25 Images That Won At The 2024 Nikon Small World Competition
The 2024 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition celebrated its 50th year by focusing on the beauty and science behind the smallest details of our world. Every year, scientists and artists from around the world show their submissions of unique perspectives on life through microscopic images.
This year’s finalists gave us fascinating insights with their material and the winning image was awarded to Dr. Bruno Cisterna for his incredible image of mouse brain tumor cells. Scroll below to see it and other mesmerizing images that were submitted in the competition.
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#1 Image Of Distinction – Zhang Chao

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National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Beijing, China
“Beach sand.”
#2 Honorable Mention – Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz

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Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Janelia Research Campus
Ashburn, Virginia, USA
“Antenna of a mole crab.”
#3 5th Place – Thomas Barlow And Connor Gibbons

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Columbia University
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
New York, New York, USA
“Cluster of octopus (Octopus hummelincki) eggs.”
#4 2nd Place – Dr. Marcel Clemens

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Verona, Veneto, Italy
“Electrical arc between a pin and a wire.”
#5 9th Place – John-Oliver Dum

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Medienbunker Produktion
Bendorf, Rheinland Pfalz, Germany
“Pollen in a garden spider (Araneus) web.”
#6 Image Of Distinction – Dr. Laurent Formery And Dr. Nathaniel Clarke

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Stanford University
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Pacific Grove, California, USA
“Nervous system of a young sea star.”
#7 Image Of Distinction – Ted Kinsman

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Rochester Institute of Technology
Photosciences Department
Rochester, New York, USA
“A common house cat claw.”
#8 Honorable Mention – Dr. Bruce Douglas Taubert

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Glendale, Arizona, USA
“Ocelli between the compound eyes of a yellow jacket.”
#9 Honorable Mention – Daniel Evrard

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Aywaille, Liege, Belgium
“Vinyl player needle on scratched vinyl disk.”
#10 11th Place – Dr. Ferenc Halmos

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Bánd, Veszprém, Hungary
“Slime mold on a rotten twig with water droplets.”
#11 12th Place – Daniel Knop

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Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany
“Wing scales of a butterfly (Papilio ulysses) on a medical syringe needle.”
#12 Image Of Distinction – Uwe Lange

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Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany
“Pollen on the compound eyes of a fly.”
#13 Honorable Mention – Jochen Stern

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Mannheim, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
“Golden bug eggs on a sage leaf.”
#14 Image Of Distinction – Elkhan Yusifov And Dr. Martina Schaettin

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University of Zurich
Department of Molecular Life Sciences
Zurich, Switzerland
“Developing nervous system in the eye of a 7-day-old chick embryo.”
#15 7th Place – Gerhard Vlcek

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Maria Enzersdorf, Austria
“Cross section of European beach grass (Ammophila arenaria) leaf.”
#16 Image Of Distinction – Timothy Boomer

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Vacaville, California, USA
“Slime mold (Prototrichia metallica).”
#17 3rd Place – Chris Romaine

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Port Townsend, Washington, USA
“Leaf of a cannabis plant. The bulbous glands are trichomes. The bubbles inside are cannabinoid vesicles.”
#18 Honorable Mention – Randy Fullbright

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Vernal, Utah, USA
“Agatized dinosaur bone.”
#19 6th Place – Henri Koskinen

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Helsinki University
Helsinki, Uudenmaan lääni, Finland
“Slime mold (Cribraria cancellata).”
#20 Image Of Distinction – Jacek Myslowski

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Wloclawek, Kujawko-Pomorskie, Poland
“Water mite (Arrenurus).”
#21 Image Of Distinction – Dr. Håkan Kvarnström

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Bromma, Sweden
“Peacock plume feather.”
#22 13th Place – Paweł Błachowicz

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Bedlno, Świętokrzyskie, Poland
“Eyes of green crab spider (Diaea dorsata).”
#23 Image Of Distinction – Thomas Neumann

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Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
“Ink dot on Japanese washi paper.”
#24 Image Of Distinction – Joshua Coogler

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Dallas, North Carolina, USA
“Moss sporophyte with spores (green).”
#25 16th Place – Marek Miś

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Suwalki, Podlaskie, Poland
“Two water fleas (Daphnia sp.) with embryos (left) and eggs (right).”
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