Nikon photo contest reveals the miniature worlds that surround us

Every year, entries in the Nikon Small World photo contest blend art and science to create stunning microscopic imagery. 

This year, the winner of the contest is Daniel Castranova, assisted by Bakary Samasa while working in the lab of Brant Weinstein at the National Institutes of Health, who combined more than 350 individual images to create this dorsal view of a juvenile zebrafish. 

This image is particularly significant because it was taken as part of an imaging effort that helped Castranova’s team make a groundbreaking discovery — zebrafish have lymphatic vessels inside their skull that were previously thought to occur only in mammals.

"The image is beautiful, but also shows how powerful the zebrafish can be as a model for the development of lymphatic vessels," Castranova said in a statement. "Until 2015, we thought this type of lymphatic system only occurred in mammals. By studying them now, the scientific community can expedite a range of research and clinical innovations — everything from drug trials to cancer treatments. This is because fish are so much easier to raise and image than mammals."

Second place was awarded to Daniel Knop for his image of the embryonic development of a clownfish (Amphiprion percula) on days one, three (morning and evening), five and nine.

It shows the development, from hours after fertilization (even with a pack of sperm cells being visible on top of the egg), until hours before hatching. The primary challenge was to create sharp focus stacking pictures while the embryo was alive and moving, according to Knop.

Third place was captured by Igor Siwanowicz for this picture of the tongue of a freshwater snail, using confocal microscopy.

In addition to the top three winners, Nikon Small World recognized 71 photos out of thousands of entries from scientists and artists across the globe. Scroll through to see all of the top 20 images in the contest. 

Spores and filaments of a soil fungus.

The Bogong moth of Australia.

Pollen in the anther of a Hebe plant. 

Microtubules (orange) inside a cell. Nucleus is shown in cyan.

Chameleon embryo.

Connections between brain cells.

Daphnia magna, a type of crustacean that typically lives in freshwater environments.

Red algae is mostly found in freshwater lakes. 

The strand of hair was magnified 20 times.

These crystals formed after heating an ethanol and water solution containing amino acids.

A lateral view of Byctiscus betulae, a type of leaf-rolling weevil.

Chain of individuals from the asexually reproducing segmented worm species Chaetogaster diaphanus.

Nylon stockings magnified nine times.

An underside view of a water-dwelling insect known as a water boatman.

The wing of an atlas moth, magnified 10 times.

The cell wall of a type of single-celled algae.

Skeleton preparation of a short-tailed fruit bat embryo.

See more winners from past Small World Competitions