The first place photomicrograph was made from a 10-year old preparation of pharmaceuticals by noted Dutch microscopist Lars Bech. Other entries included specimens from the fields of biology, botany, chemistry, cancer research, geology, materials science, electronics, and paleontology. Contest judges were Thomas J. Hopen (McCrone Research Institute), John Paul Vetter (Western Pennsylvania Hospital), Martin L. Scott (Scientific Imaging), and David L. Spector (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory).

1992 Contest Prizewinners

  • First Prize

    1st Prize - Lars Bech

    Deurne, The Netherlands
    Specimen: 10-year old preparation of barbital, fenacetine, valium and acetic acid (35x)
    Technique: Polarized Light

  • Second Prize

    2nd Prize - Gail MacKenzie

    ImmunoGen Inc. - Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
    Specimen: Triple exposure of melanoma and carcinoma cell culture (400x)
    Technique: Fluorescence

  • Third Prize

    3rd Prize - Waldemar Bronakowski

    Center for Agrotech & Veterinary Sciences - Polish Academy of Science - Olsztyn, Poland
    Specimen: Daisy-unwrapped petals (5x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Fourth Prize

    4th Prize - M.I. (Spike) Walker

    Microworld Services - Penkridge, England
    Specimen: Living colony of cyanobacteria Gloeotrichia echinulata (63x)
    Technique: Fluorescence

  • Fifth Prize

    5th Prize - Christian Gautier

    JACANA - Paris, France
    Specimen: Radula Trochus zizyphinus rasper of fish parasite (100x)
    Technique: Polarized Light

  • Sixth Prize

    6th Prize - Marc Van Hove

    Centexbel - Zwÿnaarde, Belgium
    Specimen: Synthetic knit textile (10x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Seventh Prize

    7th Prize - Karl E. Deckart

    Eckental-Eschenau, Germany
    Specimen: German eagle on new 100 Deutsche mark bill (10x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Eighth Prize

    8th Prize - M.I. (Spike) Walker

    Microworld Services - Penkridge, England
    Specimen: L. ascorbic acid (10x)
    Technique: Polarized Light

  • Ninth Prize

    9th Prize - Dr. Kari A. Kinnunen

    Geological Survey of Finland - Espoo, Finland
    Specimen: Agate conglomerate (4x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Tenth Prize

    10th Prize - Alejandro Andreatta

    UNIAX Corp. - Santa Barbara, California, USA
    Specimen: Liquid crystal ZLI 3654 (50x)
    Technique: Polarized Light

  • Eleventh Prize

    11th Prize - Steffen Albrecht

    Department of Pathology - Baylor College of Medicine - Houston, Texas, USA
    Specimen: Metastatic chordoma in pulmonary artery (125x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Twelfth Prize

    12th Prize - William R. West, FBPA

    Carolina Biological Supply Company - Burlington, North Carolina, USA
    Specimen: Living Chilodonella sp. with ingested Pinnularia sp. (30x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Thirteenth Prize

    13th Prize - George Ayoub

    Department of Neurobiology - State University of New York - Stony Brook, New York, USA
    Specimen: Living, single reptilian cone photoreceptor (400x)
    Technique: Phase Contrast

  • Fourteenth Prize

    14th Prize - Pentti J. Alho, M.Sc.

    Helsinki, Finland
    Specimen: Sodium chloride (10.9x)
    Technique: Differential Interference Contrast

  • Fifteenth Prize

    15th Prize - Howard E. Schneider

    Applied Magnetics Corporation - Goleta, California, USA
    Specimen: Stressed glass on sendust substrate (16x)
    Technique: Differential Interference Contrast

  • Sixteenth Prize

    16th Prize - Sinforoso Resultay

    Department of Geology & Geophysics - University of Calgary - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
    Specimen: Dinosaur bone (18x)
    Technique: Polarized Light

  • Seventeenth Prize

    17th Prize - John I. Koivula

    Gemological Institute of America - Santa Monica, California, USA
    Specimen: Dinosaur bone (15x)
    Technique: Brightfield

  • Eighteenth Prize

    18th Prize - Dr. Kari A. Kinnunen

    Geological Survey of Finland - Espoo, Finland
    Specimen: Gem beryl crystal (8x)
    Technique: Rheinberg Illumination

  • Nineteenth Prize

    19th Prize - John I. Koivula

    Gemological Institute of America - Santa Monica, California, USA
    Specimen: Inclusions of rutile growing from a hematite core in Brazilian quartz (14x)
    Technique: Darkfield

  • Twentieth Prize

    20th Prize - James W. Evarts

    Aztec International Corp. - Freeport, New York, USA
    Specimen: Crystal of sodium sulfite/hydroquinone compound (160x)
    Technique: Polarized Light

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