The 12th annual Small World contest featured a wide spectrum of microscope illumination techniques including Polarized Light, darkfield, brightfield, differential interference contrast (DIC), cathodoluminescence, fluorescence, and Rheinberg illumination. Judging the 1986 competition were: William Marin, Jr. (Brookhaven National Laboratory), Sinya Inoué (Marine Biological Laboratory), Margaret Ryan (Sloan Kettering Cancer Center), and Martin L. Scott (Eastman Kodak).

• First Prize
  Dr. Steven F Lowry
  University of Ulster at Coleraine
  Department of Biology
  Co. Londonderry, North Ireland
  Live water mount of Hydra viridissima capturing Daphnia pulex (10x)
  Darkfield

• Second Prize
  Arthur Strange
  BIOARTS: Photography for Science and Education
  Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
  Anthoxyanin crystals, extracted from flower pigment of Begonia x hiemalis 'Rieger' (65x)
  Polarized Light

• Third Prize
  George Watchmaker
  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  Livermore, California, USA
  Free swimming sea urchin. Late pluteus larvae, showing formation of new adult within, just priot to metamorphosis (100x)
  Darkfield

• Fourth Prize
  Edward E. Manley
  Swedish Hospital Medical Center, Cytogenetics Laboratory
  Seattle, Washington, USA
  Dried Eosin Y / Thanol solution (30x)
  Darkfield

• Fifth Prize
  John I. Koivula
  Gemological Institute of America
  Santa Monica, California, USA
  Termite trapped in one million year olf African Copal resin. Bubble of methane emanating from exploded thorax-abdomen joint (10x)
  Darkfield

• Sixth Prize
  William Edward Schadel
  Small Wonder Enterprises
  Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
  Sulfur and ketone crystals (20x)
  Polarized Light

• Seventh Prize
  Paul Fry
  Springfield, Illinois, USA
  Unstained Melophagus ovinus: Detail of Thorax (40x).
  Rheinberg illumination

• Eighth Prize
  Roland O. Marsh, Jr.
  Madigan Army Medical Center
  Tacoma, Washington, USA
  Dried Vitamin C (25x)
  Polarized Light

• Ninth Prize
  Charles M. Noasch
  Bowling Green State University, Department of Geology
  Bowling Green, Ohio, USA
  Deformed crystals of p-Dichlorobenzene (25x)
  Differential Interference Contrast

• Tenth Prize
  Michael J. Klein, M.D.
  Hospital for Joit Diseases, Orthopedic Institute
  New York, New York, USA
  Cancellous bone (spongy bone) from distal human femur (16x)
  Polarized Light

• Eleventh Prize
  Gordon P. Lee
  University of Hawaii, Physical Electronics Laboratory
  Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  Etched-enhanced stacking faults in silicon water surface (50x)
  Differential Interference Contrast

• Twelfth Prize
  Lorraine C. Poon D.D.S
  University of teh Pacific School of Dentistry, Pacific Bone Research Laboratory
  San Francisco, California, USA
  Cross section of secondary osteon in dog mandible stained in vivo with multiple fluoroschrome labels (81.9x)
  Fluorescence

• Thirteenth Prize
  Avinoam Tomar
  Nuclear Research Centre
  Negev., Beer-Sheva, Israel
  Early stage of sintering of powered bronze made for filter (20x)
  Polarized Light

• Fourteenth Prize
  Dennis D. Kunkel
  University of Washington, Department of Neurological Surgery
  Seattle, Washington, USA
  Live water mount of fan-shaped thallus of the green alga Ancdyomene stellata (80x)
  Darkfield

• Fifteenth Prize
  George Watchmaker
  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  Livermore, California, USA
  Fresnel zone plates: defraction gradient on silica (20x)
  Brightfield

• Sixteenth Prize
  Lanier Rowan
  U.S Geological Survey
  Denver, Colorado, USA
  Trace element variations indolomite (40x)
  A. Polarized Light, B. Cathodoluminescence

• Seventeenth Prize
  Avinoam Tomer
  Nuclear Research Centre
  Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
  Iconography at the edge of copper screen. Nickel electroless plated (10x)
  Polarized Light

• Eighteenth Prize
  Arthur Strange
  BIOARTS: Photography for Science and Education
  Scarborough, Ontario, Canda
  Anthocyanin crystals extracted from flower pigment of Begonia x hiemalis 'Rieger' (50x)
  Polarized Light

• Nineteenth Prize
  John I. Koivula
  Gemological Institute of America
  Santa Monica, California, USA
  Australian yowah "nut" opal concentration (15x)
  Brightfield

• Twentieth Prize
  Jesus Ma Bermejo Garcia
  INALSA, Vitoria, Spain
  Spatiphyllum wallii -- anther with pollen (100x)
  Darkfield

The Nikon Small World Competition is open to anyone with an interest in photography through the microscope. Truly international in scope, entries have been received from the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Winners have included both professionals and hobbyists.

The subject matter for this year's contest is unrestricted and any type of light microscopy technique is acceptable, including phase contrast, Polarized Light, fluorescence, interference contrast, darkfield, confocal, deconvolution, and mixed techniques. Entries submitted to Nikon are then judged by an independent panel of experts who are recognized authorities in the area of photomicrography and photography. These entries are judged on the basis of originality, informational content, technical proficiency and visual impact.

For the first time, entries may be submitted either on film (in 35 millimeter transparency format) or uploaded digitally through your web browser. The links below provide options for entering the contest.

Digital Entries - Entrants may enter Nikon's Small World Competition by uploading digital images directly to our servers. Before you begin, read the Contest Rules and prepare your images for uploading according to the instructions. You may also download a 2008 Competition Entry Form in portable document format for submission of entries by mail.

Prize List - Winners will receive one of 20 prizes, sorted according to rank in the competition. First place is a vacation trip valued at $5000 (US) or the equivalent amount of photographic, scientific, or industrial equipment and accessories at their suggested retail selling prices in the USA. Honorable mention winners will receive an 16 x 20-inch print of their entries.