A culture plate dispensing apparatus, for culture plates comprising a sheet-like substrate attached to a sheet-like cover slip, the substrate and the cover slip each having an interior-facing major surface and an exterior-facing major surface, the apparatus comprising a base having a first major surface, a front edge, and a back edge; a pusher on or above the first major surface of the base, the pusher being capable of moving from a retracted position to an engaged position, the retracted position being closer to the back edge than the engaged position; the pusher and base being configured such that when the pusher is in the retracted position the base is capable of supporting a stack of two or more culture plates (130, 140, 150) on top of the first major surface of the base, the stack of two or more culture plates having a stack height defined by the number of culture plates and the height of the individual culture plates, so that in a pair of adjacently stacked culture plates the exterior-facing major surface of the substrate of the overlying culture plate is in contact with the exterior-facing major surface of the coverslip of the underlying culture plate, and the pusher and base being configured such that a back edge of the lower most culture plate is positionable near the pusher and a portion of the slip cover of at least the lower most culture plate is positionable over the pusher when the pusher is in a retracted position; an upright member positioned at least in part above a portion of the base near the front edge of the base to form a space between the upright member and the base, the space between the upright member and the base defining a precision gap large enough for a culture plate to pass through; wherein the precision gap is at least the height of a single culture plate and less than the height of two culture plates; and wherein the pusher is adapted to push one and only one culture plate at least partially through the precision gap when it is moved from the retracted position to the engaged position. a pusher on or above the first major surface of the base, the pusher being capable of moving from a retracted position to an engaged position, the retracted position being closer to the back edge than the engaged position; the pusher and base being configured such that when the pusher is in the retracted position the base is capable of supporting a stack of two or more culture plates (130, 140, 150) on top of the first major surface of the base, the stack of two or more culture plates having a stack height defined by the number of culture plates and the height of the individual culture plates, so that in a pair of adjacently stacked culture plates the exterior-facing major surface of the substrate of the overlying culture plate is in contact with the exterior-facing major surface of the coverslip of the underlying culture plate, and the pusher and base being configured such that a back edge of the lower most culture plate is positionable near the pusher and a portion of the slip cover of at least the lower most culture plate is positionable over the pusher when the pusher is in a retracted position; an upright member positioned at least in part above a portion of the base near the front edge of the base to form a space between the upright member and the base, the space between the upright member and the base defining a precision gap large enough for a culture plate to pass through; wherein the precision gap is at least the height of a single culture plate and less than the height of two culture plates; and wherein the pusher is adapted to push one and only one culture plate at least partially through the precision gap when it is moved from the retracted position to the engaged position.