Have you ever watched a weevil extend its wings on a grain of rice? Zhang You, a photographer from China, remarked that he managed to capture this moment with such stunning detail that his image has been awarded this year’s top prize in the Nikon Small World Contest. The photograph beautifully showcases this small agricultural pest resting on its favorite food, with its wings beautifully unfurled and perfectly symmetrical.
Insects like the rice weevil serve a significant role in ecosystems around the globe. Images displaying such intricate detail and dramatic poses are exceptionally rare, unveiling the hidden beauty of life that often goes unnoticed.
Dr. Jan Rosenboom claimed second place with his captivating picture of algae balls suspended in water droplets, while third place was awarded to John Oliver Damm for his delicate shot of pollen ensnared in a spider’s web in his garden.
Now entering its 51st year, the Nikon Small World Contest recognizes the finest examples of science viewed under a microscope and invites anyone passionate about photography and videography to participate.
Here are this year’s top photographs from the contest.
Honorable Mention
A fusion of crystallized soy sauce and aluminum as seen through a 10x magnification. Photo courtesy of Mishal Abdulaziz Allihan/Nikon Small WorldFrost on wooden railing viewed at 5x magnification. Photo by Gregory B. Murray/Nikon Small World
Image of Distinction
The fascinating parasitic fly (Crataerina hirundinis) as seen under 10x magnification. Photo courtesy of Bernard Allard/Nikon Small World3D brain organoids in custom organ-on-a-chip devices photographed at 20x magnification. Photo courtesy of Dr. Arthur Chen and Dr. Ann Na Cho/Nikon Small WorldTrue insect (Hemiptera) eggs on a leaf viewed at 5x magnification. Photo courtesy of Dr. Walter Ferrari/Nikon Small WorldAdult zebrafish displaying brain blood vessels, photographed at 4x magnification. Photo courtesy of Hannah Summers/Nikon Small WorldThe androconial (pheromone-producing) region of a butterfly (Colias) wing viewed at 10x magnification. Photo courtesy of Daniel Evrard/Nikon Small WorldCrystals from a mixed solution of alanine and glutamine under polarized light as viewed at 20x magnification. Photo courtesy of Doong Yien/Nikon Small WorldAutofluorescence of barnacle cirri exoskeleton, with bright red diatoms. Photographed at 5x magnification. Photo credit: Charles Krebs/Nikon Small WorldVascular bundle of bamboo leaves (Phyllostachys sp.) viewed at 20x magnification. Photo by David Maitland/Nikon Small World
Top 20
Marine copepods observable under a microscope at 60x magnification. Photo courtesy of Zachary Sanchez/Nikon Small WorldParasitic fungi (Cordycipitaceae) affecting flies (Calliphoridae), photographed at 2x magnification. Photo by Eduardo Agustin Carrasco/Nikon Small WorldFluorescently labeled mouse colon under 20x magnification. Photos by Marius Mehlen, Cohen Oost, Prisca Liberali, Laurent Germain/Nikon Small WorldDaphnia and algae viewed at 5x magnification. Photo courtesy of Hong Guo/Nikon Small WorldA fern sporangium photographed at 40x magnification. Photo courtesy of Rogelio Moreno/Nikon Small WorldGeometry moth (Typertidae) laying eggs, captured at 5x resolution. Photo courtesy of Zhang You/Nikon Small WorldQuartz crystal featuring filaments of biogenic goethite. Photo courtesy of Manfred Heising/Nikon Small WorldSlime mold Arcyria major, also known as Arcyria insignis, releasing spores at 10x magnification. Photo courtesy of Henri Koskinen/Nikon Small WorldActin cytoskeleton (cyan) and endoplasmic reticulum (red) in mouse brain tumor cells, displayed at 100x magnification. Photo courtesy of Halli Lindamood & Eric Vitriol/Nikon Small WorldSunflower trichomes generated by stacking 112 images, displayed at 10x magnification. Photo courtesy of Marek Miś/Nikon Small World
Top 10
Metaphase in human cardiomyocytes showing condensed chromosomes during the second stage of cell division. Displayed at 60x magnification. Photo courtesy of Dr. Dylan Barnett and Dr. James Hayes/Nikon Small WorldFungi (Talaromyces purpureogenus) with red diffuse pigment, shown at 10x magnification. Photo by Wim van Egmond/Nikon Small WorldMalvaceae pollen germinating on the stigma, while being parasitized by filamentous fungi. Displayed at 40x magnification. Photo courtesy of Dr. Igor Siwanowicz/Nikon Small WorldInduced pluripotent stem cell-derived sensory neurons showing tubulin and actin proteins at 10x magnification. Photo by Stella Whittaker/Nikon Small WorldRat hepatocytes observed under a microscope at 63x magnification. Photo provided by: Dr. Francisco Lazaro-Dieguez/Nikon Small WorldSmall tropical fern (Ceratopteris richardii) spores depicted as blue/purple structures. Displayed at 25x magnification. Photo courtesy of Dr. Igor Siwanowicz/Nikon Small WorldCardiomyocytes with condensed chromosomes post-cell division at 100x magnification. Photo courtesy of Dr. James Hayes/Nikon Small World
3rd Place
Pollen resting on a spider web in the garden, displayed at 20x magnification. Photo courtesy of John Oliver Damm/Nikon Small World
2nd Place
Colonial algae (Volvox) forming spherical structures within water droplets, viewed at 5x magnification. Photo courtesy of Dr. Jan Rosenboom/Nikon Small World
Overall Winner
A rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) perching on a grain of rice, photographed at 5x magnification. Photo courtesy of Zhang You/Nikon Small World
