Specimens entered into the 16th annual Small World contest ranged from marine parasites to integrated circuits, brain cells, precious minerals, and even a horse's hoof. Judging the contest were: Martin L. Scott (Scientific Imaging), Arch V. Manzione (United Technologies), Frederick C. Skvara (John F. Kennedy Medical Center), and William R. West (Carolina Biological Supply).

• First Prize
  Richard H. Lee
  Argonne National Laboratory
  Argonne, Illinois, USA
  Crystals evaporated from solution of magnesium sulfate and tartaric acid (50x)
  Polarized Light

• Second Prize
  Ulrich Büttner
  Daimler Benz AG
  Ulm, Germany
  Pits on a mono crystalline silicon surface (200x)
  Differential Interference Contrast and Polarized Light

• Third Prize
  Peter C. Dartsch
  Institute Of Physiology I
  Tübingen, Germany
  Stress fibers in smooth muscle cells (125x)
  Epi-fluorescence

• Fourth Prize
  John I. Koivula
  Gemological Institute of America
  Santa Monica, California, USA
  Thin slab of Brazilian agate (12x)
  Brightfield

• Fifth Prize
  Wutian Wu
  Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
  Eastern Virginia Medical School
  Norfolk, Virginia, USA
  Double exposure of rat hypothalamus showing locus of the mammalian biological clock (10x)
  Brightfield and Darkfield

• Sixth Prize
  Ron Sturm
  Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc.
  Skokie, Illinois, USA
  Crystal growth patterns from an anionic surfactant (10x)
  Polarized Light

• Seventh Prize
  M.I. (Spike) Walker
  Microworld Services
  Penkridge, Staffordshire, England
  Ascorbic acid crystallized (10x)
  Rheinberg Illumination

• Eighth Prize
  Christian Gautier
  JACANA, Agence de Presse
  Paris, France
  Transversal section of horse's hoof (30x)
  Polarized Light

• Ninth Prize
  Michael W. Davidson
  Center for Materials Research and Technology
  Florida State University
  Tallahassee, Florida, USA
  Stair-step twinning on superconductor substrate wafer cut from single LaA10₃ crystal (10x)
  Polarized Light

• Tenth Prize
  Norman J. Barker
  Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
  Johns Hopkins University
  Baltimore, Maryland, USA
  Flourescien crystals (40x)
  Polarized Light

• Eleventh Prize
  Alejandro Andreatta
  Engineering Materials Department
  University of California
  Santa Barbara, California, USA
  Melted sugar quenched in liquid nitrogen (50x)
  Polarized Light

• Twelfth Prize
  Nancy L. Kedersha
  ImmunoGen, Inc.
  Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
  Triple exposure of rat glia culture (400x)
  Fluorescence

• Thirteenth Prize
  David A. Smith
  Victoria Point, Queensland, Australia
  Bubbles near surface of a ceramic glaze (26x)
  Brightfield

• Fourteenth Prize
  Alejandro Andreatta
  Engineering Materials Department
  University of California
  Santa Barbara, California, USA
  Recrystallized naphthalene (50x)
  Polarized Light

• Fifteenth Prize
  Joaquin Carrillo-Farga
  Department of Histology
  National University of Mexico
  University City, Mexico
  Growth cartilage (120x)
  Differential Interference Contrast

• Sixteenth Prize
  Karl E. Deckart
  Eckental-Eschenau, Germany
  Section of integrated circuit (10x)
  Differential Interference Contrast

• Seventeenth Prize
  M.I. (Spike) Walker
  Microworld Services
  Penkridge, Staffordshire, England
  Sulphur and hydroxyline crystals (12.5x)
  Polarized Light

• Eighteenth Prize
  Marc Van Hove
  Centexbel
  Gent, Belgium
  Loop-side of a barbed tape (10x)
  Brightfield

• Nineteenth Prize
  Homaune Razavi
  Monsanto
  St. Louis, Missouri, USA
  Alignment defects in thermotropic liquid crystals (100x)
  Polarized Light

• Twentieth Prize
  Kenneth L. Tiekotter
  Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center
  Portland, Oregon, USA
  Marine parasite microcotyle sebastis (135x)
  Brightfield

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.