Nikon has just announced the winners of its 15th annual Small World in Motion Video Competition, and the results are astonishing.
From the self-pollination of a tiny thymeleaf speedwell to volvox algae performing a microscopic ballet inside a coin, these videos make the invisible world around us look utterly alien. The world of micro-video is like stepping into a hidden dimension, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and life at its smallest scale feels cinematic, surreal, and otherworldly.
This year’s first-place winner is retired engineer-turned-microscopist Jay McClellan from Saranac, Michigan, USA, for a video capturing the self-pollination of a thymeleaf speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia).
Using time-lapse and image stacking at 5X objective lens magnification, McClellan filmed a tiny blue blossom opening to the morning sun, its stamens curling toward the pistil to dust the stigma with pollen.
"This isn’t some exotic plant you’d need to travel the world to find. It’s a common 'weed' that might be growing right under your feet," McClellan said. "I love the idea that anyone could discover beauty like this if they just looked closely."
Capturing such a fleeting process wasn’t easy. Thymeleaf speedwells bloom unpredictably, and filming required anticipating movements and programming a custom motion-control system to keep everything perfectly in frame.
Advanced focus-stacking techniques ensured crystal clarity across focal planes, and McClellan admits he sometimes runs terabytes of raw footage for a single shot!
"Running the focus-stacking overnight is like waiting for Christmas morning – you never know whether you’ll get a disappointment or something amazing," he said.
Second place was awarded to Benedikt Pleyer from Kirchberg, Bavaria, Germany, for his video of volvox algae swimming in a water drop that had been pipetted into the central opening of a Japanese 50 Yen coin.
Captured using darkfield microscopy at 50X objective lens magnification, the video reveals the graceful, almost balletic movements of these single-celled organisms; a tiny universe in a droplet.
Third place went to Dr. Eric Vitriol from Augusta University, Georgia, USA, for his super-resolution video of actin and mitochondria in mouse brain tumor cells at 40X objective lens magnification. The intricate interplay of cellular structures is revealed with stunning clarity, offering a glimpse into the microscopic machinery of life that is normally invisible to the human eye.
"As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Small World in Motion competition, this year’s winners showcase the extraordinary choreography of life unfolding at a scale beyond ordinary sight," said Eric Flem, Senior Manager, Communications and CRM at Nikon Instruments.
"Jay McClellan and all our other winners’ videos reflect the competition’s enduring purpose to inspire wonder, fuel discovery, and showcase the artistry inherent in scientific exploration."
Watching these videos, I was struck by how much beauty is happening all around us, invisible to the naked eye. Ordinary weeds, single drops of water, microscopic structures — the tiniest processes in our world are extraordinary when seen up close.
For anyone curious about life at the micro scale, you can find the full list of winners and honorable mentions on the Nikon Small World in Motion website. It is a treasure trove of sights that are at once scientific, artistic, and utterly captivating.
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