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.
The Nikon International Small World Competition first began in 1974 as a means to recognize and applaud the efforts of those involved with photography through the light microscope. Since then, Small World has become a leading showcase for photomicrographers from the widest array of scientific disciplines.
A photomicrograph is a technical document that can be of great significance to science or industry. But a good photomicrograph is also an image whose structure, color, composition, and content is an object of beauty, open to several levels of comprehension and appreciation.
The Nikon Small World Competition is open to anyone with an interest in photography through the microscope. Truly international in scope, entries have been received from the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Winners have included both professionals and hobbyists.
The subject matter is unrestricted and any type of light microscopy technique is acceptable, including phase contrast, polarized light, fluorescence, interference contrast, darkfield, confocal, deconvolution, and mixed techniques. Entries submitted to Nikon are then judged by an independent panel of experts who are recognized authorities in the area of photomicrography and photography. These entries are judged on the basis of originality, informational content, technical proficiency and visual impact.
The 2009 Winners
1st Place, 2009
Dr. Heiti Paves
Tallinn University of Technology – Tallinn, Estonia
Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) anther (20x)
2nd Place, 2009
Gerd A. Guenther
Düsseldorf, Germany
Sonchus asper (spiny sowthistle) flower stem section (150x)
3rd Place, 2009
Dr. Pedro Barrios-Perez
Institute for Microstructural Sciences National Research Council of Canada Otttawa, Ontario, Canada
Wrinkled photoresist (200x)
4th Place, 2009
James E. Hayden
The Wistar Institute Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Anglerfish ovary (4x)
5th Place, 2009
Bruno Vellutini
Centro de Biologia Marinha Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Oral surface of a young seastar (40x)
For more photo you can look here
