Nikon Names Winner of Small World in Motion Video Contest

Nikon's Small World in Motion competition, which recognizes outstanding microscopy videography, has named its 2026 winner: Ning Xu of Tsinghua University, according to a report from Ars Technica.

Xu's winning entry captures the movement of cilia, tiny hair-like structures that line the airways, beating inside the respiratory tract of a child affected by a rare respiratory disorder, Ars Technica reported.

Cilia play a critical role in clearing mucus and debris from the airways by beating in coordinated, wave-like motions. Disruptions to this movement are associated with certain rare respiratory conditions, in which impaired ciliary function can lead to chronic breathing difficulties.

The Small World in Motion contest is an offshoot of Nikon's long-running Small World photography competition, which has showcased microscopy imagery for decades. The video contest specifically highlights time-based microscopic footage that reveals biological and physical processes not visible to the naked eye.

Further details about the methodology used to capture the footage, the specific nature of the child's respiratory disorder, and other aspects of the competition were not included in the available source material.