52nd Annual Nikon Small World Competition Winner Turns an Inkjet Printer into an Unseen Landscape
Winning image from Ole Bielfeldt uses a microscope objective and deconstructed printer to capture ink droplets in motion
MELVILLE, N.Y., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nikon Instruments Inc. today unveiled the winners of its 52nd annual Nikon Small World photomicrography competition, honoring the world's most remarkable images captured through the microscope. The first-place prize was awarded to Ole Bielfeldt, a student and experimental photographer based in Cologne, Germany, for his image of ink droplets suspended inside an inkjet printer as it prints. Captured using a self-constructed imaging rig, using a microscope objective, Bielfeldt's image sheds light on the previously unseen intricacies of a common process: printing words onto paper.
Bielfeldt is the creator behind macrofying, his photography and videography brand, where he combines photography, microscopy, and self-built equipment to showcase everyday objects in an unfamiliar manner. The winning image was guided by his search to answer a simple question: How does a printer place ink onto paper so precisely? At normal scale, the process happens too quickly and too routinely to notice. But under Bielfeldt's lens, tiny droplets travel through the air before landing on glossy paper, exposing the machinery, motion, and small imperfections hidden within a device many people use every day.
"I think it was super interesting because I didn't know how it really worked," Bielfeldt said of the printer's internal process. "It's like it was magic, and I didn't understand it, but now I do."
Capturing that moment required Bielfeldt to rethink both the printer and the imaging setup. His first attempts failed because the printhead moved too quickly to keep a small area in focus, and the droplets were too fast for his camera's shutter speed. Rather than turning to expensive equipment, he reverse-engineered the printer so the paper instead moved beneath a stationary printhead. Working in a dark room, he then used a flash to freeze the droplets in midair, allowing the brief burst of light to serve as the effective shutter.
"After trying and failing many times to capture the droplets in motion, I thought I would need some expensive equipment," Bielfeldt said. "But it turned out I already had everything I needed."
"Ole Bielfeldt's winning image embodies what makes Nikon Small World so powerful: the intersection of microscope imaging, ingenuity, and artistry," said Eric Flem, senior manager, communications and CRM at Nikon Instruments. "By using a microscope objective in a different way, he transformed a familiar object into something altogether new and previously unseen. It is a reminder that the microscope is not only a scientific tool but also a creative one, capable of expanding how we see and imagine the world around us."
Bielfeldt's path to the winning image began during the COVID-19 lockdown, when he found an old school microscope in his parents' attic and built an adapter from a tube and wood to connect it to the body of a camera borrowed from his father. Since then, he has continued to learn through experimentation, online research, and trial and error, building custom tools when an idea requires them. He also documents his process in behind-the-scenes videos, giving viewers a closer look at the problem-solving behind each image.
For Bielfeldt, the appeal of microscopy lies in the uncertainty of real subjects. He said he rejected the idea of using AI to generate his images, preferring the challenge of classic techniques such as focus stacking, Photoshop, and retouching to create a striking image from something that actually exists.
Second place was awarded to John-Oliver Dum for his image of a jumping spider (Salticus scenicus) with pollen.
Third place was awarded to Kaelin Wulf and Rachel Flannery for their image of neurons in an expanded mouse brain.
The 2026 Judging Panel included:
- Joe Dragavon, Ph.D., Director of the BioFrontiers Institute's Advanced Light Microscopy Core and Director of Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation at the University of Colorado Boulder
- Quinten Geldhof, Technical designer at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts
- Corey S. Powell, Award-winning science writer, editor, and communicator
- Meredith Sagolla, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Advanced Light Microscopy and Electron Microscopy (CALM-EM) at Genentech
For additional information, please visit www.nikonsmallworld.com, or follow the conversation on Facebook, Twitter @NikonSmallWorld and Instagram @NikonSmallWorld.
