Photographing the Microscopic: Winners of Nikon Small World 2026

Patrick Hickey, a mycologist based in Edinburgh, Scotland, captured the attention of judges with a time-lapse video depicting mitochondrial movement within plant cells. His entry earned recognition in the 2026 Nikon Small World in Motion Competition. The footage, taken on a cold February morning, shows green mitochondria navigating around red chloroplasts inside a piece of turtle vine. Hickey, who works at Hypha Research Ltd., discovered the subject while preparing coffee after finding his usual garden specimens frozen or dried out. He noted that the organelles moved with agility, comparing them to motorcyclists avoiding traffic. This observation challenges previous assumptions that mitochondria serve solely as energy generators, suggesting instead they play roles in cytoplasmic streaming and inter-organelle signaling. The Nikon Small World competition, founded in 1974, celebrates advancements in both artistic photomicrography and imaging technology. Many participants utilized confocal laser scanning microscopy for their submissions. Unlike standard microscopes that illuminate entire samples simultaneously, confocal systems focus on single depth levels. Researchers label samples with fluorescent dyes attached to specific cellular structures. A laser then scans these layers line by line, allowing the system to construct highly detailed images without the blur often associated with broad illumination. Beyond Hickey’s video, numerous photographers received awards for still images capturing diverse microscopic subjects. Daniel Knop from Oberzent-Airlenbach, Germany, won an Image of Distinction for a close view of a weevil leg. In the United States, Eric Epstein from Brooklyn, New York, placed sixth for an image of Hemitrichia slime-mold spore structures. Dr. Marcel Clemens from Verona, Italy, achieved eighth place with a photograph of pencil lead undergoing high-voltage electrical discharge. At the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, teams led by Amartya Tashi Mitra and Paul Maier, along with colleagues including Aria Huang, Nathaniel Sweet, and Anthony Wokasch, received an Honorable Mention for imaging neurons in a red-eared slider embryo. Another Cincinnati team, comprising Amartya Tashi Mitra and Harsha Sen, earned an Image of Distinction for cellular structures of a slipper-limpet larva. Nicolas Noel and Dr. Valentina Cigliola from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, secured an Image of Distinction for a neonatal mouse astrocyte in culture. In Germany, Anne Gleich from Licoi near Kaiserslautern received an Image of Distinction for a water flea and green algae specimen. Přemysl Orlík from Opava, Czech Republic, was honored for a hazelnut weevil, while Gerhard Vlcek from Maria Enzersdorf, Austria, won an Image of Distinction for a cross-section of a spruce treetop. Zhang You from Kunming, China, received an Image of Distinction for a weevil emerging from a fava bean. In the United States, Kaelin Wulf and Rachel Flannery from the Allen Institute in Seattle, Washington, took third place for an image of neurons in an expanded mouse brain. Dr. Arlene Wechezak from Anacortes, Washington, earned an Image of Distinction for red algae, diatoms, and protozoans. Finally, Justin Zoll from Freeville, New York, received an Image of Distinction for an adult fungus gnat trapped in the sticky trichomes of a cannabis plant. The complete collection of winning and honored images is available on the competition’s official website.