Nikon's Small World Photomicrography Competition
Small World is regarded as the leading forum for showcasing the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope. For over 30 years, Nikon has rewarded the world's best photomicrographers who make critically important scientific contributions to life sciences, bio-research and materials science.
Deadline for Entries:
April 30, 2010
2009 Small World Judges
Judges for the the 2009 contest are Gary Borisy (Marine Biological Laboratory), Charles Krebs (Charles Krebs Photography), James Shreeve (National Geographic), and journalist Clive Thompson. For more info on their backgrounds, click here.
Marine Diatoms Capture Top Honors in the 2008 Competition
Michael Stringer took first place with his dazzling photomicrograph of Pleurosigma which was magnified 200 times and taken using darkfield and polarized light. For a look at all of the 2008 winners, click here.
Chick Embryo Wins 2008 Small World Popular Vote Contest
A stunning photomicrograph of a chick embryo, captured by Tomas Pais de Azevedo scored the highest in this year’s Popular Vote competition. To see the top 10 fan favorites, click here.
2009 Calendar is Now Available
The Nikon Small World 2009 Calendar is printed in full color on 8.5 x 11 semi-gloss paper and spiral bound for mounting on the wall. It features the stunning images taken by the winners of this years’ competition.
For more information and to purchase the calendar, click here.
Small World in the New York Times Online
The New York Times recently featured the top ten images of this year’s competition on the Science section of their website. To see the story, click here.
Image of the Day
July 02, 2009
Resorcinol crystals heated and cooled quickly to recrystalize (160X)
19th place, 1979
Take the Small World “Identify the Image Challenge”
Each day, we’ll post five new images — can you match the correct description to each photomicrograph? click here.
Small World on ABC World News
On May 21st, 2008, ABC News featured Small World in a segment hosted by Charles Gibson and reported by Ned Potter. To view the story, click here.
Small World On Tour!
The twenty winning Small World photomicrographs are currently on display at a number of museums across the United States (with two stops in Canada).
For the detailed museum schedule, click here.
Browse the Galleries
View winning Small World photomicrographs by year dating back to 1977 or search for images by name, description, technique, affiliation, or location.
To enter the gallery, click here.
Featured Links
Nikon’s free online digital photo storage and sharing service.
Learn about optical microscopy, digital imaging, and photomicrography.
Enjoy learning about Nikon’s long history through a series of interactive episodes.
From the nanoworld to the universe — the worlds we measure using our infinite yardstick.
