A nanopillar photonic crystal laser includes a plurality of nanopillars and a support structure in contact with at least a portion of each of the nanopillars. Each nanopillar has an axial dimension and two mutually orthogonal cross dimensions. The axial dimension of each of the nanopillars is greater than the two mutually orthogonal cross dimensions, where there mutually orthogonal cross dimensions are less than about 1 μm and greater than about 1 nm. The support structure holds the plurality of nanopillars in preselected relative orientations and displacements relative to each other to form an array pattern that confines light of a preselected wavelength to a resonance region that intercepts at least one nanopillar of the plurality of nanopillars. The at least one nanopillar includes a lasing material to provide an output laser beam of light at the preselected wavelength.