Emanuele Biggi Namibs Gaze CUPOTY 2Emanuele Biggi won the inaugural Close-up Photographer of the Year with this photograph of a Peringuey’s adder, taken in Namibia. 

The search is on to find the next winner of Close-up Photographer of the Year, in association with Affinity Photo. Photographers have until 17 May, 2020, to enter the competition and be in with a chance of winning a cash prize of £2,500.

Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) is an annual competition showcasing the best close-up, macro and micro photography from around the world. The competition is open to all, using any type of camera, including a mobile phone, or microscope. To find out more visit www.cupoty.com.

There are seven categories: Animals (supported by MPB), Insects (new for 2020, and supported by Greenwings Wildlife Holidays), Plants & Fungi (supported by Affinity Photo), Intimate Landscape, Manmade World and Micro (for images taken with a microscope, supported by Zerene Stacker), as well as Young CUPOTY (supported by SIGMA) for entrants aged 17 or under.

Each category winner will receive £300, except for Young CUPOTY who will win two SIGMA lenses (a SIGMA 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO Art lens and a SIGMA 18–300mm F3.5–6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM lens with a Close-up filter). Every entrant (subject to availability) will receive a discount voucher from Affinity Photo, MPB, Zerene Stacker and Greenwings Wildlife Holidays.

Josiah Launstein Raindrops CUPOTYJosiah Launstein (aged 14) became the first Young Close-up Photographer of the Year with his photograph of a monkey-moth caterpillar, taken in Thailand.

Matt Doogue joins the judging panel this year to sit alongside other award-winning photographers David Maitland, Sue Bishop, Ross Hoddinott, and Robert Thompson, as well as editors Keith Wilson and Tracy Calder. Judging will take place in June 2019, with the results announced soon after.

The overall winner of CUPOTY 01 was Emanuele Biggi with his image of a Peringuey’s adder (see top image). Emanuele received £1,300 in cash, and SIGMA equipment worth £1,200. The competition attracted more than 3,000 entries, from 42 countries. All of the winning and shortlisted entries can be seen at www.cupoty.com.

The inaugural Young Close-up Photographer of the Year was 14-year old Josiah Launstein from Canada. His picture of a monkey-moth caterpillar (see above) saw him scoop a SIGMA 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO Art lens worth £499.

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See our Rights On report for the Close-up Photographer of the Year (02) competition.