Every year the Nikon Small World competition draws thousands of extreme close-up photos from scientists and photomicrographers around the world. These amazing images, made with the help of microscopes, let us see things we can otherwise only imagine, in detail that we couldn't otherwise access.

This year's competition looks to be at least as interesting as last year's contest and features some of the most beautiful submissions in the contest's 37-year history. A panel of judges will decide the winners, but you can help decide the popular vote winner.

We've got a sampling of the contenders in this gallery, and you can view the more than 100 finalists and choose your favorites by Oct. 31. Check back here for some more featured selections in the coming weeks and the judge's picks on Oct. 4.

Above:

Photomicrographer: Marta Guervos, University of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
Specimen: Acacia dealbata (Silver wattle tree) anther
Technique: Confocal, autofluorescence

Image: Courtesy of Nikon Small World