1st Place: The polarized light from a monitor and the camera close to the Brewster's angle, makes the reflected image sensitive to phase delays in the plastic lenses, producing a nice colored pattern. Osvaldo Buccafusca, Avago Technologies, Fort Collins, Colo., U.S.A.

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2nd Place: Near field image of rotating traveling-wave modes in a vertical cavity surface emission. Ray-Kuang Lee, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan

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3rd Place: When illuminated with grazing white light, a semiconductor chip behaves as a diffraction grating. Variations in the features' size and illumination angle produce various colors along the chip. Osvaldo Buccafusca, Avago Technologies, Fort Collins, Colo., U.S.A.

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Honorable Mention: Messier 8 Emission Nebula taken in emssion lines of sulfur, hydrogen and oxygen through a 7.1" apochromatic refractor with a 6.1 megapixel cooled CCD camera. Richard Crisp, Tessera Technologies, San Jose, Calif., U.S.A.

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Honorable Mention: Conchoidal fracture in glass by phase contrast microscopy. Samuel Pellicori, Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, Calif., U.S.A.

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Single liquid microlens obtained by controlling wettability of lithium niobate. Pietro Ferraro, Istituto Nazionale di Ottica Applicata (INOA), Pozzuoli (Napoli), Italy

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Phase image of a salt crystal using a digital holographic microscope. Anand Asundi, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

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Diffraction pattern of a penrose type quasicrystalline lattice that exhibit the inherent 10-fold rotational symmetry. The image is presented on a molten plastic background. Amit Agrawal, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.

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Glass target alignment in the Nevada Terawatt Facility. Piotr Wiewior, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, U.S.A.

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Flashlamp-pumped glass amplifier head during the shot in the Nevada Terawatt Facility. Piotr Wiewior, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, U.S.A.

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InGaN light-emitting diode with micro cones on the substrate. Hisashi Masui, University of California, Santa Barbara, Calif., U.S.A.

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NGC2174 Emission Nebula taken in emssion lines of sulfur, hydrogen and oxygen through a 7.1" APO-chromatic refractor with a 6.1 megapixel cooled CCD camera. Richard Crisp, Tessera Technologies, San Jose, Calif., U.S.A.

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Crab nebula shot in (clockwise from upper left): LRGB, emission line (sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen), stokes polarigram, simple polarigram, and (center) composite stokes/emission line taken through 450mm cass. Richard Crisp, Tessera Technologies, San Jose, Calif., U.S.A.

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Honey bee cone transilluminated. The chamber dimensions and front-to-back layer alignment precisions are remarkable. Samuel Pellicori, Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, Calif., U.S.A.

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A "distorted" sun and sundogs seen through a cold winter morning fog in Fairbanks, Alaska. Brentha Thurairajah, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.A.

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Rayleigh-scattered light from early spring sunrise in Fairbanks, Alaska. Brentha Thurairajah, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.A.

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The reflection from Smith Lake in Fairbanks, Alaska causes a mirror image of the background scene. Brentha Thurairajah, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.A.

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Early-morning multiple image of a flower in dewdrops hanging on a spider web. Klaus Hinsch, Institute of Physics - Oldenburg University, Rastede, Germany

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Lights over Eiffel? This picture was taken from a cruise on La Seine. Choon How Gan, dept. of physics and optical science, UNC, Charlotte, N.C., U.S.A.

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Laser-driven oscillation of a photoresponsive polymer. Oscillation frequency of 30 Hz, nearly 170 degree amplitude. Oscillation possesses all-optical control. Timothy White, AFRL/RX, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, U.S.A.

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Dark field illuminated microscopic (40x) image of a mix of immobilized gold (orange dots) and dust (white dots) in water. Arpad Jakab, Institute for Physical Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany

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Laser-irradiated coating. Theresa Axenson and Billy Maloof Lockheed Martin Missles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., U.S.A.

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Near field image of chaotic mode lasing in a vertical cavity surface emission laser. Ray-Kuang Lee, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan

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The eclipsed moon, illuminated by sunlight depleted of blue by scattering in the Earth's atmosphere. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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A rainbow with fall colors. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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The crescent moon appears unusually large when viewed close to nearby terrestrial objects. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont.,U.S.A.

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Fiery red sunset arising from scattering by forest fire smoke. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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A laser beam probes the night sky over Mauna Loa, with Mauna Kea in the background. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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A pair of geckos examine each other alongside their reflection in a patio door. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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A late-afternoon rainbow dramatically contrasted against dark clouds. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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A late-afternoon thunderstorm double rainbow - the classic display of optics in nature! Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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The Milky Way rising with Jupiter, both intensely bright in the exquisitely dark Rocky Mountain sky. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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"Stirred milk"-the Milky Way and other stars appear to rate around Polaris in a long-exposure photograph. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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Geometrical optics and scattering displayed together: the sunset sky and a glitter pattern on the Yellowstone River both appear orange because of heavy scattering by forest fire smoke. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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A bright star creates a glitter pattern on the Yellowstone River, while the nighttime sky takes on a day-like blue color from Rayleigh scattered moonlight. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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Icy cirrus clouds and jet contrails combine to create a "circumzenithal arc"-a fairly rare halo display high above the Florida palms. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., U.S.A.

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Thin-film layer edge shadowing and conchoidal fracture in glass substrate by phase contrast microscopy. Samuel Pellicori, Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, Calif., U.S.A.

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Maggies fascination with plasma filamentation and glow discharge. Robert Kane, Philips Laboratories (retired), Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J., U.S.A.

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A Ti:sapphire crystal in an ultrafast laser photographed with a beercan pinhole camera. Klaas Wynne, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, U.K.

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Face painted with an eye-safe laser pointer. Klaas Wynne, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, U.K.

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Liquid microlens array formation on lithium niobate crystal surface wetability is controlled by pyroelectric effect. Pietro Ferraro, Istituto Nazionale di Ottica Applicata (INOA), Pozzuoli (Napoli), Italy

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