Nikon announced the winners of the 15th Nikon Small World in Motion Competition:
First place – Jay McClellan:
Second place – Benedikt Pleyer:
Third place – Dr. Eric Vitriol:
Fifth place – Dr. Alvaro Migotto:
Fourth place – Penny Fenton:
15th Annual Nikon Small World in Motion Competition Winner Magnifies Self-Pollination Process in a Common Wildflower
Time-lapse video of a thymeleaf speedwell reveals the reproductive strategy select plants may adopt when pollinators are scarce
MELVILLE, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2025 — Nikon Instruments Inc. today unveiled the winners of its 15th annual Nikon Small World in Motion Video Competition, an integral component of the Nikon Small World competition and a showcase of the world’s most dynamic microscopic imagery. The first-place prize was awarded to retired engineer-turned-microscopist Jay McClellan for his striking video capturing the self-pollination of a thymeleaf speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia). The process demonstrates the resilience found in nature, revealing one of the hidden strategies select species of plants use to adapt and survive.
McClellan’s work fuses decades of experience in industrial machine vision system development with a passion for microscopy and photography, resulting in videos that are both mesmerizing and informative. His winning video captures a tiny blue blossom opening to the morning sun, its stamens elongating until one curls toward the pistil, dusting the stigma with pollen and completing self-pollination. “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.”
Thymeleaf speedwells bloom quickly and unpredictably, meaning filming such a fleeting biological process required a perfect storm of preparation, timing, and technique. To capture the video, McClellan had to anticipate movements and program a custom motion-control system to keep the reproductive structures perfectly in frame. He also employed advanced focus-stacking techniques to maintain crystal clarity across focal planes, a challenge that led him to develop his own hardware and software for microscopic video. “I may capture many terabytes of raw footage for a single shot,” he explained. “Running the focus-stacking overnight is like waiting for Christmas morning — you never know whether you’ll get a disappointment or something amazing.”
McClellan emphasized the honor he feels to be among the many talented individuals who have participated in Nikon Small World for over five decades, and the importance of bringing the microscopic world to light: “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.”
McClellan also earned an honorable mention in this year’s Small World in Motion competition for his video of the dissolution and crystallization of cobalt, copper, and sodium chlorides. He has now placed four total videos in the competition since 2023, including his movie of water droplets evaporating from the wing scales of a peacock butterfly, for which he earned second place in the 2024 Small World in Motion competition.
“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,” said Eric Flem, Senior Manager, Communications and CRM at Nikon Instruments. “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.”
Outside of Nikon Small World, McClellan is currently working on a nature documentary featuring tiny creatures, using a portable version of his video rig to take his imaging techniques into the field.
Second place was awarded to Benedikt Pleyer for his video of volvox algae swimming in a water drop that had been pipetted into the central opening of a Japanese 50 Yen Coin.
Third place was awarded to Dr. Eric Vitriol for his video of actin and mitochondria in mouse brain tumor cells.
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