A competition featuring astounding images of life seen through a microscope, a marriage of science and art, has announced its 2014 winners.

The best examples of microscopy were chosen from entries in the 2014 Olympus BioScapes International Digital Imaging Competition.

Judges in the competition looked for outstanding images and movies of life science subjects captured through light microscopes and submitted by researchers and microscope enthusiasts from around 70 countries.

Entries were based on the science they portray, their beauty or visual impact, and the technical expertise demonstrated in capturing the image.

The competition attracts nearly 2,500 entries every year.

Among the winners:

All of the winning images and some honorable mentions can be seen on the BioScapes web page.