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)

Russia's Ekaterina Birlova casts a shadow on the sand as she serves to Poland during a women's beach volleyball match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, August 9, 2016. (Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

An Arizona Diamondbacks fan catches a foul ball during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Chase Field on June 14, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Police officers detain an activist to prevent her from marching in a pride parade, which was banned by local authorities, in central Istanbul, Turkey on June 26, 2022. (Photo by Umit Bektas/Reuters)

Egyptian workers eat on a truck in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, January 22, 2023. Egypt is in an economic crisis is partly caused by the yearlong grinding Russian invasion of Ukraine. But the conflict in Europe has also exposed the frailties of an economy suffering from decades of mismanagement, turmoil from its 2011 Arab Spring popular uprising, years of militant attacks and then, the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Amr Nabil/AP Photo)

A model presents a creation for Irish-American designer Paul Costelloe during the catwalk show for his Autumn/Winter 2023 collection on the opening day of the London Fashion Week, in London, on February 17, 2023. (Photo by Niklas Halle'n/AFP Photo)

A model presents a creation by Indian designer Amit Aggarwal during the grand finale of the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Summer/Resort 2020 in​ Mumbai, India, 16 February 2020. (Photo by Divyakant Solanki/EPA/EFE)