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

Image Of Distinction - Zhang Chao

National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China "Beach sand."

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#2

Image Of Distinction - Dr. Laurent Formery And Dr. Nathaniel Clarke

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."

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#3

Image Of Distinction - Timothy Boomer

Image Of Distinction - Timothy Boomer

Vacaville, California, USA "Slime mold (Prototrichia metallica)."

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#4

Image Of Distinction - Dr. Håkan Kvarnström

Image Of Distinction - Dr. Håkan Kvarnström

Bromma, Sweden "Peacock plume feather."

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#5

3rd Place - Chris Romaine

3rd Place - Chris Romaine

Port Townsend, Washington, USA "Leaf of a cannabis plant. The bulbous glands are trichomes. The bubbles inside are cannabinoid vesicles."

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#6

2nd Place - Dr. Marcel Clemens

2nd Place - Dr. Marcel Clemens

Verona, Veneto, Italy

"Electrical arc between a pin and a wire."

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#7

6th Place - Henri Koskinen

6th Place - Henri Koskinen

Helsinki University Helsinki, Uudenmaan lääni, Finland "Slime mold (Cribraria cancellata)."

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#8

Image Of Distinction - Elkhan Yusifov And Dr. Martina Schaettin

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."

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#9

Image Of Distinction - Dr. Saikat Ghosh

Image Of Distinction - Dr. Saikat Ghosh

National Institutes of Health NICHD Bethesda, Maryland, USA "Human neurons."

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#10

Image Of Distinction - Joshua Coogler

Image Of Distinction - Joshua Coogler

Dallas, North Carolina, USA "Moss sporophyte with spores (green)."

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#11

Image Of Distinction - Daniel Knop

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."

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#12

Image Of Distinction - Daniel Knop

Image Of Distinction - Daniel Knop

Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany "Dorsal part of cuckoo wasp (Hedychrum gerstaeckeri) abdomen."

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#13

16th Place - Marek Miś

16th Place - Marek Miś

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

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#14

Image Of Distinction - Dr. Robert Markus

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."

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#15

12th Place - Daniel Knop

12th Place - Daniel Knop

Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany "Wing scales of a butterfly (Papilio ulysses) on a medical syringe needle."

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#16

Honorable Mention - Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz

Honorable Mention - Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Janelia Research Campus Ashburn, Virginia, USA "Antenna of a mole crab."

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#17

Image Of Distinction - Uwe Lange

Image Of Distinction - Uwe Lange

Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany "Pollen on the compound eyes of a fly."

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#18

Image Of Distinction - Ted Kinsman

Image Of Distinction - Ted Kinsman

Rochester Institute of Technology Photosciences Department Rochester, New York, USA "A common house cat claw."

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#19

13th Place - Paweł Błachowicz

13th Place - Paweł Błachowicz

Bedlno, Świętokrzyskie, Poland "Eyes of green crab spider (Diaea dorsata)."

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#20

5th Place - Thomas Barlow And Connor Gibbons

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."

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#21

Honorable Mention - Randy Fullbright

Honorable Mention - Randy Fullbright

Vernal, Utah, USA "Agatized dinosaur bone."

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#22

Honorable Mention - Jochen Stern

Honorable Mention - Jochen Stern

Mannheim, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany "Golden bug eggs on a sage leaf."

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#23

Honorable Mention - Dr. Bruce Douglas Taubert

Honorable Mention - Dr. Bruce Douglas Taubert

Glendale, Arizona, USA "Ocelli between the compound eyes of a yellow jacket."

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#24

Image Of Distinction - Thomas Neumann

Image Of Distinction - Thomas Neumann

Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany "Ink dot on Japanese washi paper."

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#25

7th Place - Gerhard Vlcek

7th Place - Gerhard Vlcek

Maria Enzersdorf, Austria "Cross section of European beach grass (Ammophila arenaria) leaf."

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#26

Honorable Mention - Daniel Evrard

Honorable Mention - Daniel Evrard

Aywaille, Liege, Belgium "Vinyl player needle on scratched vinyl disk."

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#27

9th Place - John-Oliver Dum

9th Place - John-Oliver Dum

Medienbunker Produktion Bendorf, Rheinland Pfalz, Germany "Pollen in a garden spider (Araneus) web."

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#28

11th Place - Dr. Ferenc Halmos

11th Place - Dr. Ferenc Halmos

Bánd, Veszprém, Hungary "Slime mold on a rotten twig with water droplets."

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#29

Image Of Distinction - Jacek Myslowski

Image Of Distinction - Jacek Myslowski

Wloclawek, Kujawko-Pomorskie, Poland "Water mite (Arrenurus)."

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#30

Image Of Distinction - Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz

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)."

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