Tiny Subjects Steal Spotlight in Global Photo Contest
Judges select standout macro images from 63 countries
Close-up Photographer of the Year is an international competition dedicated to revealing the small details of the world that often go unnoticed. Focused on macro, micro, and close-range photography, it highlights subjects that are easy to miss with the naked eye but striking when captured through a skilled lens.
In its seventh year, the contest drew more than 12,000 entries from photographers in 63 countries, underscoring the widespread interest in close-up imagery. The judging process was extensive. A group of 22 experts - including professional photographers, nature specialists, and photo editors - reviewed the work and spent over 20 hours evaluating submissions online.
Their task was to choose the strongest images and assemble a final Top 100 selection. The selected photographs span 11 distinct categories and feature a wide range of themes and techniques.
Some images transform natural scenes into something almost cosmic, such as clusters of frog spawn that look like star systems. Others capture rare moments, like vast clouds of mayflies moving through a town in Hungary.
There are also frozen natural forms, including an ice-coated tree in Nagano, as well as experimental creations such as surreal landscapes produced by oxidizing copper with simple household substances.
The final gallery presents the top three winners from each category, offering a compact view of the year’s most inventive and technically precise close-up photography.
Animals, 1st Place: Amphibian Galaxy By Filippo Carugati
cupotyFungi & Slime Moulds, 2nd Place: Cribraria Cluster By Barry Webb
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Underwater, 2nd Place: Ethereal Frogfish By Daniel Sly
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Underwater, 3rd Place: Featherhome By Luis Arpa
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Young, 1st Place: Guardians Of The Hive By Rithved Girish
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Animals, 3rd Place: Spider Web By Bence Máté
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Invertebrate Portrait, 1st Place: Good Boy By Laurent Hesemans
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Invertebrate Portrait, 2nd Place: Thomisus Onustus On Guard By Wayne Sayers
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Fungi & Slime Moulds, 3rd Place: Twilight Of The Gods By Cédric Rousseau
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Underwater, 1st Place: Fractal Forest By Ross Gudgeon
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Young, 3rd Place: Emerald Glow By Jameson Hawkins-Kimmel
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Arachnids, 2nd Place: I Feel I'm Being Watched By Guillaume Correa Pimpao
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Arachnids, 1st Place: Dinner By Artur Tomaszek
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Insects, 1st Place: Blue Army By Imre Potyó
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Insects, 2nd Place: Love Under The Stars By Valeria Zvereva
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Plants, 3rd Place: In The Embrace Of Shadows By Tibor Litauszki
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Butterflies, 2nd Place: The Invasion By Pedro Luna
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Intimate Landscape, 1st Place: Dreamy State By Sho Hoshino
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Invertebrate Portrait, 3rd Place: Fake Sun By Giovanni Vicari
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Studio Art, 1st Place: Copper Works No.25 - 2024 By Paul Kenny
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Animals, 2nd Place: Inside The Pack By Amit Eshel
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Insects, 3rd Place: Gotcha! By Aleksey Molchanov
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Intimate Landscape, 2nd Place: Yacht Betsy B, Gairloch Harbour By Grant Bulloch
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Studio Art, 3rd Place: Extended Tones #4 By Matt Vacca
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Young, 2nd Place: In The Rain By Gaspard Buriez
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Fungi & Slime Moulds, 1st Place: Fungi & Slime Moulds By Valeria Zvereva
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Intimate Landscape, 3rd: Windswept By Mike Weinhold
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Plants, 1st Place: Rebirth From Destruction By Minghui Yuan
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Butterflies, 1st Place: Butterfly Flash By Pål Hermansen
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Butterflies, 3rd Place: Dragonfly Alphabet Calligraphy By Dmitrii Melgunov
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Studio Art, 2nd Place: Cymatic Pattern By Elizabeth Kazda
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Arachnids, 3rd Place: Gymnast By Anirban Dutta
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This year’s Close-up Photographer of the Year selection shows how much wonder exists in small, overlooked details. With thousands of entries and careful judging, the final images prove that scale doesn’t limit impact.
From natural textures to creative experiments, these photographs turn tiny subjects into powerful visual stories worth slowing down for.
