People take part in a military exercise for civilians conducted by veterans of the Ukrainian National Guard Azov battalion, amid threat of Russian invasion, in Kyiv, Ukraine on January 30, 2022. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

On the afternoon of the January 3, 2025, seagulls are gathering around a child holding shrimp crackers at Haeundae Beach in Busan, South Korea. (Photo by Dong-Hwan Kim)

A Georgia Bulldogs dancer on the court during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia on January 11, 2025. (Photo by Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports)

Penitent Jerry Mazon, 9, wears his “Morions” mask while playing with his baby brother during Holy Week celebrations in Mogpog, Marinduque in central Philippines March 22, 2016. (Photo by Erik De Castro/Reuters)

Children play at a makeshift camp for migrants and refugees at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni, Greece, March 29, 2016. (Photo by Marko Djurica/Reuters)

Two workers shovel mud from the river as they look for gold on March 25, 2014 in Lampang, Thailand. Thai villagers from Wang Nuea, North of Thailand, look for gold in the river every year during the drought season. They are able to make an average around USD 15 per day, however two years ago they reached USD 200 in one day due to the river level dropping so much. The workers begin to search for gold at 10 AM and work until sunset, often working second jobs in the day in order to survive. (Photo by Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)

Capybaras bathe in the hot spring water at the Saitama Children's zoo in Higashi Matsuyama city, Saitama prefecture on December 25, 2013. 13 capybaras in the zoo, originally from South America, enjoyed the hot spring water. (Photo by Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP Photo)

Each year Nikon Small World recognizes the excellence of photography taken under the microscope. The contest showcases the beauty and complexity of life. Anyone interested in microscopy and photography can enter the contest and in its 42nd year, Nikon Small World received 2,000 entries from 70 countries. Here: 11th Place; Scales of a butterfly wing underside (Vanessa atalanta). (Photo by Francis Sneyers/Nikon's Small World 2016)