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Tiny Beauties: Life’s Smallest Wonders As Seen Through a Microscope

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The universe’s wonders are all around us — you just have to look close enough.

Every year, the Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition asks microscope-wielding photographers the world over to send their most magnificent imagery of the magnified world. The result? Beautiful colors, unusual textures and unique patterns visible only under scientific instruments.

This year, more than 2,100 still images and movies were submitted from artists in 71 different countries—the largest field of competing countries in the contest’s 10-year history. The images collected in the above gallery represent the 10 winners, plus 10 more honorable mentions.

Proboscis of a blowfly.
Honorable Mention: Proboscis of a blowfly.Michael Gibson—Olympus Bioscapes
Adult mouse cerebral cortex.
Honorable Mention: Adult mouse cerebral cortex.Dr. Claudia Barros—Olympus Bioscapes
Black beetle.
Honorable Mention: Black beetle.Pekka Honkakoski—Olympus Bioscapes
Tracheae of a silkworm
Honorable mention: Tracheae of a silkworm.Michael Gibson—Olympus Bioscapes
Axons in a mouse brainstem.
Honorable mention (Video Still): Axons in a mouse brainstem. Dr. Ali Ertürk—Olympus Bioscapes
Anemone flower.
Honorable Mention: Anemone flower.Masoumeh "Sahar" Khodaverdi—Olympus Bioscapes
Chick embryonic kidney.
Honorable Mention: Chick embryonic kidney.Dr. Poulomi Ray—Olympus Bioscapes
Tip of the proboscis of a Viceroy butterfly.
Honorable Mention: Tip of the proboscis of a Viceroy butterfly.Dr. Matthew S. Lehnert and Catherine P. Mulvane—Olympus Bioscapes
Cell division, movements and cytoplasmic streaming of the desmid
Honorable mention (Video Still): Cell division, movements and cytoplasmic streaming of the desmid Euastrum oblongum.Dr. Jens Hallfeldt—Olympus Bioscapes
Placental vasculature of a transgenic mouse embryo.
Honorable Mention: Placental vasculature of a transgenic mouse embryo.Amanda Phillips-Yzaguirre—Olympus Bioscapes
Paramecium, showing contactile vacuole and ciliary motion.
10th Place (Video Still): Paramecium, showing contactile vacuole and ciliary motion.Ralph Grimm—Olympus Bioscapes
Head and legs of a caddisfly larva.
9th Place: Head and legs of a caddisfly larva.Fabrice Parais—Olympus Bioscapes
Mouse tail whole mounts stained for the K15 (green) hair follicle stem cell marker as well as Ki67 (red), which proliferating cells.
8th Place: Mouse tail stained for the K15 (green) hair follicle stem cell marker as well as Ki67 (red), which marks proliferating cells.Dr. Yaron Fuchs—Olympus Bioscapes
Phantom midge larva (Chaoborus).
7th Place: Phantom midge larva (Chaoborus).Charles Krebs—Olympus Bioscapes
Gonocerus acuteangulatus, two hours old.
6th Place: Gonocerus acuteangulatus, two hours old.Kurt Wirz—Olympus Bioscapes
Mouse embryonic fibroblasts showing the actin filaments (red) and DNA (blue).
5th Place: Mouse embryonic fibroblasts showing the actin filaments (red) and DNA (blue).Dr. Dylan Burnette—Olympus Bioscapes
Stained transverse section of a lily flower bud.
4th Place: Stained transverse section of a lily flower bud.Spike Walker—Olympus Bioscapes
A composite image showing a collection of single-cell fresh water algae, desmids.
3rd Place: A composite image showing a collection of single-cell fresh water algae, desmids.Dr. Igor Siwanowicz—Olympus Bioscapes
A lateral view of a black mastiff bat embryo (Molossus rufus).
2nd Place: A lateral view of a black mastiff bat embryo (Molossus rufus).Dorit Hockman—Olympus Bioscapes
Open trap of aquatic carnivorous plant, humped bladderwort (Utricularia gibba).
1st Place: Open trap of aquatic carnivorous plant, humped bladderwort (Utricularia gibba).Dr. Igor Siwanowicz—Olympus Bioscapes

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Write to Mia Tramz at mia.tramz@time.com