Nikon just announced the winners of its 14th annual Small World in Motion competition, and boy do they showcase the beauty our eyes can’t see! The Nikon Small World competition (of which the video competition is a part) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
The videos included in the competition showcase microscopic life and phenomena, from water droplets evaporating from a butterfly’s wings to the rhythmic movements of tissue in a fruit fly’s embryo. The stunning footage reveals how even the most ordinary structures appear extraordinary up close, and capture scenes far too minuscule for the unaided eye to see.
Nearly 400 video entries were considered in this year’s competition; since that article would be a little long, here are five of our favorite honorable mentions and the top 5 winners, as voted on by a panel of experts in photography and the sciences. All videos are courtesy of Nikon Small World.
“Fruit fly embryos are in our homes, developing in our kitchens and our trash bins, are undergoing the same processes as shown in the video,” said Bruno Vellutini, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics and first-place winner for his video of the fly embryo. “I believe the video is particularly impactful because it shows us how th