Every year, Nikon brings us some amazing microscope photos from its annual competition. This year's winners include images of a dinosaur bone, a microchip, a mouse nerve and HeLa cells.

We're never disappointed with the photos from the Nikon Small World contest, and the top 20 judges picks contained in this gallery suggest that the photographers just keep getting better. These photos were selected from more than 2,000, but if you disagree with the judges, you can still pick your favorite in the popular vote contest throughout October.

Above:

Photomicrographer: Igor Siwanowicz, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Germany
Specimen: Chrysopa sp. (green lacewing) larva (20x)
Technique: Confocal

Image: Courtesy of Nikon Small World