Ink droplets in motion snag top prize in Nikon Small World contest

A 25-year-old German photographer, Ole Bielfeldt, won the 2026 Nikon Small World photomicrography competition with a microscopic image of ink droplets landing on paper. His picture emerged from curiosity about how inkjet printers work, but photographing the rapid process required an inventive setup: he dismantled the printer so the paper moved beneath a stationary printhead, then used a flash in a dark room to freeze the droplets in midair. The flash effectively acted as the camera’s shutter, overcoming the fact that the drops moved too quickly for the camera’s usual shutter speed. Bielfeldt relied on homemade tools and traditional photographic methods rather than expensive equipment or AI.

Bielfeldt taught himself photomicrography during the COVID-19 lockdown, adapting an old microscope and connecting it to his father’s camera with a handmade wooden-and-tube attachment. His winning image topped 1,802 submissions from 69 countries, reflecting the competition’s blend of scientific imaging, technical improvisation, and artistic vision. Now in its 52nd year, Nikon Small World celebrates images made with light microscopes; a separate Small World in Motion contest recognizes microscopic video and time-lapse work. This year’s other top entries include a pollen-covered jumping spider, neurons in an expanded mouse brain, a ballpoint pen tip, a closed daisy’s internal structure, slime-mold spores, and a parasitoid wasp emerging from a butterfly chrysalis. A 2027 calendar will feature the winners.