The Best Photos From the 2023 Close-up Photographer of the Year Contest

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Csaba Daróczi, ‘The Bird of the Forest,’ Animals 1st Place and Overall Winner | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

The 2023 Close-up Photographer of the Year has been named. Hungarian photographer Csaba Daróczi has won the top prize for his striking image of a Eurasian nuthatch flying overhead a hollowed-out tree stump.

“In the winter of 2023, I took a lot of photos in a forest close to my home in Hungary. I found something new to photograph almost every week, and I spent several days exploring ideas and perfecting techniques. Staying curious and open-minded led me to this hollowed-out tree stump, which measured around half a meter in diameter,” Daróczi says of his winning photo, seen above. “I carefully positioned my GoPro 11 camera inside the trunk and took a few shots. I was amazed by the results. After a few days, however, I decided the composition might be improved if I included an animal in the frame. So, I returned to the spot and placed a sunflower near the hole, which the mice and birds soon found.”

For the grand prize victory, Daróczi will be awarded a £2,500 cash prize, equivalent to about $3,100, a universal license for Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher apps, a NiSi macro focusing rail (NM-200S), a NiSi macro close-up lens, and a trophy. The competition is supported by Affinity Photo.

The competition attracted nearly 12,000 entries from almost 70 countries. There were 11 total categories, including one specifically for photographers aged 17 and under. The top three images for each category are featured below, save for Daróczi’s winning image, which took the top spot in the Animals category.

“Thanks to these creative and original pictures, I now know that tadpoles can eat birds, ants fire acid like water pistols and bees sometimes hold each other’s legs while they sleep,” says CUPOTY co-founder Tracy Calder. “Personally, I think this is our best collection of winning images yet, and I’m so grateful to those who entered as it allows us to see and learn from their work and to recognize how incredible and surprising the world is.”

Category Winners

Animals

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Victor Tyakht, ‘Dune Wrestling,’ Animals 2nd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© David Joseph, ‘Natural Architecture,’ Animals 3rd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

Butterflies and Dragonflies

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Csaba Daróczi, ‘The Wedding Guest,’ Butterflies and Dragonflies 1st Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Steve Russell, ‘Letting Go,’ Butterflies and Dragonflies 2nd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Wim Vooijs, ‘Sunrise Beauty,’ Butterflies and Dragonflies 3rd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

Fungi

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Barry Webb, ‘The Ice Crown,’ Fungi 1st Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Jay Birmingham, ‘Autumn Emergence,’ Fungi 2nd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Sophia Spurgin, ‘Fungi and Fairy Dust,’ Fungi 3rd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

Human Made

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Elizabeth Kazda, ‘Asymmetrical Threads,’ Human Made 1st Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Paul Gravett, ‘Colour Study 51,’ Human Made 2nd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Jack Margerison, ‘Ferro Field,’ Human Made 3rd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

Insects

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© René Krekels, ‘Wood Ants Firing Acid Secretion,’ Insects 1st Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Barry Webb, ‘Mosquito Egg Raft,’ Insects 2nd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Liang Fu, ‘Circular Trenching Behavior by a Leaf Beetle,’ Insects 3rd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

Intimate Landscapes

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Csaba Daróczi, ‘Undertow,’ Intimate Landscapes 1st Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Piet Haaksma, ‘Ice Fossiel,’ Intimate Landscapes 2nd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Jack Krohn, ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,’ Intimate Landscapes 3rd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

Invertebrate Portrait

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Tibor Molnar, ‘Jumping Stick,’ Invertebrate Portrait 1st Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Manfred Auer, ‘Orange Isopod,’ Invertebrate Portrait 1st Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Lior Berman, ‘Dancing Sands (Fiddler Crab),’ Invertebrate Portrait 1st Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

Micro

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Gerhard Vlcek, ‘Beach Glass,’ Micro 1st Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Håkan Kvarnström, ‘Amoeba,’ Micro 2nd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Harald Cederlund, ‘Twisted Dandelion,’ Micro 3rd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

Plants

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Ria Bloemendaal, ‘Reflexion,’ Plants 1st Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Wim Vooijs, ‘Tears in my Eyes,’ Plants 2nd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Beth DeBor, ‘Golden Agave,’ Plants 3rd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

Underwater

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Simon Theuma, ‘Dreamtime,’ Underwater 1st Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Liang Fu, ‘Heart of the Sea,’ Underwater 2nd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023)
Moray eels are generally found living in coral reefs, but juvenile moray eels often live pelagically in open waters until they mature into adults and settle to the bottom in coral reefs. During a blackwater dive, I found a transparent creature swimming at a depth of over 20 meters. It curled its body into a heart shape in the water.
Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a juvenile moray eel! Unlike the adults that live in reef crevices, juvenile moray eels drift in the open ocean. Their transparent bodies provide camouflage against predators in the vast blue. I was very lucky to spot this elusive juvenile moray eel in the dark waters.
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Chris Gug, ‘Pinkaboo,’ Underwater 3rd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

Young Close-up Photographer of the Year

Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Carlos Pérez Naval, ‘Small Wonders,’ Young Category 1st Place and Young Close-up Photographer of the Year | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas, ‘Comatricha Nigra,’ Young Category 2nd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com
Close-up Photographer of the Year contest 2023
© Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas, ‘Dicyrtomina Ornata,’ Young Category 3rd Place | Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023) | cupoty.com

Alongside the top three images for each category, the Close-up Photographer of the Year contest has named finalists. The complete gallery of honored images is available on the CUPOTY website.


Image credits: Photos courtesy of the Close-up Photographer of the Year contest | cupoty.com. All photographers are individually credited.

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