Splash. Shortlisted, Animals category; A grey-headed flying fox makes a high-speed belly-dip in a pool of water.<\/p>\n
Douglas Gimesy – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n
Discovering the hidden beauty of nature up close, the Close Up Photography 2025 competition (CUPOTY)<\/a> celebrates the most extraordinary details of our planet \u2014 from a bat\u2019s high-speed belly-dip into a pond to the delicate structure of a spider\u2019s web. This year\u2019s shortlisted selection features the best close-up, micro and macro photos<\/a> chosen from 11,681 entries across 11 categories.<\/p>\n Now in its seventh year, CUPOTY has grown into the world\u2019s leading competition dedicated entirely to macro, micro, and close-up photography. Founded in 2018 by photojournalists Tracy and Dan Calder, the contest encourages photographers to slow down, observe the small wonders around them and forge deeper connections with nature.<\/p>\n ForbesThe Secrets Of Nature: 20 Winners Of Close-Up Photographer Of The YearBy Cecilia Rodriguez<\/a><\/p>\n Revealing the details most people overlook<\/a>, the shortlist, according to the organizers, \u201cprovides the ultimate showcase of close-up photography, from which the Top 100 pictures and winners will be announced in January, 2025.\u201d <\/p>\n The top photographer will receive a \u00a32,500 grand prize, while each category winner earns \u00a3250 and a coveted CUPOTY trophy.<\/p>\n The 11 galleries include: Animals (supported by Affinity Photo<\/a>), Insects (supported by Nikon<\/a>), Butterflies and Dragonflies, Arachnids, Invertebrate Portrait, Underwater, Intimate Landscape, Plants, Fungi, Studio Art and Young Photographer.<\/p>\n Forbes\u2018Something Beautiful\u2019: 18 Winners Of Close-Up Photographer ContestsBy Cecilia Rodriguez<\/a><\/p>\n The Grey-headed Flying Fox in the photo above, shortlisted in the Animals category, takes a high-speed belly dip in a pool of water at Myuna Wetlands, Australia \u2014 a rare sight that highlights this species\u2019 vital role in forest ecosystems. Known as \u201cnight gardeners\u201d they assist over 100 plant species by helping seed dispersal and pollination. <\/p>\n This keystone species is currently listed as vulnerable to extinction due to the ongoing threats they face due to habitat loss and climate change.<\/p>\n The Top 100 category winners will be unveiled in January, 2025, while CUPOTY 8 opens for entries in May, 2026.<\/p>\n Close-Up Photography: Animals<\/p>\n Island Hare, Shortlisted, Animals category; Havergate Island, Suffolk, England<\/p>\n Jacqueline Kirk – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n The image of the brown hare was taken during the morning after a wet start in Havergate Island in Suffolk, England. The weather conditions brought out the colors, textures and striking features of the hare, including the raindrops on its fur. <\/p>\n Guided by the Whistles, Shortlisted, Animals category<\/p>\n Guillaume Correa-Pimpao – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n Every week in French Guiana, Guillaume Correa camps out on the edge of small forest creeks to photograph amphibians. When night comes, the songs guide his steps and that\u2019s how he finds glass frogs. \u201cThey are so discreet that they disappear as soon as the light returns,\u201d he says. Following a timid whistling, he was able to discover this one, the green of its skin blending perfectly with that of its perch. <\/p>\n Precarious Perch, Shortlisted, Animals category<\/p>\n Rafael Steinlesberger – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n In Mothers Arms, Shortlisted, Animals category<\/p>\n Dvir Barkay – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n Fatal Jump, Shortlisted, Animals category<\/p>\n Bence Mate – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025Close-Up Photography: Spiders And Butterflies<\/p>\n Flight, Shortlisted, Butterflies and Dragonflies category<\/p>\n Pal Hermansen – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n Home on the Leaves, Shortlisted, Butterflies & Dragonflies category<\/p>\n Minghui Yuan – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n Nocturnal Huntress, Shortlisted, Arachnids category<\/p>\n Darcy Santos – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n Sunrise, Shortlisted, Arachnids category<\/p>\n Nataliia Shinkevich – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025More Invertebrates Portraits <\/p>\n Springtails, Shortlisted, Insects category<\/p>\n Pawe\u0142 Tyl – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n Sand Wasp, Shortlisted, Insects category<\/p>\n Andrei Chetronie – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n A sand wasp pokes its head out its sand burrow on a rainy day in the dunes at Benar Beach in Wales.<\/p>\n Colombian Orchid Bee, Shortlisted, Insects category<\/p>\n Clay Bolt – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n Weevil Portrait, Shortlisted, Invertebrate Portrait category<\/p>\n Martin Buhlig – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n An Acorn weevil sits rakishly on a dandelion flower. The weevil was inside the flower, enjoying the pollen.<\/p>\n Longhorns, Shortlisted, Invertebrate Portrait category<\/p>\n Jamie Thorpe – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025Underwater Close-Up Photographer<\/p>\n Pygmy Seahorse, Shortlisted, Underwater category<\/p>\n Suliman Alatqi – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n A Bargibant’s pygmy seahorse camouflages on a Gorgonian Sea Fan at the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. <\/p>\n Coral Labrynth, Shortlisted, Underwater category<\/p>\n Isaac Cable – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n Porcelain Crabs, Shortlisted, Underwater category<\/p>\n Mary Gudgeon – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n Porcelain Crab are a type of small, decapod crustacean often found living in association with various marine organisms, including sea pens like the ones shown here in Mabini, Batangas, Philippines. <\/p>\n They\u2019re known for their hard, smooth exoskeletons, which can resemble porcelain, and their ability to thrive in close symbiosis with specific types of corals and other invertebrates. <\/p>\n Close-Up Photography of Plants and Landscapes<\/p>\n Rose Thorns, Shortlisted, Plants category<\/p>\n Donald Bolak – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n This is a fairly high level of magnification for a macro shot of a single rose thorn. The larger thorn is less than a half-inch high. Together, they create a slightly surreal and alien landscape where rose thorns can be mountain peaks (if not Hershey Kisses).<\/p>\n Phantom Sakura, Shortlisted, Intimate Landscape category<\/p>\n Sho Hoshino – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n After the Rain, Shortlisted, Intimate Landscape category<\/p>\n Csaba Darocz – Close-up Photographer of the Year 2025<\/p>\n All the shortlisted images from the Close Up Photography 2025 competition\u2019s 11 categories can be seen here.<\/a> Entries for the CUPOTY 8 competition will open in May 2026.<\/p>\n MORE FROM FORBESForbesWildlife Photographer Of The Year 2025: 18 Winning Photos From London\u2019s Natural History MuseumBy Cecilia Rodriguez<\/a>ForbesWinter In Europe: Top 10 Fairy-Tale European Christmas Markets, Per New SurveyBy Cecilia Rodriguez<\/a>ForbesFunny Animal Photos: 18 Finalists For Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025By Cecilia Rodriguez<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Splash. 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