{
  "id": 15898152,
  "title": "Photographing the Microscopic: Winners of Nikon Small World 2026",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/photographing-the-microscopic-winners-of-nikon-small-world-2026",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-21T14:01:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Atlantic",
    "slug": "the-atlantic",
    "url": "https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/2026/10/microscopic-photography-competition-winners/689093/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Nikon Small World competition of 2026 showcased a diverse array of microscopic images, highlighting the intricate beauty found within the tiniest of organisms. Daniel Knop from Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany, took home the Image of Distinction award for his close-up view of a weevil's leg. Eric Epstein from Brooklyn, New York, U.S., placed sixth with his photograph featuring slime-mold spore structures, known as Hemitrichia. Dr. Marcel Clemens from Verona, Veneto, Italy, earned an eighth-place finish for his image depicting the fruiting bodies of a slime-mold. Aria Huang, Nathaniel Sweet, and Anthony Wokasch from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., secured the eighth-place spot for their pencil lead exposed to a high-voltage electrical discharge. Dr. Valentina Cigliola from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, earned an honorable mention for capturing neurons of a red-eared slider embryo. Anne Gleich from Licoi, Kaiserslautern, Rheinlandpfalz, Germany, claimed Image of Distinction for her image of a neonatal-mouse astrocyte in culture. Daphnia sp., a water flea, and Volvox sp., green algae, were photographed by Přemysl Orlík from Opava, Czech Republic, earning Image of Distinction. The weevil Curculio nucum, also known as the hazelnut weevil, was captured in a cross-section by Gerhard Vlcek from Maria Enzersdorf, Austria. The spruce tree's treetop cross-section was photographed by Zhang You from Kunming, Yunnan, China. A weevil poking its head out of a hole it bored into a fava bean was captured by Amartya Tashi Mitra and Harsha Sen from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. Kaelin Wulf and Rachel Flannery from the Allen Institute, Seattle, Washington, U.S., earned third place with their image of cellular structures from a slipper-limpet larva. Dr. Arlene Wechezak from Anacortes, Washington, U.S., placed third for her image of neurons in an expanded mouse brain. The Nikon Small World competition website offers a glimpse into the full set of winning and honored images, allowing viewers to marvel at the microscopic world's complexity and beauty.",
  "summary": "Some of the winning and honored images from this year’s photomicrography competition, selected from more than 1,800 entries.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}