Nikon Small Worlds Competition

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The 2026 Competitions Are Now Closed

Stay tuned for updates regarding the judging and announcement of winners.

Top 20

1st

2026

Ole Bielfeldt

2nd

2026

John-Oliver Dum

3rd

2026

Kaelin Wulf, et al.

4th

2026

Justin Theodore Benttinen

5th

2026

Michael Crutchley

6th

2026

Eric Epstein

7th

2026

Bruno Cisterna, et al.

8th

2026

Marcel Clemens

9th

2026

Francisco Lázaro-Diéguez

10th

2026

Michael Parra Puentes

11th

2026

Svenja Carolin Kling

12th

2026

Gonzalo Quiroga Artigas

13th

2026

Sebastian Sparenga

14th

2026

Michael Crutchley

15th

2026

Julien Resseguier

16th

2026

Pierre Nouaux, et al.

17th

2026

Gauri Kulkarni

18th

2026

Bilal Akhtar

19th

2026

Satu Paavonsalo, et al.

20th

2026

Justin Theodore Benttinen

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions

HM

2026

Claire J Ang

HM

2026

Richard Atherton

HM

2026

Walid Idi

HM

2026

Jan Martinek

HM

2026

Jan Martinek

HM

2026

Amartya Tashi Mitra, et al.

HM

2026

Brandon Antonio Segura Torres, et al.

HM

2026

Kevin Y Shih

HM

2026

Mark Slabodnick

Top 20

Images of Distinction

Images of Distinction

IOD

2026

Rocky An, et al.

IOD

2026

Claire J Ang

IOD

2026

Justin Theodore Benttinen

IOD

2026

Dylan T. Burnette, et al.

IOD

2026

Amy Engevik

IOD

2026

Faith Fernandes, et al.

IOD

2026

Frank Fox

IOD

2026

Giuseppe Franchina

IOD

2026

Stephen Freeman

IOD

2026

Anne Gleich

IOD

2026

Saulius Gugis

IOD

2026

James Hayes

IOD

2026

Blake Hernandez

IOD

2026

Blake Hernandez

IOD

2026

Lea Amina Kalayci, et al.

IOD

2026

Daniel Knop

IOD

2026

Aki Korhonen

IOD

2026

Charles Krebs

IOD

2026

Deepak Krishnamurthy, et al.

IOD

2026

Matthew Lehnert, et al.

IOD

2026

Matthew Lehnert, et al.

IOD

2026

Christophe Leterrier

IOD

2026

Sharon Xiaodai Lim

IOD

2026

Ksena Fenwyn Longrin, et al.

IOD

2026

Ksena Fenwyn Longrin, et al.

IOD

2026

Amartya Tashi Mitra

IOD

2026

Amartya Tashi Mitra, et al.

IOD

2006

Andrew Moore

IOD

2026

Kendall Myers, et al.

IOD

2026

Nicolas Noel, et al.

IOD

2026

Přemysl Orlík

IOD

2026

Maria Papageorgiou, et al.

IOD

2026

Alison Pollack

IOD

2026

Gonzalo Quiroga Artigas

IOD

2026

Pooja Rathaur, et al.

IOD

2026

Julien Resseguier

IOD

2026

Stephanie Sarbanes

IOD

2026

Austin Scholp

IOD

2026

Stephanie Irene Shiers

IOD

2026

Gerhard Vlcek

IOD

2026

Gerhard Vlcek

IOD

2026

Arlene Wechezak

IOD

2026

Erica Weekman, et al.

IOD

2026

Xinpei Zhang

IOD

2026

Zhang You

IOD

2026

Haolong Zhu, et al.

IOD

2026

Justin Zoll

Honorable Mentions

Judges

Judges

Joe Dragavon, Ph.D

Director BioFrontiers Institute’s Advanced Light Microscopy Core

Dr. Dragavon is also the Director of Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation at the University of Colorado Boulder. Prior to Boulder, he completed a five-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Pasteur Institute in Paris in the Plate-forme d’Imagerie Dynamique under the supervision of the late Dr. Spencer Shorte. He currently serves as President of the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF), a U.S.-based organization dedicated to advancing core facilities and shared research resources.

Technical Designer Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts

Quinten develops interactive exhibits that inspire curiosity and lifelong learning. In 2022, he became captivated by the microscopic world and the extraordinary complexity hidden even within a single drop of pond water. Seeking to share that perspective, he began creating microscopy videos on Instagram under the name @microhobbyist, where his work has since reached millions of viewers. His work has been featured by National Geographic, BBC, and Business Insider, and he has collaborated with the Museum of Science on digital initiatives, including The Year of Being Human and The Year of Revolutionary Science. Geldhof also brings firsthand competition experience, having placed 5th in the 2024 Small World in Motion competition. He now joins the Nikon Small World judging panel with an appreciation for the craft and creativity behind microscopic imaging.