NIKON SMALL WORLD WINNERS
1st Place
Ole Bielfeldt
macrofying
Cologne, Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany
Microscopic view of an inkjet printer depositing ink onto paper
Slow-Motion, Image Stacking
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
2nd Place
John-Oliver Dum
Medienbunker Produktion
Bendorf, Rheinland Pfalz, Germany
Jumping spider (Salticus scenicus) with pollen
Image Stacking
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
3rd Place
Kaelin Wulf & Ms. Rachel Flannery
Allen Institute
Department of Neural Dynamics
Seattle, Washington, USA
Neurons in an expanded mouse brain
Expansion Microscopy, Fluorescence, Light Sheet
5X (Objective Lens Magnification)
4th Place
Justin Theodore Benttinen
Benttinen Photography
Berkeley, California, USA
Tip of a ballpoint pen
Image Stacking, Reflected Light
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
5th Place
Mike Crutchley
Pembrokeshire, Southwest Wales, United Kingdom
Inner structure of a closed daisy
Darkfield, Image Stacking
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
6th Place
Eric Epstein
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Hemitrichia slime mold spore structures (fruiting bodies)
Image Stacking
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
7th Place
Dr. Bruno Cisterna & Dr. Eric Vitriol
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine
Augusta, Georgia, USA
Human neurons reprogrammed from skin cells growing in a microfluidic chamber
Confocal
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
8th Place
Dr. Marcel Clemens
Verona, Veneto, Italy
Pencil lead during exposure to a high-voltage electrical discharge
Image Stacking
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
9th Place
Dr. Francisco Lázaro-Diéguez
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, New York, USA
Dedifferentiated liver endothelial cell
Confocal
40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
10th Place
Michael Parra Puentes
Macrotipos
Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
A parasitoid wasp (𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑢𝑟𝑎 sp.) emerging from a butterfly chrysalis (𝑂𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑠 sp.)
Image Stacking
3.7X (Objective Lens Magnification)
11th Place
Svenja Carolin Kling
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine
La Jolla, California, USA
20 day old sea urchin larva with blue fluorescent nuclei
Confocal
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
12th Place
Dr. Gonzalo Quiroga Artigas
CRBM-CNRS
Montpellier, Herault, France
A tardigrade molting and laying an egg in the old skin
Confocal
40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
13th Place
Sebastian Sparenga
McCrone Research Institute
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Recrystallized estrogen
Polarized Light
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
14th Place
Mike Crutchley
Pembrokeshire, Southwest Wales, United Kingdom
Pilobolus fungi on sheep dung
Image Stacking
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
15th Place
Dr. Julien Resseguier
University of Oslo
Department of Biosciences
Oslo, Viken, Norway
Mouse trachea showing tiny hair-like cells that move mucus and nearby nerves (blue) associated with the muscles (yellow)
Confocal, Deconvolution, Fluorescence
60X (Objective Lens Magnification)
16th Place
Pierre Nouaux & Laurent Kodjabachian, Camille Boutin
Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI)
Toulouse, France, France
Embryonic Xenopus skin cells, showing cilia (green), centrioles (red), and cell membranes (white)
Confocal, Fluorescence
63X (Objective Lens Magnification)
17th Place
Dr. Gauri Kulkarni & NA
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM)
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
Lab-grown human intestinal tissue showing glowing, brick-like epithelial cell connections that form the intestine's protective barrier
Confocal
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
18th Place
Bilal Akhtar
Institute of Molecular Biology
Department of RNA Biology
Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
14-day-old mouse hippocampal neurons showing nuclei (green) and synaptic proteins (red)
Confocal
40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
19th Place
Satu Paavonsalo & Dr. Sinem Karaman
University of Helsinki
Individualized Drug Therapy Research Program, Faculty of Medicine
Helsinki, Uudenmaan lääni, Finland
Cross-section of a mouse eye showing retinal blood vessels and the optic nerve
Confocal
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
20th Place
Justin Theodore Benttinen
Benttinen Photography
Berkeley, California, USA
Large sea snail (abalone) shell
Image Stacking, Reflected Light
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Claire J Ang
Harvard University
Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mouse (Mus musculus) uterus exhibiting epithelial gland structures
