Nikon Small World photomicroscopy competition's top 15 images of 2025 capture our tiniest signs of life

An image of a common agricultural pest on a single grain of rice has been awarded first prize in an international photography competition that challenges people to think small — microscopically small.

Called the Nikon Small World competition, the contest has been celebrating the beauty in the teeny-tiny for 51 years and is renowned for showcasing spectacular imagery captured with the help of a microscope.

The entries were judged on their originality, informational content, technical proficiency, and visual impact.

This year's winner, which you can see at the top of this article, depicts a rice weevil with its wings fully extended.

The image was created by Zhang You, a member of the Entomological Society of China. 

Mr You took more than 100 images for focus stacking, carefully cleaning, lighting and post-processing the specimen over the course of two weeks. 

He said the subject itself was a rare and fortunate find. 

"I had observed rice weevils in grains before, but never one with its wings spread," Mr You explained. 

"This one was naturally preserved on a windowsill, perhaps in a final attempt to escape." 

Mr You also earned 15th place in this year's competition with an image of a Geometer moth laying eggs. 

Here's a look at the other top-ranked images.

2. Jan Rosenboom from Germany

3. John-Oliver Dum from Germany

4. James Hayes from USA

5. Igor Siwanowicz from USA

6. Francisco Lázaro-Diéguez from USA

7. Stella Whittaker from USA 

8. Igor Siwanowicz from USA 

9. Wim van Egmond from Netherlands

10. Dylan Burnette and James Hayes from USA 

11. Marek Miś from Poland

12. Halli Lindamood and Eric Vitriol from USA 

13. Henri Koskinen from Finland

14. Manfred Heising from Germany 

15. Zhang You from China