Photography

The best of the Close-Up Photographer of the Year awards

The best of the Close-Up Photographer of the Year awards
3rd Place - Fungi. Slime Mould (Didymium squamulosum) growing along the edge of a holly leaf in a Hertfordshire woodland
3rd Place - Fungi. Slime Mould (Didymium squamulosum) growing along the edge of a holly leaf in a Hertfordshire woodland
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Overall Winner, 1st Place - Animals. Northern Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia purpurea) are carnivorous and a single plant here managed to capture two juvenile Spotted Salamanders
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Overall Winner, 1st Place - Animals. Northern Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia purpurea) are carnivorous and a single plant here managed to capture two juvenile Spotted Salamanders
2nd Place - Animals. As this pond hundreds of miniature toads, barely a centimetre in size began to wander around seeking refuge. A pair of them found safety in the huge paw print of a mastiff that was left in the mud when it came to quench its thirst at the water’s edge
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2nd Place - Animals. As this pond hundreds of miniature toads, barely a centimetre in size began to wander around seeking refuge. A pair of them found safety in the huge paw print of a mastiff that was left in the mud when it came to quench its thirst at the water’s edge
3rd Place - Animals. A sand viper digging itself into the sand to get into an ambush position, right next to the tracks of a dune gecko (Stenodactylus petrii) that had turned around at the right moment before becoming a meal
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3rd Place - Animals. A sand viper digging itself into the sand to get into an ambush position, right next to the tracks of a dune gecko (Stenodactylus petrii) that had turned around at the right moment before becoming a meal
1st Place - Butterflies. A dew-covered male Banded Demoiselle on a reed stem
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1st Place - Butterflies. A dew-covered male Banded Demoiselle on a reed stem
2nd Place - Butterflies. An Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) at a areca nut plantation in Sirsi, India
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2nd Place - Butterflies. An Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) at a areca nut plantation in Sirsi, India
1st Place - Fungi. Mature Comatricha, growing on an old fence post lying on a pile of discarded, rotting timber
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1st Place - Fungi. Mature Comatricha, growing on an old fence post lying on a pile of discarded, rotting timber
2nd Place - Fungi. Scarlet waxcap, Ebernoe cricket pitch at dawn with dew on spiders web
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2nd Place - Fungi. Scarlet waxcap, Ebernoe cricket pitch at dawn with dew on spiders web
3rd Place - Fungi. Slime Mould (Didymium squamulosum) growing along the edge of a holly leaf in a Hertfordshire woodland
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3rd Place - Fungi. Slime Mould (Didymium squamulosum) growing along the edge of a holly leaf in a Hertfordshire woodland
1st Place - Insects. Thousands of termites drawn to a powerful street light, and one black drongo
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1st Place - Insects. Thousands of termites drawn to a powerful street light, and one black drongo
2nd Place - Insects. Carabus germari, ground beetle species, Boca de Piombo, Albaville
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2nd Place - Insects. Carabus germari, ground beetle species, Boca de Piombo, Albaville
3rd Place - Insects. The beetle Aplosonyx nigriceps has developed a clever tactic to be able to eat the Alocasia macrorrhiza leaves and avoid the toxic alkalis that the plant secretes. It nibbles a 3cm circle on the leaves to cut off the toxin transmission before feasting inside the circle free of poison
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3rd Place - Insects. The beetle Aplosonyx nigriceps has developed a clever tactic to be able to eat the Alocasia macrorrhiza leaves and avoid the toxic alkalis that the plant secretes. It nibbles a 3cm circle on the leaves to cut off the toxin transmission before feasting inside the circle free of poison
Finalist - Insects. A small robber fly (Asilidae) with a small beetle it has claimed as prey
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Finalist - Insects. A small robber fly (Asilidae) with a small beetle it has claimed as prey
1st Place - Invertebrate Portrait. This Triangular Spider species (Arkys curtulus) is an ambush predator, not a web-based hunter like most
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1st Place - Invertebrate Portrait. This Triangular Spider species (Arkys curtulus) is an ambush predator, not a web-based hunter like most
1st Place - Manmade. This picture was captured as two drops of oil were merging
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1st Place - Manmade. This picture was captured as two drops of oil were merging
Finalist - Manmade. This series was sparked by a curled rubber band on my desk
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Finalist - Manmade. This series was sparked by a curled rubber band on my desk
1st Place - Micro. A sample of Batrachospermum (a kind of red algae) from a small river in Wigry National Park, Poland
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1st Place - Micro. A sample of Batrachospermum (a kind of red algae) from a small river in Wigry National Park, Poland
Finalist - Micro. Pentatomidae stink bug eggs, each less than 1mm in diameter
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Finalist - Micro. Pentatomidae stink bug eggs, each less than 1mm in diameter
1st Place - Plants. Snake’s-head fritillary
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1st Place - Plants. Snake’s-head fritillary
1st Place - Underwater. Lucernaria quadricornis (Stauromedusae), a stalked jellyfish, photographed beneath the ice of the White Sea in Russia
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1st Place - Underwater. Lucernaria quadricornis (Stauromedusae), a stalked jellyfish, photographed beneath the ice of the White Sea in Russia
2nd Place - Underwater. A beautiful Bluespotted klipfish (Pavoclinus caeruleopunctatus) perched amongst the mussel shells
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2nd Place - Underwater. A beautiful Bluespotted klipfish (Pavoclinus caeruleopunctatus) perched amongst the mussel shells
1st Place - Young. A log covered in slime mould fruiting bodies or sporangia
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1st Place - Young. A log covered in slime mould fruiting bodies or sporangia
View gallery - 21 images

