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)

Hugo Gonzalez of Lake Worth works to put final strokes on his rendition of a Raksha demon. (Photo by Thomas Cordy/The Palm Beach Post)

A local boy plays football on Iracema Beach on June 11, 2014 in Fortaleza, Brazil. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

People make their way on an algae-covered beach in Qingdao, Shandong province, China, July 19, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

People look at a funnel cloud formed near the beach in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, September 21, 2020. (Photo by Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo)

Princess Diana relaxes on the sand during a visit to the beach on the Caribbean Island of Nevis January 4, 1993. (Photo by Mark Cardwell/Reuters)

Bikini Contest in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA. (Photo by Evan Hurd/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)

A grey seal basks under a rainbow on a beach on the Lincolnshire coast, England on November 21, 2017. (Photo by Sean Weekly/Caters News Agency)