The winning image: Hassanain Qambari & Jayden Dickson The Lions Eye Institute, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Rodent optic nerve head showing astrocytes (yellow), contractile proteins (red) and retinal vasculature (green); Confocal, Fluorescence, Image Stacking; 20X
In its 49th year, the annual Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition has awarded first-place to Hassanain Qambari, assisted by Jayden Dickson of the Lions Eye Institute, for his vivid image of a rodent optic nerve head.
The photo portrays the rodent’s head showing astrocytes (yellow), contractile proteins (red), and retinal vasculature (green). The colorful image provides an important contribution to the study and reversal of diabetic retinopathy, which affects 1 in 5 persons with diabetes worldwide.
Qambari says he faced some challenges when capturing his image, such as locating fine vessels near 110 microns in diameter and establishing a protocol for labeling different cell types. But the final result educates the public about the universal condition affecting millions and the vital research necessary to further advance care.
“The Nikon Small World competition is great, as it showcases amazing work across many disciplines from around the world,” said Qambari. “All the images presented in the competition represent the beauty and artistic side of science which may otherwise get overlooked. Such a competition not only celebrates the participant's hard work and passion but may also draw and inspire young scientists to pursue a career in STEM. It certainly inspired me.”
Second place was awarded to Ole Bielfeldt for his image of a matchstick igniting by the friction surface of the box. The image was taken within one eight-thousands of a second and utilized imaging stacking.
Third place was awarded to Malgorzata Lisowska for her image of breast cancer cells.
In addition to the three winners, Nikon Small World recognized an additional top-20 photos and honorable mentions out of nearly 1,900 photo entries from 72 countries. The submissions are evaluated on originality, informational content, technical proficiency and visual impact.
Explore the rest of the top-10 below.