The 2016 Greenwich Village Halloween parade, October 31, 2016 in the Manhattan borough of New York City. (Photo by Anthony Causi)

“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)

A grey heron is seen at the Sempione park, after Lombardy was downgraded from a red to an orange zone, loosening the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions including allowing non-essential shops to re-open, in Milan, Italy, April 13, 2021. (Photo by Flavio Lo Scalzo/Reuters)

A fisherman carries a large Pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) at the Piagacu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve in Amazonas state, Brazil, on October 24, 2019. The pirarucu -a giant fish of the Amazon, that had been on the verge of extinction- can measure up to three meters and weigh more than 200 kilos. The soft and tasty white meat fish is nowadays served in renowned restaurants in Rio de Janeiro. (Photo by Ricardo Oliveira/AFP Photo)

Cast members Rebecca Ferguson and Mariela Garriga attend the premiere of the film “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”, in New York City, New York, U.S., July 10, 2023. (Photo by Amr Alfiky/Reuters)

Belgian animal sculptor Emmanuel Janssens Casteels works at his desk next to a replica of a Smilodon, an extinct genus of machairodont felid, in his workshop in Prayssas December 3, 2014. Casteels' company OPHYS specializes in life-size reconstructions and the sculpting or moulding reproductions of animals and hyper-realist fossils. His reconstructions are exhibited in museums and theme parks. (Photo by Regis Duvignau/Reuters)

A hyena cub got a mouthful from his mum after it appears he got a right telling off. Michael Raddall, a animal enthusiast and wildlife photographer from South Africa, snapped the mum and cub at the Timbavati game reserve in South Africa while on safari at the Umlani Bush camp. (Photo by Michael Raddall/Caters News Agency)

Fans of Chris Mazdzer of the United States including his girlfriend Mara Marian (C) react following his third run during the Luge Men's Singles on day two of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Olympic Sliding Centre on February 11, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)