Confocal, Fluorescence, Image Stacking
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Richard Atherton
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
London, London, United Kingdom
A nest of intracellular parasites (Trypanosoma cruzi), growing inside human fibroblasts
Confocal
100X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Walid Idi
Harvard University
Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
African green monkey kidney cells (COS-7) displaying the microtubule network (cyan) and mitochondria (red and yellow)
Confocal
40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Jan Martinek
Czech Academy of Sciences
Institute of Experimental Botany
Prague, Czech Republic
A common daisy flower head (Bellis perennis) glowing with its natural autofluorescence
Confocal
4X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Jan Martinek
Czech Academy of Sciences
Institute of Experimental Botany
Prague, Czech Republic
An Arabidopsis root coil
Confocal
5X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Amartya Tashi Mitra & Paul Maier, Aria Huang, Nathaniel Sweet, Anthony Wokasch
University of Cincinnati
Department of Biological Sciences
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Neurons of red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta) embryo
Light Sheet
9X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Brandon Antonio Segura Torres & Priscilla Vieto Bonilla, Paula Alejandra Olivera
Universidad Nacional del Comahue & CCT CONICET CENPAT
Laboratorio de Parasitología, INIBIOMA (CONICET-UNCo) & IBIOMAR
Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
Seal louse (Antarctophthirus sp.) gripping a single seal hair
Darkfield, Image Stacking
100X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Kevin Y Shih
Stanford University
Department of Biology
Stanford, California, USA
Live plant roots (Arabidopsis thaliana, green) colonized by bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis, magenta)
Confocal
40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Mark Slabodnick
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois, USA
A pair of elongated Stentor coeruleus cells during mating. The cells are fused at anterior edge of their mouth to allow for the transfer of DNA.
Confocal, Fluorescence, Image Stacking, Image Stitching, Depth-coloration
63X (Objective Lens Magnification)
IMAGES OF DISTINCTION
Rocky An & Dr. Manu Prakash
Stanford University
Department of Bioengineering
Stanford, California, USA
Cytoskeleton stain of the "jumping" ciliate Halteria grandinella, a common pondwater protist
Confocal, Fluorescence, Expansion Microscopy
100X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Claire J Ang
Harvard University
Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Nerves and vasculature connecting the ovary, fallopian tubes, and uterus in a mouse (Mus musculus)
Confocal, Fluorescence, Image Stacking
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Justin Theodore Benttinen
Benttinen Photography
Berkeley, California, USA
Naturally water etched spessartine garnet from Brazil
Transmitted Light, Image Stacking, Reflected Light
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Dylan T. Burnette & Dr. James Hayes
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Paired zebrafish embryos
Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM)
60X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Amy C Engevik
Medical University of South Carolina
Department of Regenerative Medicine & Cell Biology
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Intestinal tuft cell
Confocal
63X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Faith Fernandes & Dr. James Glover
UC Berkeley
Department of Molecular & Cell Biology
Berkeley, California, USA
Human neurons (differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells)
Confocal
60X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Frank Fox
Trier University of Applied Sciences
Konz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Hibiscus flower with pollen
Fluorescence
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Giuseppe Franchina
Messina, Italia, Italy
Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) with pollen
Image Stacking
UPLanFLN 4x/013 (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Stephen Freeman
University of Liege
GIGA Cell Imaging & GIGA Neuroscience
Liege, Wallonia, Belgium
Neurons connecting to sensory cells of the inner ear in culture
Confocal
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Anne Gleich
Licoi
Kaiserslautern, Rheinlandpfalz, Germany
Daphnia sp. (water flea) and Volvox sp. (green algae)
Darkfield, Image Stacking, Polarized Light
4X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Saulius Gugis
Naperville, Illinois, USA
A kidney stone showing two formations: a smoother mineral buildup and sharp crystalline growth
