The title of the 2023 Close-up Photographer of the Year has been claimed by Hungarian photographer Csaba Daróczi. His winning entry captures a mesmerizing moment of a Eurasian nuthatch in mid-flight above a hollowed-out tree stump.

In recognition of his grand prize achievement, Daróczi will receive a £2,500 cash prize (approximately $3,100), along with a universal license for Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher apps. Additionally, he will be awarded a NiSi macro focusing rail (NM-200S), a NiSi macro close-up lens, and a trophy, courtesy of the competition’s sponsor, Affinity Photo.

The competition garnered an impressive turnout with nearly 12,000 submissions from photographers hailing from almost 70 countries. Spanning 11 diverse categories, including a special category for photographers aged 17 and under, the top three images from each category are showcased below, with Daróczi’s exceptional photograph claiming the coveted first place in the Animals category.

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#1. Close-up Photographer of the Year: The Bird of the Forest by Csaba Daróczi

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#2. Animals – 2nd Place: Dune Wrestling by Victor Tyakht

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#3. Animals – 3rd Place: Natural Architecture by David Joseph

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#4. Butterflies & Dragonflies – Winner: The Wedding Guest by Csaba Daróczi

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#5. Butterflies & Dragonflies – 2nd Place: Letting Go by Steve Russell

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#6. Butterflies & Dragonflies – 3rd Place: Sunrise Beauty by Wim Vooijs

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#7. Fungi & Slime Moulds – Winner: The Ice Crown by Barry Webb

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#8. Fungi & Slime Moulds – 2nd Place: Autumn Emergence by Jay Birmingham

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#9. Fungi & Slime Moulds – 3rd Place: Fungi and Fairy Dust by Sophia Spurgin

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#10. Human Made – Winner: Asymmetrical Threads by Elizabeth Kazda

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#11. Human Made – 2nd Place: Colour Study 51 by Paul Gravett

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#12. Human Made – 3rd Place: Ferro Field by Jack Margerison

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#13. Insects – Winner: Wood Ants Firing Acid Secretion by René Krekels

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#14. Insects – 2nd Place: Mosquito Egg Raft by Barry Webb

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#15. Insects – 3rd Place: Circular Trenching Behavior by a Leaf Beetle by Liang Fu

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#16. Intimate Landscape – Winner: Undertow by Csaba Daróczi

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#17. Intimate Landscape – 2nd Place: Ice Fossiel by Piet Haaksma

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#18. Intimate Landscape – 3rd Place: The Sorcerors Apprentice by Jack Krohn

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#19. Invertebrate Portrait – Winner: Jumping Stick by Tibor Molnar

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#20. Invertebrate Portrait – 2nd Place: Orange Isopod by Manfred Auer

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#21. Invertebrate Portrait – 3rd Place: Dancing Sands, Violin Crab by Lior Berman

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#22. Micro – Winner: Beach Grass by Gerhard Vlcek

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#23. Micro – 2nd Place: Amoeba by Håkan Kvarnström

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#24. Micro – 3rd Place: Twisted Dandelion by Harald Cederlund

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#25. Plants – Winner: Reflexion by Ria Bloemendaal

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#26. Plants – 2nd Place: Tears in my Eyes by Wim Vooijs

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#27. Plants – 3rd Place: Golden Agave by Beth DeBor

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#28. Underwater – Winner: Dreamtime by Simon Theuma

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#29. Underwater – 2nd Place: Heart of the Sea by Liang Fu

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#30. Underwater – 3rd Place: Pinkaboo by Chris Gug

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#31. Young Photographer Of The Year – Winner: Small Wanders by Carlos Pérez Naval

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#32. Young Photographer Of The Year – 2nd Place: Comatricha Nigra by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners

#33. Young Photographer Of The Year – 3rd Place: Dicyrtomina Ornata by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas

Close Up Photographer Of The Year Winners


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