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)

Young people jump over a bonfire as they take part in the Ivan Kupala Night celebration, a traditional Slavic holiday, outside the small town of Turov, some 270 km south of Minsk, on July 6, 2016. People celebrate Kupala Night with bonfires that last throughout the night with some leaping over the flames as it is believed that the act of jumping over the bonfire cleanses people of illness and bad luck. (Photo by Sergei Gapon/AFP Photo)

Looking for a reason to visit the Philippines? This mermaid school should do the trick. No, seriously, there’s an actual school that will teach you how to be a mermaid. It’s called the Philippines Mermaid Swimming Academy. (Photo by Philippine Mermaid Swimming Academy/Exclusivepix Media)

The former UK Towie star Lauren Goodger looked sexier than ever in a lace bodysuit and baby pink suit on a night out in London last night, February 23, 2020. (Photo by Backgrid UK)

Dramatic weather ahead the bank holiday weekend last night on the Isle of Wight Lightning over Bembridge Lifeboat Station on the Isle of Wight last night, May 2, 2024. (Photo by Jamie Russell/IslandVisions/Bournemouth News)

A view of the construction site of the Chateau de Guedelon near Treigny in the Burgundy region of France, September 13, 2016. Blacksmiths, stonemasons and quarry men are hard at work in a Burgundy forest building a 13th-century-style castle using the most basic tools and materials, replicating the methods used hundreds of years ago to better understand them. (Photo by Jacky Naegelen/Reuters)

Dancers perform inside of transparent balls during the Botanical Night at Botanical Garden in Berlin, Germany, 20 July 2018. During the Botanical Night a 16 kilometre long path along the flower beds and several themed gardens are illuminated and guide to many attractions. (Photo by Hayoung Jeon/EPA/EFE)

Thomas Shelby makes a fire as he prepares to stay the night by the rubble of his home to protect from potential looters in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, on Saturday, December 11, 2021. One or more tornados tore through Dawson Springs late last night. (Photo by Austin Anthony/The Washington Post)