The finalists have been announced in the annual Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) competition, which is dedicated to macro, micro and close-up photography.
This year the organisers received a record 15 388 entries.
The shortlist covers 11 themed galleries, including “Animals”, “Arachnids”, “Insects”, “Intimate Landscape”, “Studio Art” and “Underwater”.
- “Suspended”: every year, towards the end of summer, Portugal’s Algarve region fills with young chameleons. As the sun rises higher above the horizon, the reptiles become more active and set off to explore the world around them / © Joao Pontes
- “Leafcutter Bee”: after the rain, this leafcutter bee clings with all its might to a sweet pea flower. The picture was taken in the county of Shropshire, United Kingdom / © Andrei Chetronie
- “Nose Picking”: a finch pecks at the nose of a resting southern elephant seal on Sea Lion Island in the Falklands archipelago. The bird’s diet consists mainly of invertebrates, but it also feeds on the blood and nasal mucus of elephant seals / © Steffen Foerster
- A wasp immobilises a spider / © Bidyut Kalita
- Physarum slime moulds / © David Myles
- Ants Eating Racer / © Parks Marilla
- A bee wolf (Philanthus triangulum) returns to its nest with a honeybee at the Thursley Common nature reserve in the county of Surrey, England / © Bidyut Kalita
- “Pitcher Poetry” / © Filippo Carugati
- Portrait of a spider / © Craig Loechel
“Macro photography has a remarkable ability to reveal detail and show the world from angles that often go unnoticed,” said the competition’s co-founder Tracy Calder.
According to her, this year’s entries demonstrate the photographers’ imagination, technical skill and natural curiosity.
The overall winner of the eighth CUPOTY competition will be announced in January 2027.
