Nikon Small World photomicrography competition always amazes us with its fantastic entries. The 2019 edition is no exception. This year’s contest winners have been announced, and they show us just how beautiful and incredible even the tiniest subjects can be.

This is the forty-fifth annual Nikon Small World Photomicrography Contest. This year’s first place was awarded to microscopy technician Teresa Zgoda and recent university graduate Teresa Kugler for their stunning photo of a turtle embryo. It was captured using fluorescence and stereo microscopy, and the final image is a masterful example of image-stitching.

“Our goal has always been to show the world how art and science intersect,” said Eric Flem, Communications Manager at Nikon Instruments. “As new imaging and microscopy techniques develop over the years, our winners showcase these technology advances more and more creatively. First place this year is no exception.” Second place was awarded to Nikon Small World veteran Dr. Igor Siwanowicz for his composite image of three single-cell freshwater protozoans, sometimes called “trumpet animalcules.” He used confocal microscopy to capture the detail of the cilia, tiny hairs used by the animals for feeding and locomotion. In the third place is Mr. Daniel Smith Paredes, who placed for his image of a developing American alligator embryo. He snapped this photo at around 20 days of development using immunofluorescence and is studying the development and evolution of vertebrate anatomy. This year’s contest received over 2,000 entries from almost 100 countries. Nikon Small World recognized 86 photos out of them, and we bring you the top 20. You saw the first three, and check out the remaining 17 below. Make sure to visit Nikon Small World’s website for honorable mentions and more images from this year’s contest. And if you just can’t get enough, here are links to the winner selections from previous years.

2017 winners2017 Small World in Motion winners2018 winners 2019 Nikon Small World winners show that lots of beauty fits into tiny worlds - 10