A panel of judges selected 20 winners, shortlisted from around 2,100 entries, for capturing the smallest details in extraordinary clarity.
"Sometimes, we overlook the tiny details of the world around us," Eric Flem, senior manager of CRM and communications at Nikon Instruments, said in a statement shared with Live Science. "Nikon Small World serves as a reminder to pause, appreciate the power and beauty of the little things, and to cultivate a deeper curiosity to explore and question."
Bruno Cisterna and Eric Vitriol, both researchers at the Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine at Augusta University in Georgia, won first place with their image of differentiated mouse brain tumor cells — where the cell has developed specialized functions or features. Their image reveals how disruptions in the cell cytoskeleton (which maintains the cell's shape and enables it to carry out essential functions) can lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
Astronomer-turned-photographer Marcel Clemens was awarded second place for his image of an electrical arc between a pin and a wire, while marijuana photographer Chris Romaine won third place for his image of a cannabis plant leaf.
You can see all 20 winning images below.
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