Nikon Small World competition recently announced the winning images, and they show us that lots of beauty fits into tiny worlds. But now the winners of Nikon Small World in Motion have been announced, too. These include five videos that show us the microscopic world in motion, and just like the winning photos – they are truly impressive.
Nikon Small World was founded in 1974, so this year marks the 45th year of the contest. This year, the competition received over 2,000 entries from scientists in almost 100 countries. The judges have chosen five best videos, evaluated on originality, informational content, technical proficiency, and visual impact.
Here are the top five:
1st place: Dr. Philippe P. Laissue
Emerging Acropora muricata (staghorn coral) polyp (coral tissue in green; algae in magenta)
2nd place: Dr. Richard R. Kirby
Vampyrophrya (parasite) tomites swimming rapidly around within the body of the dead copepod host
3rd place: Tommy Gunn & Jesse Gunn
Stylonychia (microorganism) creating a water vortex using its cilia
4th place: Dr. Hunter N. Hines
Two freshwater tardigrades feeding on another tardigrade
5th place: Dr. Kate McDole & Dr. Philipp Keller
Developing mouse embryo, showing the progression of neural tube folding and closure
You can check out the winners on the Nikon Small World website, and make sure to also check out this year’s winning photos. You can also follow the competition on Instagram.