Stunning Marine Diatom ‘Portrait’ Takes First Place in 2013 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition

First place winner in the competition, this image depicts a colonial plankton organism, Chaetoceros debilis (marine diatom), magnified 250x by Wim van Egmond, of the Micropolitan Museum, Berkel en Rodenrijs, Zuid Holland, Netherlands. (Wim van Egmond) #

Nikon is pleased to reveal winners of the 2013 annual Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition, awarding first prize to longtime competitor Wim van Egmond of The Netherlands for his image Chaetoceros debilis (marine diatom). A freelance photographer and artist with a passion for aquatic microorganisms, Egmond sought to blend art and science to capture the complexity and stunning detail of this fragile helical chain.

Dr. Kieran Boyle, University of Glasgow, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology
Glascow, Scotland, United Kingdom. Subject Matter: Hippocampal neuron receiving excitatory contacts (63x). Technique: Fluorescence, Confocal

Along with Egmond, over 100 other winners from around the world were recognized this year for excellence in photomicrography, sometimes for multiple entries.  As always, winning images were selected for displaying both artistic quality and masterful scientific technique.

“This competition brings together some of the top talent from around the world, from all walks of life and scientific disciplines, with more and more incredible entries submitted each year,” said Eric Flem, Communications Manager, Nikon Instruments. “After 39 years we are proud to watch the competition continue to grow, allowing us to honor this pool of talented researchers, artists, and photomicrographers, and showcase the importance and beauty of the work they do in the realm of scientific imaging.”

8th place winner, a 50x image of Barbilophozia sp. (a leafy liverwort, bryophyte plant) and cyanobacteria, by Magdalena Turzanska, of the Institute of Experimental Biology, University of Wroclaw, Poland. (Magdalena Turzanska)

14th place winner: An image of peripheral nerves in E11.5 mouse embryo by Mr. Zhong Hua, of the Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Maryland. (Zhong Hua)

16TH PLACE: Geir Drange, Asker, Norway. Subject Matter: Pityohyphantes phrygianus (sheet weaver spider) with a parasitic wasp larva on the abdomen (5x). Technique: Reflected Light, Focus Stacking

In 20th place, an image of the explosive dynamics of sugar transport in fat cells, by Dr. James Burchfield of the Garvan Institute, Sydney, Australia. (Dr. James Burchfield)

Taking 4th place, a 40x image of Paramecium sp. showing the nucleus, mouth and water expulsion vacuoles, by Rogelio Moreno Gill, from Panama City, Panama. (Rogelio Moreno Gill)

First place winner Wim van Egmond is one of Small World’s top photomicrographers, with now twenty still images recognized as finalists throughout the last decade. To capture the great complexity and detail of his winning diatom in three-dimensions, Egmond employed a partial image stack of more than 90 images. Foregoing traditional bright, saturated colors, he adjusted the illumination to create a subdued, blue background to contrast with the natural yellow-brown color of the diatom.

Image of Distinction: A 200x magnified view of Daphnia magna (a freshwater flea), by Jerzy Rojkowski, from Krakow, Poland. (Jerzy Rojkowski)

Image of Distinction: From Magdalena Turzanska, of the University of Wroclaw, Institute of Experimental Biology, Poland, a 50X image of Lepidozia reptans (a leafy liverwort, bryophyte plant) ventral side of pinnately branched stem. (Magdalena Turzanska)

Image of Distinction: Dew on a spiderweb, by Massimo Brizzi, from Empoli, Firenze, Italy. (Massimo Brizzi)

Image of Distinction: An image of primary rat brain astrocytes cultured in a SynVivo BBB (blood-brain barrier) device, by Ashley M. Smith, CFD Research Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama. (Ashley M. Smith)

Image of Distinction: An ascorbic acid (vitamin C) crystal, magnified 100X, by Raul M. Gonzalez from Mexico City, Mexico. (Raul M. Gonzalez)

Image of Distinction: A 200x magnified view of Daphnia magna (a freshwater flea), by Jerzy Rojkowski, from Krakow, Poland. (Jerzy Rojkowski)

Image of Distinction: A 100X view of Polypodium virginianum (fern) sorus, by Dr. Igor Siwanowicz, of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Farm Research Campus, Virginia. (Dr. Igor Siwanowicz)

Image of Distinction: A 60X view of a clam glochidia (larva), by Mark A. Sanders, of the University Imaging Centers, University of Minnesota. (Mark A. Sanders) #

Honorable Mention: A 40x view of the crystallization of tartrazine (dye primarily used as a food coloring), by Frederic Labaune, Education Nationale, Auxonne, France. (Frederic Labaune)

A 6.6x image of a benthic fish egg cluster, by Dr. Jaime Gomez-Gutierrez, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Mexico. (Dr. Jaime Gomez-Gutierrez)

Image of Distinction: A 4x image of a worker ant, (Aphaenogaster senilis) by Dimitri Seeboruth, from Paris, France. (Dimitri Seeboruth)

Image of Distinction: A 3D reconstruction of a rabbit embryo (Oryctolagus cuniculus), close to term, obtained with a custom built Optical Projection microTomography setup by Dr. Gabriel G. Marins and Rob Bryson-Richardson, of the Centro de Biologia Ambiental/Faculdade de Ciencias Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal. (Dr. Gabriel G. Marins and Rob Bryson-Richardson)

“I approach micrographs as if they are portraits. The same way you look at a person and try to capture their personality, I observe an organism and try to capture it as honestly and realistically as possible,” said Egmond of his winning image. “At the same time, this image is about form, rhythm and composition. The positioning of the helix, the directions of the bristles, the subdued colors and contrast all bring together a balance that is both dynamic and tranquil.”