Watch The Nikon Small World In Motion 2025 Video Winners Here

Watch The Nikon Small World In Motion 2025 Video Winners Here – They're Tiny And Extraordinary

“I love the idea that anyone could discover beauty like this if they just looked closely.”

Very close up photograph of a thymeleaf speedwell flower self pollinizing. — The winning video features a common weed that many people could have the opportunity to see.
Image credit: Jay McClellan; image courtesy of Nikon Small World In Motion

The Nikon Small World in Motion 2025 winners have been announced, and oh boy are they a delight for the eyes. The competition features the very best in movie or digital time-lapse photography and they are all taken through a microscope.

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The judges had a tough choice as always whittling down 325 video entries from 34 countries, but in the end they crowned their winner. First prize was awarded to Jay McClellan from Michigan for his video of a thyme-leaved speedwell self-pollinating.

“This isn’t some exotic plant you’d need to travel the world to find. It’s a common ‘weed’ that might be growing right under your feet,” said McClellan. “I love the idea that anyone could discover beauty like this if they just looked closely.” The speedwell plant blooms quickly, so McClellan developed his own hardware and software to capture the video and keep it perfectly in focus.

McClellan didn’t stop there – he also earned an honorable mention for his video of dissolution and crystallization of cobalt, copper, and sodium crystals.

“As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Small World in Motion competition, this year’s winners showcase the extraordinary choreography of life unfolding at a scale beyond ordinary sight,” Eric Flem, Senior Manager, Communications and CRM at Nikon Instruments, said in a statement sent to IFLScience. “Jay McClellan and all our other winners’ videos reflect the competition’s enduring purpose to inspire wonder, fuel discovery, and showcase the artistry inherent in scientific exploration.

Second place was given to Benedikt Pleyer for his video of algae swimming in a water droplet that was filmed within a Japanese 50 yen coin, while third place went to Dr Eric Vitriol for a video of mitochondria and actin in mouse brain tumor cells.

An IFLScience favorite this year is fourth place winner Penny Fenton’s video of a tardigrade moving around on a Volvox algae colony.

“The best part for me is not winning a prize but getting the opportunity to share my work with the world and let people see microscopic wonders in a new way,” said McClellan.

Take a closer look at all the winners here.