Nature holds endless wonders, many of which go unnoticed by the human eye. But with the right lens and timing, photographers reveal extraordinary details hidden in plain sight. The Close-Up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) competition celebrates this perspective, and its 2024 winners offer a stunning glimpse into the unseen world.
Related: Close-Up Photographer of the Year 2022: 15 Winning Images
This year, over 11,000 images from 61 countries were submitted, capturing everything from insects mid-battle to breathtakingly detailed textures of plants and animals. An expert jury spent hours selecting the top photos across 11 categories, recognizing talent from both seasoned professionals and young photographers. Scroll down to see the winning images and discover the marvels captured by these talented photographers.
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1. “Clash of the Titans” by Svetlana Ivanenko (Russia). Overall Winner and 1st Place, Insects
Two stag beetles (Lucanus cervus) engage in a fierce battle for dominance in the Voronezh region of Russia.
2. “Spring” by Andrés Luis Dominguez Blanco (Spain), 14 years old. Winner, Young Close-up Photographer of the Year
A European Bee-eater in mid-flight with an insect in its beak. Southern Spain at the end of spring 2023.
3. “Queen of Hearts” by Pierluigi Rizzo (Italy). 1st Place, Arachnids
A female Mediterranean black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) feeds on its prey in Pollino National Park, Calabria, Italy.
4. “Ear-Pick Fungus” by Barry Webb (UK), 1st Place, Fungi & Slime Moulds
A 15mm tall ear-pick fungus growing on a pine cone. New Forest, UK.
5. “Damselfly by the Waterfall” by Yong Miao (China). 1st Place, Butterflies & Dragonflies
A damselfly (Archineura incarnata) rests on a rock near a flowing waterfall in Tianmushan Nature Reserve, Zhejiang Province, China.
6. “God in the Shadows” by Santiago J. Monroy García (Colombia). 1st, Animals
An Andean bear stands among the dense foliage of a highland rainforest in the Ecopalacio Nature Reserve, located about 30 km from Bogotá, Colombia.
7. “Everything's A-OK” by Gabriel Jensen (USA). 1st Place, Underwater
A doctorfish struggles in the jaws of a lizardfish. Kona, Hawaii.
8. “Mosses” by Piet Haaksma (Netherlands). 1st Place, Plants
Garden moss covered in dew drops. Sneek, Netherlands
9. “Search for the Dragon” by Jenny Stock (UK). 2nd Place, Underwater
A leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) swims with a school of rough bullseye fish (Pempheris klunzingeri) in Rapid Bay, South Australia.
10. “Artificial Landscape” by Rob Blanken (Netherlands). 1st Place, Studio Art
Crystals of amino acids (beta-alanine and L-glutamine) under a microscope. Veenwouden, the Netherlands.
11. “Bark is Worse than its Bite” by Aran Gibbs (Ireland). 1st Place, Invertebrate Portrait
A Caerostris spider rests on a stick in the Malaysian jungle. Semenyih, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
12. “Moonlight” by Imre Potyó (Hungary). 2nd Place, Animals
An abandoned iron ore mine is home to lesser horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus hipposideros). Börzsöny Hill, Hungary.
13. “Stauropus Fagi” by José Manuel Lois Rial (Spain). 2nd Place, Invertebrate Portrait
A Lobster moth caterpillar (Stauropus fagi) on a tree branch in my garden in Spain.
14. “Afternoon Snack” by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas (Germany), 17 years old. 2nd Place, Young
A robber fly (Asilidae sp.) feeds on a flesh fly (Sarcophagidae sp.). Brandenburg, Germany.
15. “Storm of Spores” by José Luis Gigirey González (Spain). 2nd Place, Fungi & Slime Moulds
Puffball mushrooms release spores in a chestnut forest in Covas, Spain.
