Nikon Small World

The Guardian has featured a selection of winning images from the 2026 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition. The images, drawn from entries in the long-running microscopy contest, are being praised for blurring the line between art and science, turning everyday and invisible microscopic structures into striking visual compositions that have drawn attention from science and photography audiences alike.

A winning image from this year's Nikon Small World photomicrography competition shows ink droplets mid-flight as an inkjet printer forms letters on a page, freezing a process normally invisible to the eye. Science News highlights the shot as part of a closer look at the competition's winning images, which celebrate striking views of everyday phenomena under the microscope.

A photomicrograph by Mike Crutchley showing Pilobolus fungi growing on sheep dung has been shared as part of the Nikon Small World competition coverage. The image highlights the fungus's distinctive structure, which science and art audiences have been passing around, drawing appreciation for the detail visible under the microscope and the intersection of biology and art.

A striking photomicrograph by Dr Mark Slabodnick, entered in Nikon's Small World competition, shows two elongated Stentor coeruleus cells mid-mating. The single-celled organisms are fused at the anterior edge of their mouth, a connection that allows DNA to pass between them. The image is being shared among science and biology enthusiasts who admire the detail of microscopic life.

A photomicrograph of Hemitrichia slime mould fruiting bodies and spore structures, taken by Eric Epstein for the Nikon Small World competition, is drawing attention online. The image offers a striking close-up of the microscopic anatomy of slime moulds, a group that fascinates both scientists and nature photographers.

A photograph of a 20-day-old sea urchin larva, its cell nuclei stained fluorescent blue, has been shared by Svenja Carolin Kling as part of the Nikon Small World photomicrography competition. The image shows the delicate, translucent structure of the young marine invertebrate under a microscope, and is drawing attention from science and art audiences who admire the beauty of microscopic marine life.

A photomicrograph by Dr Julien Resseguier, entered in the Nikon Small World competition, shows a mouse trachea in striking detail: hair-like cells that sweep mucus along the airway, with nerves in blue and surrounding muscle in yellow. The image is being shared widely, with readers praising both its scientific value and its unexpected beauty, calling it a striking example of science art.

A photomicrograph of embryonic African clawed frog (Xenopus) skin cells is drawing attention, showing cilia in green, centrioles in red, and cell membranes in white. The image is credited to Pierre Nouaux and Laurent Kodjabachian, with Camille Boutin, as an entry to the Nikon Small World photomicrography competition, and is being shared by science and art enthusiasts.

Nikon has announced the winners of its Small World 2026 photomicrography competition, which celebrates striking microscopic photography. The results are being shared with a gallery of winning images via The Atlantic, and science and photography enthusiasts are praising the annual contest as one of the highlights of the year for revealing the hidden beauty of microscopic structures.

Nikon has released the first images from its 2026 Small World Photomicrography Competition, showcasing striking close-up views of subjects invisible to the naked eye. The annual contest invites scientists and hobbyists to submit photos taken through light microscopes, and the newly unveiled entries are drawing attention for revealing the intricate beauty of hidden microscopic worlds.