Ole Bielfeldt, a design student in Cologne, Germany, won first place in the 2026 Nikon Small World competition with a microscope photograph of printer ink. The winners of the 52nd annual contest were announced on 21 October, with 86 images recognised. His photograph reveals tiny droplets in flight, showing how an inkjet printer produces clear, even letters.
To capture the image, Bielfeldt built a special arrangement that moved the paper rather than the printer’s ink nozzles, the parts that release ink. Keeping these still helped him maintain a sharp focus. He estimated that the droplets travelled at nearly 20 metres per second, too fast for his best slow-motion camera to capture clearly. Instead, he worked in darkness and used a single brief flash to freeze their movement.
Second place went to John-Oliver Dum for a photograph of a jumping spider covered in pollen, the fine grains produced by flowers. It reveals the spider’s hairs and some of its eight eyes. In 19th place, University of Helsinki cell biologists Sinem Karaman and Satu Paavonsalo presented a view inside a mouse’s eye. Their image shows its network of blood vessels, which they study to understand how these structures function within body tissues.
