Instead of bucolic landscapes, deep-and-meaningful portraits, and hipster street photography, the winners of the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition turn their cameras on the microscopic world, which means this year’s collection is filled with snowflakes, spiders and see-through embryos.
Now in its 45th year, the competition has celebrated scientific images and the technology behind them, and has produced an amazing array that are as enthralling as they are beautiful (see 2017’s competition for a delightful algae that looks like the video game character Pac-Man).
So without further ado, here are the top 20 winners from the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition 2019.
1
Fluorescent turtle embryo
![Fluorescent turtle embryo © Teresa Zgoda & Teresa Kugler](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/1-Zgoda_Turtle-2-16d5171.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Teresa Zgoda & Teresa Kugler
Campbell Hall, New York, USA
Stereomicroscopy, Fluorescence
5x (Objective Lens Magnification)
2
Depth-colour coded projections of three stentors (single-cell freshwater protozoans)
![Depth-color coded projections of three stentors (single-cell freshwater protozoans) © Dr Igor Siwanowicz](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/2-stentors-765e227.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Dr Igor Siwanowicz
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
Confocal
40x (Objective Lens Magnification)
3
Alligator embryo developing nerves and skeleton
![Alligator embryo developing nerves and skeleton © Daniel Smith Paredes & Dr. Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/3-alligator-embryo-stage-13-nerves-and-cartilage-3362c1c.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Daniel Smith Paredes & Dr. Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar
Yale University, Department of Geology and Geophysics, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Immunofluorescence
10x (Objective Lens Magnification)
4
Male mosquito
![Male mosquito © Jan Rosenboom](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/4-Mu%25CC%2588cke-6.3x-stitch3-296d0d8.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Jan Rosenboom
Universität Rostock, Rostock, Mecklenburg Vorpommern, Germany
Focus Stacking
6.3x (Objective Lens Magnification)
5
Snowflake
![Snowflake © Caleb Foster](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/5-IMG_8359-49399b1.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Caleb Foster
Caleb Foster Photography, Jericho, Vermont, USA
Transmitted Light
4x (Objective Lens Magnification)
6
Small white hair spider
![Small white hair spider © Javier Rupérez](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/6-Javier-Ruperez-hairy-spider-4cedbcb.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Javier Rupérez
Almáchar, Málaga, Spain
Reflected Light, Image Stacking
20x (Objective Lens Magnification)
7
Chinese red carnation stamen
![Chinese red carnation stamen © Dr. Guillermo López López](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/7-Stamen_-chinese_red_carnation-60a064b.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Dr. Guillermo López López
Alicante, Spain
Focus Stacking
3x (Objective Lens Magnification)
8
Frozen water droplet
![Frozen water droplet © Garzon Christian](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/8-DSC_8742-2-beffe39.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Garzon Christian
Quintin, Cotes-d’Armor, France
Incident Light
8x (Objective Lens Magnification)
9
Tulip bud cross section
![Tulip bud cross section © Andrei Savitsky](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/9-IMG_20190414_125711-e01acc9.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Andrei Savitsky
Cherkassy, Ukraine
Reflected Light
1x (Objective Lens Magnification)
10
BPAE cells in telophase stage of mitosis
![BPAE cells in telophase stage of mitosis © Jason M. Kirk](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/10-JasonKirk_BPAE_Confocal_1-2e0f426.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Jason M. Kirk
Baylor College of Medicine, Optical Imaging & Vital Microscopy Core,Houston, Texas, USA
Confocal with Enhanced Resolution
63x (Objective Lens Magnification)
11
A pair of ovaries from an adult Drosophila female stained for F-actin (yellow) and nuclei (green); follicle cells are marked by GFP (magenta)
![A pair of ovaries from an adult Drosophila female stained for F-actin (yellow) and nuclei (green); follicle cells are marked by GFP (magenta) © Dr. Yujun Chen & Dr. Jocelyn McDonald](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/11-ovary-2e0f426.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Dr. Yujun Chen & Dr. Jocelyn McDonald
Kansas State University,Department of Biology, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
Confocal
10x (Objective Lens Magnification)
12
Mosquito larva
![Mosquito larva © Anne Algar](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/12-Mosquito-larva-e56eac1.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Anne Algar
Hounslow, Middlesex, United Kingdom
Darkfield, Polarizing Light, Image Stacking
4x (Objective Lens Magnification)
13
Cuprite (mineral composed of copper oxide)
![Cuprite (mineral composed of copper oxide) © Dr. Emilio Carabajal Márquez](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/13-Cuprit_Tarn-fb97f02.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Dr. Emilio Carabajal Márquez
Madrid, Spain
Focus Stacking
20x (Objective Lens Magnification)
14
Female Oxyopes dumonti (lynx) spider
![Female Oxyopes dumonti (lynx) spider © Antoine Franck](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/14-Oxyopes_dumonti-femelle-Antoine_FRANCK-Cirad-fb97f02.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Antoine Franck
CIRAD - Agricultural Research for Development,Saint Pierre, Réunion
Focus Stacking
1x (Objective Lens Magnification)
15
Pregnant Daphnia magna (small planktonic crustacean)
![Pregnant Daphnia magna (small planktonic crustacean) © Marek Miś](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/15-1-02eac39.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Marek Miś
Marek Miś Photography,Suwalki, Podlaskie, Poland
Modified Darkfield, Polarized Light, Image Stacking
4x (Objective Lens Magnification)
16
Housefly compound eye pattern
![Housefly compound eye pattern © Dr. Razvan Cornel Constantin](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/16-Ochi_50x_178-d72f30f.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Dr. Razvan Cornel Constantin
Bucharest, Romania
Focus Stacking, Reflected Light
50x (Objective Lens Magnification)
17
Vitamin C
![Vitamin C © Karl Deckart](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/17-Vitamin-C-22c9d54.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Karl Deckart
Eckental, Bavaria, Germany
Brightfield, Polarized Light
4x (Objective Lens Magnification)
18
Cristobalite crystal suspended in its quartz mineral host
![Cristobalite crystal suspended in its quartz mineral host © E. Billie Hughes](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/18-cristobalite-22c9d54.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Billie Hughes
Lotus Gemology,Bangkok, Thailand
Darkfield
40x (Objective Lens Magnification)
19
Octopus bimaculoides embryo
![Octopus bimaculoides embryo © Martyna Lukoseviciute & Dr. Carrie Albertin](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/19-octopus-620c67d.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Martyna Lukoseviciute & Dr. Carrie Albertin
University of Oxford, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine,Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Confocal, Image Stitching
5x (Objective Lens Magnification)
20
Blood vessels of a murine (mouse) heart following myocardial infarction (heart attack)
![Blood vessels of a murine (mouse) heart following myocardial infarction (heart attack) © Simon Merz, Lea Bornemann & Sebastian Korste](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2019/10/20-Heart-MIP-0e8fabb.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Simon Merz, Lea Bornemann & Sebastian Korste
University Hospital Essen,Institute for Experimental Immunology & Imaging, Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Tissue Clearing, Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy
2x (Objective Lens Magnification)