The results of the 2023 Small World Photomicrography Competition have just been announced, and organizers have once again shared some of the winning and honored images with us below. The contest invites photographers and scientists to submit images of all things visible under a microscope. More than 1,900 entries were received from 72 countries in 2023, the 49th year of the competition.
Photographing the Microscopic: Winners of Nikon Small World 2023
Hints:
View this page full screen.
Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.
-
![A very close image of a weevil's head]()
Read moreImage of Distinction: Blue black weevil (Metapocyrtus sp.) #
Dr. Andrew M. Posselt, Mill Valley, California -
-
![A microscopic view of a patch of moss, with stalks of varied shapes and colors]()
Read moreImage of Distinction: Moss #
Dr. Foo Yong Ng, Bangi, Selangot, Malaysia -
![Two stalks from a slime mold, each topped with a smooth round bulb]()
Read moreImage of Distinction: Slime mold (Trichia crateriformis) #
Dr. Frantisek Bednar, Svosov, Zilinsky, Slovak Republic -
![A microscopic view of a leaf's surface, showing overlapping multicolored patches fringed with small hairs]()
Read more5th Place Winner: Auto-fluorescing defensive hairs covering the leaf surface of Eleagnus angustifolia exposed to UV light #
Dr. David Maitland, Feltwell, Norfolk, United Kingdom -
-
![A close image of sharp crystals jutting up from darker material]()
Read moreImage of Distinction: Golden rutile in quartz #
Danny Sanchez, Valley Village, California -
![A very close view of a matchstick igniting as it scrapes along the surface of a matchbox]()
Read more2nd Place Winner: Matchstick igniting by the friction surface of the box #
Ole Bielfeldt, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany -
![A microscopic view of a transparent mouse embryo, showing some of the bones inside]()
Read moreImage of Distinction: Cleared mouse embryo #
Dr. Arthur Chien, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia -
-
![A microscopic view of a colony of small aquatic invertebrates]()
Read moreImage of Distinction: Feeding bryozoan colony zooids. Bryozoans are microscopic aquatic invertebrates that live in colonies. #
Charles Krebs, Issaquah, Washington -
![A very close view of the face of a bee dusted with pollen]()
Read moreImage of Distinction: Bee #
Yusuf Ziya Öztürk, Ankara, Çankaya, Turkey -
![A close view of the wavy gills of a mushroom]()
Read moreImage of Distinction: Mushroom gills showing sporophores (sporangiophores) #
Charles Krebs, Issaquah, Washington -
-
![A very close view of polyps on a type of coral]()
Read more15th Place Winner: Fluorescent image of an Acropora sp. showing individual polyps with symbiotic zooxanthellae #
Dr. Pichaya Lertvilai, La Jolla, California -
![A microscopic view of the head of a fish]()
Read more20th Place Winner: Adult transgenic zebra-fish head showing blood vessels (blue), lymphatic vessels (yellow), and the skin and scales (magenta) #
Daniel Castranova & Dr. Brant Weinstein, Bethesda, Maryland -
![A microscopic view of small scales on the wing of a moth]()
Read more17th Place Winner: Chinese moon moth (Actias ningpoana) wing scales #
Yuan Ji, Shanghai, China -
-
![A microscopic view of a round, transparent single-celled organism]()
Read moreImage of Distinction: Amoeba (Arcella) #
Dr. Håkan Kvarnström, Bromma, Sweden -
![A very close view of pollen on the tip of a needle]()
Read more14th Place Winner: Sunflower pollen on an acupuncture needle #
John-Oliver Dum, Bendorf, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany -
![A microscopic view of a tiny rounded crystalline object resting on metal mesh]()
Read more18th Place Winner: A cryptocrystalline micrometeorite resting on a #80 testing sieve #
Scott Peterson, New Hope, Minnesota -
-
![A microscopic view of about a dozen butterfly eggs]()
Read moreImage of Distinction: Cabbage butterfly eggs #
John-Oliver Dum, Bendorf, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany -
![A microscopic view of an optic nerve, with veins and fibers radiating out from the center of the image]()
Read more1st Place Winner: Rodent optic nerve head showing astrocytes (yellow), contractile proteins (red), and retinal vasculature (green) #
Hassanain Qambari & Jayden Dickson, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.