The Nikon Photomicrography Contest has been held for nearly half a century and is arguably the world's oldest photomicrography competition. Since 1974, the competition has been designed to highlight the artistry of the images that scientists, researchers and enthusiasts can create. By applying their skills and creativity, the contestants show the world the stunning microscopic world under the microscope through photographs. This year's competition is as exciting as ever, with the recently announced list of winners highlighting the unique balance between art and science, from close-ups of five different stages of clownfish embryonic development to stunning images of neuronal firings in the hippocampus.
Eric Flem, Nikon's PUBLIC RELATIONS Manager, said: "For 46 years, the goal of the Nikon Photojournalism Competition has been to share with the public images that visually blend art and science. As imaging technology and science and technology become more advanced, we are proud to showcase images that combine research, creativity, imaging techniques and expertise that can bring benefits to scientific discovery. This year's championship is a shocking example. ”
Photographer Castellanova takes care of zebrafish in Dr. Brant Weinstein's lab
This year's winner was won by Daniel Castranova, a photographer from the National Institutes of Health, whose work (below) is stacked and stitched together by more than 350 independent images taken through a spinning disc confocal microscope, showing the bones, scales and lymphatic system of young zebrafish in different fluorescent colors.
Photographer Castellanova's award-winning work "View of the Back of the Juvenile Zebrafish"
Daniel Castranova, working in Dr. Brant Weinstein's lab, with the assistance of Bakary Samasa, captured award-winning photographs of young zebrafish. The bones and scales in this photo are pale blue, while the lymphatic vessels are orange, and this photo provides a rich and beautiful appearance for the anatomy of the fish. The image is not only beautiful, but also groundbreaking, as it helped the team see that the zebrafish did have lymphatic vessels on their skulls. Scientists previously only thought this happened in mammals.
Photographer Castellanova photographs the eyes and scales of an adult zebrafish (left) (right)
Kastranova said: "This picture is beautiful, but it also shows the powerful function of zebrafish as a model of lymphatic vessel development, and until now we have also thought that this lymphatic system, which is related to the nervous system, occurs only in mammals." By studying them, the scientific community can accelerate a range of research and clinical innovations, from drug trials to cancer treatment. This is because fish are easier to raise and image than mammals. ”
The competition received more than 2,000 entries from 90 countries. A jury made up of national geographic photo editors and REPRESENTATIVES from NASA passed a rigorous review to select the best work from the thousands of images submitted to the contest. In the end, the top 20 winning works of this competition were selected.
The following are the top 20 winners:
runner-up
Photographer: Daniel Knop
Works: "Clownfish Embryonic Development Process"
Zoom in: 10X
3rd place
Photographer: Dr. Igor Siwanowicz
Works: The Tongue of a Freshwater Snail
Zoom in: 40X
Fourth place
Photographer: Dr. Vasileios Kokkoris, Dr. Franck Stefani and Dr. Nicolas Corradi
Works: Multinucleated spores and hyphae of soil fungi (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi)
Zoom in: 63X
Fifth place
Photographer: Ahmad Fauzan
Works: "Bugon Nocturnal Moth"
Zoom in: 5X
Sixth place
Photographer: Dr. Robert Markus and Zsuzsa Markus
Works: "Long-order flower stamens and pollen"
Seventh place
Photographer: Jason Kirk
Works: Microtubules in cells (orange) and nuclei (cyan)"
Eighth place
Photographer: Dr. Allan Carrillo-Baltodano and David Salamanca
Works: Chameleon Embryo
Ninth place
Photographers: Jason Kirk and Quynh Nguyen
Works: Connections between hippocampal neurons (brain cells)
Tenth place
Works: "Large Water Flea"
Eleventh place
Photographer: Dr. Tagide deCarvalho
Works: "Red Algae"
Twelfth place
Photographer: Robert Vierthaler
Works: Human Hair
Zoom in: 20X
Thirteenth place
Photographer: Justin Zoll
Works: Crystals Containing Glutamine and β-Alanine
Zoom in: 4X
Fourteenth place
Photographer: Özgür Kerem Bulur
Works: "Brown long-necked curled leaf weevil side view"
Zoom in: 3.7X
Fifteenth place
Photographer: Dr. Eduardo Zattara and Dr. Alexa Bely
Works: Transparent Caterpillar
Sixteenth place
Photographer: Alexander Klepnev
Works: "Nylon Stockings"
Zoom in: 9X
Seventeenth place
Photographer: Anne Algar
Works: The Ventral Side of insects in the family Scratching Bugs
Eighteenth place
Photographer: Chris Perani
Works: Atlas Moth Wings
Zoom in: 10x
Nineteenth place
Photographer: Dr. Jan Michels
Works: "Marine Diatom Cell Wall"
Zoom in: 50X
Twentieth place
Photographer: Dr. Dorit Hockman and Dr. Vanessa Chong-Morrison
Works: The Skeleton of a Short-tailed Fruit Bat Embryo
Zoom in: 1X
Submissions will close on April 30, 2021, and those interested in registering or viewing more details of the winning work can be found on the Nikon Photojournalism Contest website.
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