Close-Up Photographer of the Year has revealed the champions of its seventh competition, with Ross Gudgeon from Western Australia claiming the grand prize for his striking capture of a cauliflower soft coral’s intricate internal architecture. Shot from below, the image transforms the delicate pink stalks into what appears to be a forest of towering trees. The photograph highlights an urgent environmental concern, as these extraordinary marine organisms found in New South Wales reefs have experienced a devastating 90% population decline between 2011 and 2021.
The competition’s category winners showcase an impressive diversity of life forms, featuring detailed close-ups of both aquatic and land-dwelling creatures ranging from insects and spiders to mammals and amphibians. Among the recognized photographers is Barry Webb, whose work meticulously documents the miniature world of slime molds. The complete collection of winning photographs can be viewed on the official CUPOTY platform, alongside remarkable submissions from previous competitions.
More info: Website, Instagram.
1st place in the Underwater category: Ross Gudgeon, “Fractal Forest”
1st place in the Invertebrate Portrait category: Laurent Hesemans, “Good Boy”
1st place in the Animals category: Filippo Carugati, “Amphibian Galaxy”
1st place in the Young category: Rithved Girish, “Guardians of the Hive”
2nd place in the Fungi category: Barry Webb, “Cribraria Cluster”
2nd place in the Animals category: Amit Eshel, “Inside the Pack”
3rd place in the Animals category: Bence Máté, “Spider Web”
1st place int the Arachnids category: Artur Tomaszek, “Dinner”
3rd place in the Young category: Jameson Hawkins, “Emerald Glow”
