An image of a common agricultural pest on a single grain of rice has been awarded first prize in an international photography competition that challenges people to think small — microscopically small.

Called the Nikon Small World competition, the contest has been celebrating the beauty in the teeny-tiny for 51 years and is renowned for showcasing spectacular imagery captured with the help of a microscope.

The entries were judged on their originality, informational content, technical proficiency, and visual impact.

This year's winner, which you can see at the top of this article, depicts a rice weevil with its wings fully extended.

The image was created by Zhang You, a member of the Entomological Society of China.

Mr You took more than 100 images for focus stacking, carefully cleaning,

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