{"id":662552,"date":"2026-10-22T23:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T23:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/662552\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T23:14:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T23:14:18","slug":"ink-droplets-in-motion-snag-top-prize-in-nikon-small-world-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/662552\/","title":{"rendered":"Ink droplets in motion snag top prize in Nikon Small World contest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOle Bielfeldt\u2019s winning image embodies what makes Nikon Small World so powerful: the intersection of microscope imaging, ingenuity, and artistry,\u201d said Eric Flem<\/a>, a spokesperson for Nikon Instruments. \u201cBy using a microscope objective in a different way, he transformed a familiar object into something altogether new and previously unseen. It is a reminder that the microscope is not only a scientific tool but also a creative one, capable of expanding how we see and imagine the world around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founded in 1974, the Nikon Small World competition celebrates its 52nd anniversary this year. In 2011, the company added the Small World in Motion competition (see the 2026 winner here<\/a>). Both are meant \u201cto showcase the beauty and complexity of things seen through the light microscope\u201d\u2014one through still photographs, the other through photovideography, taking advantage of all the technological advances that now allow users to make movies or time-lapse images through the microscope.<\/p>\n

Here are the top 10 winners of this year\u2019s competition; the full list, with honorable mentions, can be found here<\/a>. Nikon is also producing a full-color 2027 calendar featuring the 2026 winners.<\/p>\n


\n \"Microscopic
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Microscopic view of an inkjet printer depositing ink on paper.<\/p>\n

\n Ole Bielfeldt\n <\/p>\n

\n Microscopic view of an inkjet printer depositing ink on paper.<\/p>\n

Ole Bielfeldt<\/p>\n


\n \"jumping
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Jumping spider with pollen.<\/p>\n

\n John-Oliver Dunn\n <\/p>\n

\n Jumping spider with pollen.<\/p>\n

John-Oliver Dunn<\/p>\n


\n \"neurons
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Neurons in an expanded mouse brain.<\/p>\n

\n Kaelin Wulf\/Rachel Flannery\n <\/p>\n

\n Neurons in an expanded mouse brain.<\/p>\n

Kaelin Wulf\/Rachel Flannery<\/p>\n

\n Jumping spider with pollen.<\/p>\n

John-Oliver Dunn<\/p>\n

\n Neurons in an expanded mouse brain.<\/p>\n

Kaelin Wulf\/Rachel Flannery<\/p>\n


\n \"tip
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Tip of a ballpoint pen.<\/p>\n

\n Justin Theodore Benttinen\n <\/p>\n


\n \"inner
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Inner structure of a closed daisy.<\/p>\n

\n Mike Crutchley\n <\/p>\n


\n \"slime
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Hemitrichia slime mold spore structure (fruiting bodies).<\/p>\n

\n Eric Epstein\n <\/p>\n


\n \"Human
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Human neurons reprogrammed from skin cells growing in a microfluidic chamber.<\/p>\n

\n Bruno Cisterna\/Eric Vitriol\n <\/p>\n


\n \"Pencil
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Pencil lead during exposure to a high-voltage electrical discharge.<\/p>\n

\n Marcel Clemens\n <\/p>\n


\n \"De-differentiated
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

De-differentiated liver endothelial cell.<\/p>\n

\n Francisco Lazaro-Dieguez\n <\/p>\n


\n \"A
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

A parasitoid wasp emerging from a butterfly chrysalis.<\/p>\n

\n Michael Parra Peuntes\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cOle Bielfeldt\u2019s winning image embodies what makes Nikon Small World so powerful: the intersection of microscope imaging, ingenuity,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":662553,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-662552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}