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Received — 21 October 2026 ⏭ The Atlantic

Photographing the Microscopic: Winners of Nikon Small World 2026

✇The Atlantic
By: Alan Taylor
21 October 2026 at 15:01
A very close view of the leg of a weevil on a reflective surface
Daniel Knop, Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany
Image of Distinction: A close view of the leg of a weevil
A microscopic view of mold spore structures, looking like small spheres atop narrow stalks
Eric Epstein, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Sixth Place: Hemitrichia slime-mold spore structures (fruiting bodies)
A very close view of the tip of a pencil being struck and illuminated by sparks
Dr. Marcel Clemens, Verona, Veneto, Italy
Eighth Place: Pencil lead during exposure to a high-voltage electrical discharge
A microscopic image of a turtle embryo, with neural pathways colored bright green
Amartya Tashi Mitra and Paul Maier, Aria Huang, Nathaniel Sweet and Anthony Wokasch, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Honorable Mention: Neurons of red-eared-slider (Trachemys scripta) embryo
A. black-white-and-red microscopic image of a many-tendriled cell
Nicolas Noel and Dr. Valentina Cigliola, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Image of Distinction: Neonatal-mouse astrocyte in culture
A tiny water flea, near a cluster of green algae
Anne Gleich, Licoi, Kaiserslautern, Rheinlandpfalz, Germany
Image of Distinction: Daphnia sp. (water flea) and Volvox sp. (green algae)
A microscopic close-up of the face of a weevil
Přemysl Orlík, Opava, Czech Republic
Image of Distinction: Hazelnut weevil (Curculio nucum)
Purple-colored blobs, visible in a microscopic cross-section of a spruce tree
Gerhard Vlcek, Maria Enzersdorf, Austria
Image of Distinction: Cross-section of spruce treetop
A weevil pokes its head out of a hole it bored into a fava bean.
Zhang You, Kunming, Yunnan, China
Image of Distinction: A weevil pokes its head out of a hole it bored into a fava bean.
A dark image with a small creature at center, a limpet, with various cell structures illuminated in multiple bright colors
Amartya Tashi Mitra and Harsha Sen, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Image of Distinction: Cellular structures of slipper-limpet (Crepidula fornicata) larva
A microscopic view of long, parallel neurons in a mouse brain, looking like loose columns or bits of hanging string
Kaelin Wulf and Ms. Rachel Flannery, Allen Institute, Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Third Place: Neurons in an expanded mouse brain
A close view of algae, diatoms, and microscopic creatures
Dr. Arlene Wechezak, Anacortes, Washington, U.S.
Image of Distinction: Red algae, diatoms, and protozoans
A close view of a gnat caught in sticky structures on a cannabis plant
Justin Zoll, Freeville, New York, U.S.
Image of Distinction: Adult fungus gnat caught in the sticky trichomes of a cannabis plant

Be sure to visit the Nikon Small World competition website to view the full set of winning and honored images.

© Daniel Knop, Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany

Image of Distinction: A close view of the leg of a weevil
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