A series of prestigious international and regional art competitions have announced their latest winners, highlighting exceptional talent across photography, sculpture, and microscopic imaging. The announcements include the Grand Prix winner for the 74th Nikkor Photo Contest and the top honors from the 48th Elkhart Juried Regional exhibition.
Mayumi Takeuchi has been awarded the Grand Prix at the 74th Nikkor Photo Contest for the work titled “The Struggle for Survival Beneath the Surface.” The winning image, which depicts a northern gannet catching a fish underwater, was selected from a field of more than 23,000 entries. For this achievement, Takeuchi received a Nikon Z8 camera body and ¥500,000.
In the realm of microscopic photography, Ole Bielfeldt of Germany secured first place in the 52nd annual Nikon Small World photo contest. Bielfeldt’s winning entry provides a microscopic view of an inkjet printer depositing ink onto paper, a work that exemplifies the competition's focus on the intersection of scientific and artistic photography at a microscopic scale.
Panoramic photography was also celebrated at the 17th Epson International Pano Awards. Xuecheng Liu claimed victory in the Open Built Environment category with the piece “Center of the Cosmos,” which was captured in Times Square, New York City. Additionally, Federico Veronesi was named a winner of a 2026 photography prize for a black-and-white photograph of an elephant carrying its deceased calf in Namibia, while Oscar Whitfield won the youth category with a photograph of a dung beetle.
In the Midwest, the 48th Elkhart Juried Regional exhibition at the Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart, Indiana, recognized artists from 24 counties. The exhibition awarded Bill Kremer Best Sculpture for “Sculptural Vessel #1,” which included a purchase award. Kay Westhues received the top photography award for “Mathews IN.” Other notable winners at the regional exhibition included Tony Bianco for “Washington and Wells-Chicago” and Mark Vander Vinne for “This Feels Right,” with awards including Best of Show and Best Painting with a purchase award.