Heiti Paves from Tallinn University won first place in the Nikon Small World Competition for their 20X zoom photograph of the anther from an Arabidopsis thaliana plant. The other winners included photographs ranging from plant structures like the Sonchus asper flower stem to animal structures like the Anglerfish ovary captured with different levels of microscopic zoom, from 4X to 450X. The competition showcases the best microscopic photographs submitted.

1. Winners of the Nikon Small World Competition, showcasing photography taken through a light microscope...

3. Heiti Paves from Tallinn University won the competition with this 20X zoom picture of the anther from a Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) plant. The anther is where pollen is produced.

5. Second place: Gerd A. Guenther, from Dusseldorf in Germany snapped the Sonchusasper (spiny sowthistle) flower stem section with 150X zoom. It is a common roadside weed in the U.S.

7. Third place: Pedro Barrios-Perez, from Ottowa, Canada captured this wrinkled photoresist with 200X zoom. Photoresists are light-sensitive materials used to create patterned coating on surfaces in photoengraving.

9. Fourth place: James E. Hayden, from Philadelphia took this picture of an Anglerfish ovary with 4X zoom. The deep sea fish lures prey with a light.

11. Fifth place: Bruno Vellutini, from Sao Paulo university in Brazil looked at the oral surface of a young seastar with a 40X zoom.

13. Sixth place: HaviSarfaty, from Israel took this close-up of Discus fish scales with 20X zoom. They are native to the Amazon basin..

15. Seventh place: Shirley Owens from Michigan State University captured the hair-like trichomes on Thunbergiaalata (Black-eyed Susan vine) with 450X zoom. The yellow-flowered plant is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant.

17. Eight place: Lloyd Donaldson from New Zealand pictured these cotton fibres stained with berberinesulphate and color depth shaded with a 200X zoom.

19. Ninth place: Bernardo Cesare from Padova University in Italy created Olivine inclusions in gabbro (magmatic rock) with a 5X zoom. Olivine is a mineral made from magnesium, iron and silica.

20. Source: Info and pictures from Dailymail online.