Harry Sprinkle eats a meal at St. John's Bread and Life, a free meal service, on December 23, 2011 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. St. John's Bread and Life serves approximately 2,200 meals per day; the organization has existed since 1982. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

“Microscope images forge an extraordinary bond between science and art, said Hidenao Tsuchiya, Olympus America's Vice President and General Manager for the Scientific Equipment Group. We founded this competition to focus on the fascinating stories coming out of today's life science research laboratories. The thousands of images that people have shared with the competition over the years reflect some of the most exciting work going on in research today – work that can help shed light on the living universe and ultimately save lives. We look at BioScapes and these beautiful images as sources of education and inspiration to us and the world”. – OlympusBioScapes

Photo: Pretarsus of the third leg of a female drone fly (Eristalis tenax), ventral view, by Dr. Jan Michels, Institute of Zoology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany. (Photo by Olympus BioScapes)

Models Felicia Verna and Crystal Boyd wearing Stacey Angela during the Fallen Hearts Fashion Experience at Symphony Space on May 31, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

A man rides a horse through a bonfire on January 16, 2009 in the small village of San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain. In honor of San Anton, the patron saint of animals, horses are riden trough the bonfires on the night before the official day of honoring animals in Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

A reveller poses for a photo during the LGBT Pride Parade in Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)

A man rides a horse through a bonfire as part of a ritual in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals, in San Bartolome de Pinares, about 100 km west of Madrid, Spain on Thursday, January 16, 2014. On the eve of Saint Anthony's Day, hundreds ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets of the small village of San Bartolome during the “Luminarias”, a tradition that dates back 500 years and is meant to purify the animals with the smoke of the bonfires and protect them for the year to come. (Photo by Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo)

Members of the Compagnie 1602 take part in a procession in Geneva December 14, 2014. The annual procession of the Fete de l'Escalade has been held since 1926 and commemorates local resistance to the December 11, 1602 surprise attack by the troops of the Duke of Savoy. A popular symbol of the resistance is the figure of Mere Royaume pouring hot soup from her caldron onto the soldiers. A chocolate replica of the cauldron is widely available during the three-day celebrations. This year marks also the 200-year anniversary of the entry of the Canton of Geneva in the Swiss Confederation. (Photo by Pierre Albouy/Reuters)

(L-R) Mollie King and Frankie Sandford of The Saturdays performs for a dress rehearsal before the first night of their “All Fired Up!” tour at The Bournemouth International Centre on December 1, 2011 in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images)