the contest celebrates the beauty of images taken through a light microscope. Scientists and hobbyists alike enter, and the winner receives a $3,000 prize. This year, the competition celebrates its 50th anniversary, and it received about 2,100 photo entries from 80 countries.

If sometimes unnerving, the images are always stunning, and this year’s contest is no exception.

1st place

This year’s first place prize was awarded to a groundbreaking image of mouse brain tumor cells, taken by Bruno Cisterna, a faculty member at Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia. The photo reveals how disruptions in the cell’s cytoskeleton – the structural framework and “highways” known as microtubules – can lead to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Cisterna’s research was published in May in the Journal of Cell Biology.

Differentiated mouse brain tumor cells (actin, microtubules, and nuclei) (Bruno Cisterna & Eric Vitriol / Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University / Nikon Small World) — Bruno Cisterna spent about three months perfecting the staining process to ensure clear visibility of the cells in this image.

2nd place

Second place was awarded to Marcel Clemens, an astronomer turned photographer based in Italy. His image shows an electrical arc between a pin and a wire.

Electrical arc between a pin and a wire (Marcel Clemens (Verona, Italy) / Nikon Small World)

3rd place

This image of a cannabis plant leaf, captured by Chris Romaine of Port Townsend, Washington, showcases hairlike plant appendages called trichomes. The bubbles are cannabinoid vesicles — fluid-filled, blisterlike structures.

Leaf of a cannabis plant. The bulbous glands are trichomes. The bubbles inside are cannabinoid vesicles. (Chris Romaine (Port Townsend, Wash.) / Nikon Small World)

“Sometimes, we overlook the tiny details of the world around us,” said Eric Flem, communications manager at Nikon Instruments. Nikon Small World serves as a reminder to pause, appreciate the power and beauty of the little things, and to cultivate a deeper curiosity to explore and question.”

Scroll through to see other the highlights of this year’s competition: