Microscopic cinema took center stage as Nikon’s Small World in Motion marked its 16th cycle, with more than 340 submissions arriving from 40 countries. The top prize went to Dr. Ning Xu of China, whose video records the abnormal beating of airway cilia from a child with Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), a genetic disorder that affects respiratory function. “When people watch cilia beating, they immediately understand that something beautiful and important is happening inside us,” said the Beijing-based researcher. “I think this competition turns microscopy into a shared language.”
A panel of esteemed scientists, researchers, and science communicators evaluated entries that ranged from living organisms to crystalline formations, revealing a breadth of subjects and techniques that push motion-based microscopy into vivid, often startling territory.
Results at a glance
- 1st place: Dr. Ning Xu (China). Abnormal beating of airway cilia from a child with Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), a genetic disorder affecting respiratory function.
- 2nd place: Nguyen Nam Nhat (Vietnam). A tiny roundworm and a single-celled Dileptus explore their microscopic world.
- 3rd place: Benedikt Pleyer (Germany). Jellyfish larvae suspended in water droplets.
- Honorable mention: Igor Adameyko (Austria). A tiny, colorful sea slug (Cyerce kikutarobabai) on the move.
- Honorable mention: Cora A. Harris (U.S.). MSG salt crystals forming in drops of solution.
- Honorable mention: Gerd Günther (Germany). Alga (Volvox aureus) colonies in motion.
Across the field, this year’s selections capture motion as a key to understanding—cilia pulsing in a vital rhythm, microorganisms navigating fluid environments, delicate larvae floating in micro-droplets, and crystals assembling into faceted architectures. The collective result underscores how moving images can reveal structure, behavior, and pattern at scales the eye alone cannot resolve.
More winning videos can be viewed on the contest’s website. Separately, winners of the Nikon Small World photo competition will be announced on October 21.
