A runner competes in the Great Wall Marathon at the Huangyaguan Great Wall outside Beijing, China, May 18, 2019. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

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)

Commended. In late May, about a quarter of a million snow geese arrive from North America to nest on Wrangel Island, in northeastern Russia. They form the world's largest breeding colony of snow geese. Photographer Sergey Gorshkov spent two months on the remote island photographing the unfolding dramas. Arctic foxes take advantage of the abundance of eggs, caching surplus eggs for leaner times. But a goose (here the gander) is easily a match for a fox, which must rely on speed and guile to steal eggs. “The battles were fairly equal”, notes Sergey, “and I only saw a fox succeed in grabbing an egg on a couple of occasions, despite many attempts”. Surprisingly, “the geese lacked any sense of community spirit”, he adds, “and never reacted when a fox harassed a neighboring pair nesting close by”. (Photo by Sergey Gorshkov/Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer)

A restaurant worker wearing a mask cleans the windows as the restaurant reopens amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monday, July 6, 2020. Bars, restaurants and beauty salons were allowed to re-open Monday after over three months of quarantine, and are required to observe preventative measures and reduced operating hours only during the day. (Photo by Andre Penner/AP Photo)

Car headlights illuminate a woman walking through city streets as snow accumulates on December 16, 2020 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Winter Storm Gail is expected to bring more than a foot of snow in parts of the Northeast. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)

A Cameroon fan waits for the start of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group G football match between Switzerland and Cameroon at the Al-Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah, south of Doha on November 24, 2022. (Photo by Hannah Mckay/Reuters)

Members of contemporary circus group perform inside the subway train, amid the energy crisis in Prague, Czech Republic on March 2, 2023. (Photo by David W. Cerny/Reuters)

Aaron Ramsdale of Arsenal fails to save a shot from Pedro Goncalves of Sporting CP (not pictured) as he scores their side's first goal during the UEFA Europa League round of 16 leg two match between Arsenal FC and Sporting CP at Emirates Stadium on March 16, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)