Image Stacking
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. James B Hayes
Vanderbilt University
Biomedical Engineering
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
Developing pupil and optic nerve tract of a Zebrafish embryo
Confocal
60X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Blake Hernandez
The Rockefeller University
Robin Chemers Neustein Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Simultaneous cell division in a 2-cell mouse embryo
Confocal
40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Blake Hernandez
The Rockefeller University
Robin Chemers Neustein Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Montage of the cell division process
Confocal, Fluorescence
63X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Lea Amina Kalayci & Dr. Sebastián Dupraz
Uniklinikum Bonn
Institute of Neurovascular Cell Biology, AG Ruiz
Bonn, Nordrhein Westfalen, Germany
Mouse brain coronal section depicting the brain vasculature array (magenta) fueling a network of nerve fibers (hot orange)
Light Sheet Microscopy & Tissue Clearing
5X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Daniel Knop
Natur und Tier-Verlag NTV
Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany
Weevil leg (Eupholus cuvieri)
Image Stacking
6x (Objective Lens Magnification)
Aki Korhonen
Tampere, Pirkamnaa, Finland
Crystals of the natural amino acid beta-alanine
Polarized Light
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Charles Krebs
Charles Krebs Photography
Issaquah, Washington, USA
Tardigrade ("Water Bear") clearly showing the piercing stylets and pharnyx used to eat
Differential Interference Contrast (DIC), Image Stacking
40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Deepak Krishnamurthy & Dr. Daniel Fletcher, Dr. Nicole King
UC Berkeley
Bioengineering and Mechanical engineering
Berkeley, California, USA
Loricate choanoflagellates (Diaphanoeca grandis) in a sea of prey bacteria
Confocal
100X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Matthew Lehnert & Kendall Myers
Kent State University at Stark
Department of Biological Sciences
North Canton, Ohio, USA
Leteral view of a coiled proboscis from a tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta)
Confocal
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Matthew Lehnert & Miss Kendall Myers, Dr. Jennifer Zaspel
Kent State University at Stark
Department of Biological Sciences
North Canton, Ohio, USA
The proboscis of a vampire moth (Calyptra lata)
Confocal
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Christophe Leterrier
INP CNRS-AMU UMR7051
NeuroCyto lab
Marseille, Cedex 05, France
A composite image of a neuronal culture and axons
Super-Resolution
40X & 100X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Sharon Xiaodai Lim
National University of Singapore
Department of Physics
Kent Ridge, Singapore
Fish scales specially treated and arranged to create an image of a dragon
Fluorescence
5X (Objective Lens Magnification) (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Ksena Fenwyn Longrin & Daniel Cossey, Dr Jon Magerøy
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
PNAC
Edinburgh, MidLothian, United Kingdom
Gills of Norwegian freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera)
Confocal, Fluorescence, Super-Resolution
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Ksena Fenwyn Longrin & Daniel Cossey, Dr Jon Magerøy
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
PNAC
Edinburgh, MidLothian, United Kingdom
Foot of Norwegian freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera)
Confocal, Fluorescence, Super-Resolution
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Amartya Tashi Mitra
University of Cincinnati
Department of Biological Sciences
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Live longfin inshore squid (Doryteuthis pealei) embryo with cell membranes and nuclei labelled in blue and orange respectively
Confocal
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Amartya Tashi Mitra & Harsha Sen
University of Cincinnati
Department of Biological Sciences
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Cellular structures of Slipper limpet (Crepidula fornicata) larva
Confocal
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Andrew Moore
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Janelia Research Campus
Ashburn, Virginia, USA
Cytoskeleton of a cell showing vimentin (orange) and microtubules (white)
Super-Resolution
100X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Kendall O. Myers & Dr. Matthew Lehnert
Kent State University at Stark
Department of Biological Sciences
North Canton, Ohio, USA
The inner-surface of a proventriculus (grinding organ) of a tawny mole cricket (Neoscapteriscus vicinus)
Confocal
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Nicolas Noel & Dr. Valentina Cigliola
Vanderbilt University
Department of Pharmacology
