Nikon Instruments Inc. has unveiled the incredible winners of its 16th annual Nikon Small World in Motion video competition. Part of the celebrated Nikon Small World competition, this contest showcases the world’s most dynamic video microscopy.

Nikon Small World in Motion 2026 Winner

This year’s first-place winner is Dr. Ning Xu, who won for his video showing the abnormal beating of airway cilia in a child with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). This rare genetic disorder affects respiratory function.

Dr. Xu used diffractive super-resolution microscopy to capture the video, which itself shows how motion can play an integral role in revealing important biological details and processes that still images alone cannot fully resolve.

1st Place, Dr. Ning Xu — Abnormal beating of airway cilia from a child with Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), a genetic disorder affecting respiratory function.

Dr. Xu is an optical engineering researcher who develops imaging systems that enable scientists to observe cellular structures in motion. In this case, the video shows cilia, tiny hair-like structures that line airways and work in a coordinated effort to move mucus and debris out of the lungs.

For those who have PCD, the cilia can operate abnormally, which makes it hard for airways to clear themselves. This can lead to recurring, chronic respiratory infections.

“To understand this disease, you need to watch the cilia through dozens of beat cycles, not just a still image,” Dr. Xu says.

As expected, imaging microscopic biological processes in a living child is no easy feat. Instead of using techniques that rely on extremely bright light that could alter or damage living cells, Dr. Xu and his collaborators focused on controlling light instead, using multiple light waves and a digital micromirror to precisely control illumination and capture rapid movement at high resolution while minimizing the light that reached the sample.

“For over 50 years, Nikon Small World has repeated one simple message: science is beautiful,” Xu says. “And Small World in Motion has a second message that I’m even more passionate about: Life is not a still picture. Life moves.”

“When people watch cilia beating, they immediately understand that something beautiful and important is happening inside us,” Xu says. “I think this competition turns microscopy into a shared language.”

“Dr. Ning Xu’s winning exemplifies why we introduced the video component of this competition 16 years ago: It allows us to use motion to transform our understanding of the microscopic world,” explains Eric Flem, senior manager, communications and CRM at Nikon Instruments.

“Xu’s work, and the work of all our winners, reflects the competition’s enduring purpose to inspire wonder, fuel discovery, and showcase the artistry inherent in scientific exploration,” Flem continues.

The Rest of the Top Five

Nguyen Nam Nhat earned second place for his video of a tiny roundworm and a single-celled Dileptus, and Benedikt Pleyer earned third place for a video of jellyfish larvae suspended in water droplets.

2nd Place, Nguyen Nam Nhat — A tiny roundworm and a single-celled Dileptus explore their microscopic world.

3rd Place, Benedikt Pleyer — Jellyfish larvae suspended in water droplets.

Rounding out the top five are Dr. Andrew Moore in fourth place for a video showing synchronized cell division and Dr. Patrick Hickey in fifth for a video showing mitochondria and chloroplasts in Turtle Vine leaf cells.

4th Place, Dr. Andrew Moore — Synchronized cell division in neighboring cells.

5th Place, Dr. Patrick Hickey — Dynamics of mitochondria (green) and chloroplasts (red) in Turtle Vine leaf cells (Callisia repens)

More From Nikon Small World in Motion 2026

Honorable Mention, Benedikt Pleyer — Dinoflagellate (Pyrocystis fusiforme) capable of bioluminescence

Honorable Mention, Frank Fox — Rotifer (Stephanoceros fimbriatus) consuming green alga

Honorable Mention, Irina Petrova Adamatzky — Hoverfly larva feeding on an aphid, showing its internal digestive system in action.

Honorable Mention, Igor Adameyko — A tiny larval common starfish drifting through the water

Honorable Mention, Jay McClellan — A northern crab spider (Mecaphesa asperata) scans for prey with the moving retinas in its forward-facing principal eyes

Honorable Mention, Cora A. Harris — MSG salt crystals forming in drops of solution

Honorable Mention, Eric Peterman — Skin stem cells (expressing a fluorescent probe involved in cellular motility) closing a wound in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Honorable Mention, Dr. Yasaman Maaref — Live image of beating human heart cells with muscle fibers (green) and calcium signals (red)

Honorable Mention, Dr. Gonzalo Quiroga Artigas — A pregnant tardigrade making contact with another tardigrade, triggering excretion

Honorable Mention, Alfred Drummond-Herdman — Dung cannon (Pilobolus sp.) growing on fresh manure and then explosively ejecting its sporangium

Honorable Mention, Zachary Lehmann — Actin-binding proteins in a polarized epithelial cell after calcium depletion

There are also many Honorable Mentions, all of which can be viewed on the Nikon Small World in Motion website. PetaPixel has selected a few of them to feature above, but they are all well worth exploring. All the winners are also on YouTube.

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Image and video credits: Nikon Small World in Motion