Finalists for the annual Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) competition, which celebrates close-up, macro and micro photography, have been announced. This year the contest received a record 15,388 entries, according to the announcement. Judges were presented with a wide range of images, from acrobatic chameleons and birds cleaning the noses of elephant seals to ants seizing an opportune moment and salmon spawning. The release of the finalist list moves the competition into the next phase, with winners still to be confirmed.
Key Takeaways: The CUPOTY competition received 15,388 photographs this year, a record number of submissions. Finalist images include scenes of chameleons, elephant seals and birds, ants and spawning salmon. The next stage is the judging decision and the eventual announcement of winners.
CUPOTY is an international contest focused on close-up, macro and micro photography, with the aim of revealing details that are often invisible to the naked eye. Such competitions give photographers a platform to show their work to a wider audience and draw attention to natural processes, biodiversity and scientific visualisation. Macro photography has become more accessible in recent years as optics, digital cameras and editing software have improved. The record number of entries suggests growing interest in the genre among both professionals and enthusiasts. The competition’s focus on small-scale subjects also highlights how photography can bridge art and science, making complex natural phenomena more accessible to general audiences.
Among the submitted works, animal behaviour and unexpected moments in nature feature prominently. Acrobatic chameleons, birds cleaning the noses of elephant seals, ants taking advantage of a timely opportunity and salmon during spawning illustrate the diversity of the competition. These images are valuable not only for their aesthetic appeal but also as visual records of biological processes, ecological relationships and microscopic details. In assessing entries, judges typically consider technical skill, composition, use of light and the depth with which a subject is revealed.
For now, only the finalist list has been released; the winners and category results are expected to be announced later. The outcome is likely to be followed by the photography community, nature enthusiasts and specialists in scientific visualisation. Finalist works from CUPOTY are usually shared widely through exhibitions, publications and online platforms, which helps sustain interest in close-up photography. No specific date for the winner announcement was included in the source material, so the exact timing remains pending.
Source: kun.uz