During the reign of King Jeongjo of Joseon, the man of letters Yu Han-jun said, "If you love, you come to know; if you know, you come to see; and what you see then will not be the same as before." The microscopic world seen through a microscope is not the same as before. Cells invisible to the naked eye are grand structures adorned in splendid colors, and pollen in a tiny petal looks like some alien planet. What was unseen will not be the same when magnified, a hidden face of nature that we cannot help but love.
Optical metrology specialist Nikon Instruments said on Oct. 15 (local time) that it selected a photo by Chinese photographer Zhang You of a rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) perched on a grain of rice as the first-place winner of the 51st Nikon Small World photomicrography competition.
In an acceptance remark, Yu said, "I have photographed rice weevils before, but this is the first time I captured one with its wings fully spread," adding, "I found it by the window, and it was probably in a last attempt to escape."
◇ Took first place and 15th in debut competition
Nikon Instruments said the winning image captured an insect frozen in motion with its wings fully extended, offering insight into the structure and behavior of an agricultural pest that is familiar yet often overlooked. Fittingly, Yu is also a member of the Entomological Society of China and the Yunnan Entomological Society.
Yu said, "Understanding insect behavior and mastering lighting is rewarding," adding, "Outstanding work balances artistry and scientific rigor to capture the essence, energy, and spirit of these organisms." Yu said he mounted a 5x microscope objective on a medium-format camera and shot more than 100 images.
Eric Flem, senior communications manager at Nikon Instruments, said, "Zhang You's work shows the remarkable power of microscopy to reveal a new perspective on the world around us," adding, "What made this year even more special is that although this was his first entry, he not only took first place but also placed in the top 20 with another work." In addition to first place, Zhang took 15th with a photo of an egg-laying moth (Geomitridae).
◇ Diverse subjects from cells to fungi and pollen
Nikon Small World selected a total of 71 winners from 1,925 submissions by scientists and artists from 77 countries. The judging panel included scientists, science communicators, science museum curators, and science magazine editors. Judges said they evaluated entries based on originality, informational content, technical proficiency, and visual impact.
This year's Nikon Small World photomicrography competition honored works that captured astonishing microcosmic moments, including mouse hepatocytes, spore-releasing fungi, egg-laying moths, and parasitic fungi that turn flies into zombies. A work by Dr. Jan Rosenboom that photographed a Volvox colony of green algae inside a water droplet won second place. Third went to John-Oliver Dum for an image of pollen caught in a garden spider's web.
Not only completely invisible subjects won in the photomicrography contest. Ecuador's Eduardo Agustin Carrasco took 19th place with an image magnified by only 2x (objective). The organism seems visible to the naked eye, yet its true nature is hard to grasp at a glance. As it turns out, it depicts the fungus that turns a fly into an undead zombie.
The jewel-like object gleaming with metallic blue luster is a fly perched on a leaf. The yellow columns extending to either side are the fungus. The fungal spores invade the fly's brain and drive it to climb to a high point on the leaf. Then the spores can disperse and infect other insects passing below.
References
Nikon Small, Word (2025), https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/galleries/2025-photomicrography-competition