(Nikon: Melville, NY) -- Nikon has announced the winners of the 2011 Small World Photomicrography Competition, with this year’s top honors going to Igor Siwanowicz, Ph.D., with a micrograph that demonstrates the beauty in “ugly.”

When a small bug landed on Siwanowicz’s hand and began “fiercely digging its mandibles” into his skin, he didn’t swat it away. Instead, he removed a tiny test tube from his pocket—which he carries for occasions such as these—and captured it as a potential subject for his photomicrography passion.

Little did he know at the time, but this chance meeting with what is actually the common green lacewing would lead to Siwanowicz being named the winner of the 2011 Nikon Small World competition. Nikon Small World recognizes excellence in photomicrography, honoring images that successfully showcase the delicate balance between difficult scientific technique and exquisite artistic quality.

 …