Nikon Small World In Motion 2026
#CiliaGate: the 2026 Nikon Small World in Motion controversy
In September 2026, the winning video in the Nikon Small World in Motion competition was presented as showing the beating cilia of airway cells from a child with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). It was celebrated around the world, including in the New York Times.
But microscopists and the PCD community quickly raised concerns that the video had been created using generative AI. As microscopists, we capture the real world in all its detail and beauty, often with an artistic eye, but we never create it. For a rare, progressive and often invisible condition that is already hard to diagnose, an invented image of a child’s cells was the last kind of attention PCD needed.
On 6 October, we published an open letter to Nikon, signed by 469 scientists, clinicians, imaging specialists, patient advocates and families from 36 countries. On 9 October, Nikon concluded that the video did not meet the competition’s rules on generative AI and changed the rankings. In its formal response on 21 October, Nikon committed to reviewing its rules, disclosure requirements and verification processes, paused entries for 2027, and invited our community to contribute.
Both letters are below.
The open letter to Nikon- how we stand up
The letter was written by members of the PCD, cilia and microscopy communities and addressed to Nikon, not to the entrant or the judges. Its message was simple: microscopy images are scientific evidence, and image processing must be transparent and faithful to the underlying biology. We are not against AI, which already does much of the heavy lifting in our field. But generative AI now makes it easy to create convincing biological structures that no microscope ever recorded.
We asked asked Nikon to:
correct the caption and the “in a child” headline while its review continued
release the original recording and full methods for independent examination
publish the outcome of its review, and withdraw the award if the recording could not be shown to support what was displayed
set clear rules on AI and image processing, including what must be declared and verified before judging
Who signed
The letter closed on 12 October 2026 with 469 signatures from 36 countries and territories, gathered in just over a week.
Where from: UK (169), USA (94), France (42), Germany (41), Netherlands (24), Switzerland (13), and 30 other countries and territories.
Who: mostly researchers, including many microscopists and imaging facility leads, alongside clinicians, patients, families, patient organisations and industry scientists.
Former judges: three former Nikon Small World judges signed.
Named: 430 signatories are named, 31 asked not to be named, and there are 8 initial authors.
The open letter, the organisers’ note and Nikon’s response are below.
Nikon’s response
On 21 October 2026, Kenichi Tsuji, President and CEO of Nikon Instruments Inc., responded formally to the open letter on Nikon’s behalf.
Nikon confirmed that, following an additional review with members of the judging panel, the video originally selected as first place did not meet the competition’s requirements on generative AI, and that the questions raised by the scientific community were an important part of that review. Nikon also recognised the PCD community, noting:
“We understand how much accurate representation matters to research, diagnosis and public understanding of a disease that remains too little known.”
Nikon is now reviewing the competition’s rules, disclosure requirements, and verification and evaluation processes. The aim is to draw a clear line between processing experimentally acquired data and using generative AI to create content that was not in the original recording. Entries for the 2027 competition are paused while this review is completed, and Nikon has invited input from the microscopy and PCD communities.
We have thanked Nikon and accepted its invitation to contribute. We look forward to working with Nikon Instruments to make sure the images that inspire people show the real world.
Nikon’s full letter is below.