The winner of the latest Close-Up Photographer of the Year competition captured a stunning shot of two young salamanders being slowly devoured by a carnivorous plant. The contest, only in its fourth year, has already become a highlight on the annual photography competition calendar.

Founded in 2018 by a pair of UK photographers, the Close-Up Photographer of the Year contest celebrates all kinds of macro and micro photography. In its fourth installment two new categories have been added, making 10 broad areas of entry, from Animals, Insects and Butterflies to Manmade objects, Underwater shots, and Fungi.

Finalist - Insects. A small robber fly (Asilidae) with a small beetle it has claimed as prey
Finalist - Insects. A small robber fly (Asilidae) with a small beetle it has claimed as prey

The contest has no strict definition of what a "close-up" shot needs to be, so a variety of shots are celebrated here, from extreme microscopic imagery to more general close-up photos that place animals or insects within broader environments.

The top prize this year went to Canadian photographer Samantha Stevens. Working with researchers at the Algonquin Wildlife Research Station, Stevens discovered a Northern Pitcher plant had caught not one but two salamanders.

Overall Winner, 1st Place - Animals. Northern Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia purpurea) are carnivorous and a single plant here managed to capture two juvenile Spotted Salamanders
Overall Winner, 1st Place - Animals. Northern Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia purpurea) are carnivorous and a single plant here managed to capture two juvenile Spotted Salamanders

"While following researchers on their daily surveys I saw a pitcher with two salamanders floating at the surface of the pitcher’s fluid, both at the same stage of decay," said Stevens. "I knew it was a special and fleeting moment. The next day, both salamanders had sunk to the bottom of the pitcher."

2nd Place - Animals. As this pond hundreds of miniature toads, barely a centimetre in size began to wander around seeking refuge. A pair of them found safety in the huge paw print of a mastiff that was left in the mud when it came to quench its thirst at the water’s edge
2nd Place - Animals. As this pond hundreds of miniature toads, barely a centimetre in size began to wander around seeking refuge. A pair of them found safety in the huge paw print of a mastiff that was left in the mud when it came to quench its thirst at the water’s edge

Other highlights from this year's impressive batch of winners include the surreal tracks of a sand viper in the Sahara desert, tiny toads hiding out in the paw prints of a mastiff, and a surreal close-up of a knotted rubber band.

Take a look through our gallery at all the best shots from this year's contest.

Source: CUPOTY

View gallery - 21 images
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