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Neonatal mouse astrocyte in culture
Confocal
60x (Objective Lens Magnification)
Přemysl Orlík
Opava, Czech Republic
Hazelnut weevil (Curculio nucum)
Image Stacking
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Maria Papageorgiou & Dr. Paul Wieringa
MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine
Department of Complex Tissue Regeneration
Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Human pain-sensing nerve cells (neurospheres) grown from human stem cells (iPSC) with human immune cells (macrophages)
Confocal
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Alison Pollack
SAN ANSELMO, California, USA
Immature slime mold (Physarum) fruiting bodies
Image Stacking
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Gonzalo Quiroga Artigas
CRBM-CNRS
Montpellier, Herault, France
Tardigrade (Hypsibius exemplaris)
Confocal
40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Pooja Rathaur & Dr. Steven Bassnett
Washington University
Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Zonular Fibers: Bridging the Lens and Ciliary Body of the Human Eye
Confocal
4X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Julien Resseguier
University of Oslo
Department of Biosciences
Oslo, Viken, Norway
Nerve connections linking both sides of a zebrafish brain
Confocal, Deconvolution, Fluorescence
60X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Stephanie Sarbanes
NIH
NINDS
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Monolayer of human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells labeled for microtubules (yellow) and DNA (pink)
Confocal, Fluorescence, Image Stacking
60X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Austin Scholp
University of Iowa
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Human dermal fibroblasts cultured on carrier beads showing nuclei (blue), alpha-smooth muscle actin (red), and filamentous actin (green).
Confocal
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Stephanie Irene Shiers
The University of Texas at Dallas
Department of Neuroscience, Center for Advanced Pain Studies
Richardson, Texas, USA
Human sensory neurons and peripheral glia in the trigeminal ganglion, a sensory structure within the peripheral nervous system.
Confocal
40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Gerhard Vlcek
Gerhard Vlcek
Maria Enzersdorf, Lower Austria, Austria
Cross-section of spruce treetop
Brightfield
4X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Gerhard Vlcek
Gerhard Vlcek
Maria Enzersdorf, Lower Austria, Austria
Cross-section of a sago palm leaf
Fluorescence
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Arlene Wechezak
Anacortes, Washington, USA
Red algae (Scagelia), diatoms (Actinocyclus), and protozoans (suctarians)
Darkfield
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Erica Weekman & Dr. Daniel Rivera
Indiana University
Department of Neurology
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Mouse optic nerve head showing Abeta (blue), vessels (yellow), astrocytes (red) and microglia (purple)
Confocal
20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Xinpei Zhang
YU CHENG, YA'AN, China
Seeds of Sarracenia (a carnivorous plant)
Image Stacking
10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Zhang You
Kunming, Yunnan, China
Weevil poking its head out of the hole it bored into a fava bean
Image Stacking
5X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Dr. Haolong Zhu & Phillip A. Newmark
Howard Hughes Medical Institute / Morgridge Institute for Research, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Parasitic flatworm (Schistosoma mansoni, magenta) invading mouse skin
Confocal, Fluorescence, Image Stacking
40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Justin Zoll
Justin Zoll Photography
Freeville, New York, USA
Adult fungus gnat caught in the sticky trichomes of a cannabis plant
Brightfield, Image Stacking
5X (Objective Lens Magnification)
About the Nikon Small World Competition
The Nikon Small World Competition is open to anyone with an interest in photography or video. Participants may upload digital images and videos directly at www.nikonsmallworld.com. For additional information, contact Nikon Small World, Nikon Instruments Inc., 1300 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY 11747, USA, or phone (631) 547-8569. Entry forms for Nikon's 2027 Small World and Small World in Motion Competitions are available at https://enter.nikonsmallworld.com/.
About Nikon Instruments Inc.
Nikon Instruments Inc. is the US microscopy arm of Nikon Healthcare, a world leader in the development and manufacturing of optical, digital imaging technology and software for biomedical applications. For more information, please visit https://www.microscope.healthcare.nikon.com or contact us at 1-800-52-NIKON.
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