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)

Women wearing bikinis and Santa Claus hats participate in a promotional event to celebrate the upcoming Christmas at a ski resort in Xuchang, Henan province, December 23, 2014. Ten women wore Santa Claus-themed bikinis to welcome the coming Christmas in temperatures below zero Celsius. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A man dressed as Santa Claus poses during a base flying event in downtown in Berlin December 6, 2014. Participants of the event hosted by entertainment agency Jochen Schweizer flew down 98 metres (322 ft.) from atop the hotel in the German capital. (Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

Flores Rodriguez, of Puerto Rico, performs with his dough during the freestyle event, part of the Pizza World Championships, in Parma, northern Italy, Wednesday, April 17, 2013. The 22th edition of the championships run from April 15 to April 17. (Photo by Marco Vasini/AP Photo)

Kim Leuenberger is a Swiss photographer with a love for travel. She believes we are all explorers and is currently studying photography at University of the Arts London. These photos are from her series, “Traveling Cars Adventures”. Photo: “Lover of the Light”, Red Union Jack Mini Cooper, Bern, Switzerland, October 2012. (Photo by Kim Leuenberger)

Since 2005, photographer Sol Neelman, has photographed people having fun. More specifically, Neelman has documented the wacky and wildly diverse world of “weird sports”. Photo: Breanna Ziehlke encourages her frog to get on with it at the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee. (Photo by Sol Neelman)