MELVILLE, NY– In response to an exciting new trend in digital photomicrography,Nikon has announced it will begin accepting movies taken through the microscope as a new category in the 37th annualNikon Small World Photomicrography Competition . The introduction of this new category, titled Small World in Motion, encompasses any movie or digital time-lapse photography taken through the microscope and adds a new, distinct discipline to the competition. The movies will be judged and honored as a separate category in the competition, complete with separate prizes for first, second and third places.

Small World in Motion will honor the technical expertise of bio- and industrial-focused scientists alike, who use digital time-lapse photography to study everything from the movement of microscopic organisms to stress on industrial materials. Winners of the Small World in Motion category will be selected in a different judging process than that of the images. Movies will be judged on the merit of being visually outstanding as well as depicting the intersection of science and art.

In addition, Nikon announced that April 30th is the deadline for scientists, artists, photomicrographers and the public to submit both images and movies taken through the microscope.

“There is no better barometer for competitive scientific imaging than Nikon Small World,” said Jonas King, 2010 Nikon Small World First Place Winner and researcher at Vanderbilt University. “Winning the highest distinction last year in this competition was a true honor. I know that sharing these images raises interest in science for the public as a whole and drives awareness of how beautiful science can be.”

The oldest and most respected competition of its kind, Nikon Small World celebrates the intersection of science and art with photomicrographs and now videos that demonstrate advanced scientific disciplines alongside artistic quality. Winners of the competition receive international attention in leading scientific and general interest publications and websites. In previous years, coverage has appeared in a variety of outlets and programs including The Today Show on NBC, CNN.com, ABCNews.com, Yahoo.com, Wired, Nature, Popular Science, Scientific American, and the New York Daily News, as well as a host of international outlets.

Rules and entry forms are also available at http://www.nikonsmallworld.com. Entries for both images and movies will be judged by top industry experts and distinguished scientific media on a variety of criteria including originality, informational content, technical proficiency and visual impact. Entrants may use any brand of equipment to create their images.

Imaging entrants with the top 20 photos will receive prizes of Nikon equipment, with first and second prize winners receiving $3,000 and $2,000 worth of equipment respectively. Movies entrants with the top three movies will receive Nikon equipment worth $2,000 for the first prize, $1,000 for the second prize and $500 for the third prize.

Additionally, the winning images will be featured at museums across the country as part of the Nikon Small World Museum Tour.