{"id":373367,"date":"2026-04-10T19:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/373367\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T19:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:00:13","slug":"powerful-photo-competition-focuses-on-natures-death-and-decay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/373367\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerful Photo Competition Focuses on Nature’s Death and Decay"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ALeft to right: Gael Modrak, Willem Kruger, and Ken Bluma <\/p>\n

Nature\u2019s not all baby elephants and clumsy ducklings \u2014 it can be raw, intense, and gruesome. Step forward the winners of the annual themed challenge from Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY). This year\u2019s theme? \u201cDeath and Decay.\u201d <\/p>\n

Warning: Some readers may find these photos disturbing. <\/p>\n

Willem Kruger from South Africa has won this year\u2019s challenge for his grisly image of a hyena carrying the severed head of a zebra in Kruger National Park. The competition calls it a \u201cvisceral reminder that in nature, almost nothing goes to waste.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AA spotted hyena carries the head of a zebra through Kruger National Park, South Africa. Winner of the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Willem Kruger \/ CUPOTY <\/p>\n

\u201cEarly one morning during a game drive in Kruger National Park, my wife and I came across three spotted hyenas walking along the road. One was carrying the head of a zebra, presumably from a nearby lion kill, and was heading straight towards us,\u201d says winner Willem Kruger. \u201cIn nature, almost nothing goes to waste \u2014 even hyenas have a family to feed, and they do it with remarkable commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CUPOTY challenge runs alongside the main annual Close-up Photographer of the Year competition<\/a>, which opens in May. It runs throughout November and the theme is chosen by the CUPOTY community. As the winner, Willem Kruger receives \u00a3300 ($400) and will be featured in the CUPOTY ebook of 2026.<\/p>\n

\"AA common toad embraces a dead female in a pool in the Sierra Blanca natural area, southern Spain. Runner-up in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Juan Jesus Gonzalez Ahumada \/ CUPOTY \"AA dead waterfowl chick lying underwater in a pond in Viry-Chatillon, near Paris, France. Third place in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Gael Modrak \/ CUPOTY \"AA fishing spider feeding on a freshly caught froglet on Nosy Komba island, Madagascar. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Emanuele Biggi \/ CUPOTY \"AAn American kestrel plucking a sparrow on top of a gravestone in a cemetery in Massachusetts, USA. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Jason Gilbody \/ CUPOTY \"ADead trees on the edge of the Zahara de la Sierra reservoir, southern Spain, photographed at night using a dual focal-length long-exposure technique. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Juan Jesus Gonzalez Ahumada \/ CUPOTY \"AThe hollowed-out exoskeleton of an acorn weevil suspended on a strand of silk in Spring Grove, Illinois, USA. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Ken Bluma \/ CUPOTY \"AA dead mallard drake frozen into the ice of a small lake in Follo, Norway. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Pal Hermansen \/ CUPOTY
\n \"AA flower crab spider (Thomisus onustus) feeding on a bee on a flower in Crete, Greece. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Pete Burford \/ CUPOTY \"AA cranefly captured by a carnivorous sundew plant in a garden in Staffordshire, England. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Ed Phillips \/ CUPOTY \"AThe fruiting body of an entomopathogenic fungus emerging from the dead body of a moth in humid woodland near Licenza, central Italy. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Emanuele Biggi \/ CUPOTY \"AA pygmy owl carrying prey to its nest, photographed from below in Follo, Norway. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Pal Hermansen \/ CUPOTY \"Close-upA chocolate slime mould on a decaying log in Freeport Community Park, Pennsylvania, USA. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Nelson Milano \/ CUPOTY \"AAn aphid gives birth while suspended from a single strand of spider\u2019s web in a garden in Dalfsen, the Netherlands. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Sophie Mijnhout \/ CUPOTY \"SeveralButterflies drawing sap and nutrients from a road-killed snake in Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India. Finalist in the Death and Decay CUPOTY challenge. \u00a9 Indranil Basu Mallick \/ CUPOTY<\/p>\n

The full gallery of winning and finalist images can be viewed online here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Left to right: Gael Modrak, Willem Kruger, and Ken Bluma Nature\u2019s not all baby elephants and clumsy ducklings…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373368,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,194874,80587,501,156,194875,46421,111,139,69,406],"class_list":{"0":"post-373367","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-closeupphotographeroftheyear","13":"tag-cupoty","14":"tag-design","15":"tag-entertainment","16":"tag-natureismetal","17":"tag-naturephotography","18":"tag-new-zealand","19":"tag-newzealand","20":"tag-nz","21":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}