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...
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