Now celebrating its 40th year, Nikon Small World is widely regarded as the leading forum to recognize proficiency and photographic excellence of photography taken under the microscope. To select the winners, competition judges analyzed entries from all over the world covering subjects ranging from chemical compounds to up-close-and-personal looks at biological specimens. The 2014 winners will be revealed on October 30th. In 2014, the competition received over 1,200 entries from more than 79 countries around the world. (Photo by Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz/Nikon Small World 2014)

People wear traditional Chinese outfits as they walk in Chinatown in Bangkok on February 11, 2021, ahead of the start of the Lunar New Year, which ushers in the Year of the Ox on February 12. (Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP Photo)

The Duchess of Cambridge comes down a slide during a visit to the LEGO Foundation PlayLab at the Carlsberg Campus, University College Copenhagen, Denmark, on day one of a two-day working visit with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. (Photo by John Sibley/PA Wire Press Association)

An overview of “Closer”, an art projection by conceptual artist and photographer Wim Tellier, at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on June 15, 2021. Tellier, a Belgian photographer and artist, is known for his installation projects using giant-size photographs. (Photo by James Arthur Gekiere/Belga/AFP Photo)

A woman reacts after she mades a wreath of flowers during the celebrations of the Kupala night in Pyrohiv, near Kiev, on July 6, 2021. During the celebration, an ancient slavic ritual related to the summer solstice, people wear wreaths, jump over fires and bathe naked in rivers and lakes. (Photo by Sergei Supinsky/AFP Photo)

Palmeiras' Gustavo Scarpa celebrates with the trophy after winning the Paulista Championship in Sao Paulo, Brazil, April 3, 2022. (Photo by Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)

Ariel Almiron and Alumine Deluchi compete in the final round of the Tango World Championship stage category, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, September 25, 2021. (Photo by Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo)

Mariam Ashraf, a teacher and “natural hair influencer”, speaks before a phone on a tripod and lights during a live-stream at her home in Egypt's capital Cairo on March 22, 2022. “Shaggy”, “messy”, “unprofessional”. Natural curls were once looked down upon in Egypt, where Western beauty standards favoured sleek, straight locks. Now, things are changing. (Photo by Khaled Desouki/AFP Photo)