“Clash of the Titans” by Svetlana Ivanenko (Russia). Overall Winner and 1st Place, Insects
Two stag beetles (Lucanus cervus) battle for dominance in the Voronezh region of Russia.
After releasing its shortlist last autumn, the Close Up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) contest has now revealed the winners of its 2024 competition. Photographer Svetlana Ivanenko was named the overall winner for her fascinating photo of two stag beetles battling for dominance. Seemingly emerging from the shadows, their horns lock as they clash.
“For a brief period in summer, stag beetles (Lucanus cervus) engage in fierce battles for mating rights,” shares Ivanenko. “These elusive creatures inhabit oak forests, making them difficult to find. I traveled 700km to witness this beautiful event and I want to share it with everyone.”
The sixth edition of the competition, which is organized in association with Affinity Photo, attracted over 11,000 photos from 61 countries. To select the winners of the 11 categories, as well as the top 100 photos, an expert jury of 25 photographers, scientists, journalists, and editors spent over 20 hours deliberating.
Fifteen-year-old Andrés Luis Dominguez Blanco of Spain was named Young Close Up Photographer of the Year for his incredible photo of a European Bee-eater with an insect in its beak. Caught mid-flight, the photo results from Blanco’s careful observation skills, as he’d monitored the bird with binoculars to see its flight path after hunting.
One stand-out photo is Pierluigi Rizzo‘s image of a Meditteranean black widow spider feasting on its prey, which won the Arachnid category. The final image is actually the result of two overlapping photos, which allowed Rizzo to emphasize the spider’s red abdomen and it enjoying its meal.
Scroll down to see all of the category winners, and then head over to the CUPOTY website to view all top 100 photographs from this year’s contest.
Here are the winners of the sixth annual Close Up Photographer of the Year contest.
“Spring” by Andrés Luis Dominguez Blanco (Spain), 14 years old. Winner, Young Close-up Photographer of the Year
A European Bee-eater in mid-flight with an insect in its beak. Southern Spain at the end of spring 2023.
“Queen of Hearts” by Pierluigi Rizzo (Italy). 1st Place, Arachnids
A female Mediterranean black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) feeds on its prey in Pollino National Park, Calabria, Italy.
“Ear-Pick Fungus” by Barry Webb (UK), 1st Place, Fungi & Slime Moulds
A 15mm tall ear-pick fungus growing on a pine cone. New Forest, UK.
“Damselfly by the Waterfall” by Yong Miao (China). 1st Place, Butterflies & Dragonflies
A damselfly (Archineura incarnata) rests on a rock amidst a flowing waterfall in Tianmushan Nature Reserve, Zhejiang Province, China
“God in the Shadows” by Santiago J. Monroy García (Colombia). 1st, Animals
An Andean Bear stands amidst the dense foliage of a highland rainforest. Ecopalacio Nature Reserve, La Calera, Colombia, about 30km from Bogotá, Colombia.
The photo contest attracted over 11,000 photos from 61 countries.
“Everything’s A-OK” by Gabriel Jensen (USA). 1st Place, Underwater
A doctorfish struggles in the jaws of a lizardfish. Kona, Hawaii.
“Mosses” by Piet Haaksma (Netherlands). 1st Place, Plants
Garden moss covered in dew drops. Sneek, Netherlands
“Search for the Dragon” by Jenny Stock (UK). 2nd Place, Underwater
A leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) swims with a school of rough bullseye fish (Pempheris klunzingeri) in Rapid Bay, South Australia.
“Artificial Landscape” by Rob Blanken (Netherlands). 1st Place, Studio Art
Crystals of amino acids (beta-alanine and L-glutamine) under a microscope. Veenwouden, the Netherlands.
“Bark is Worse than its Bite” by Aran Gibbs (Ireland). 1st Place, Invertebrate Portrait
A Caerostris spider rests on a stick in the Malaysian jungle. Semenyih, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“Moonlight” by Imre Potyó (Hungary). 2nd Place, Animals
Lesser horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus hipposideros) return to an abandoned iron ore mine. Börzsöny Hill, Hungary.
“Stauropus Fagi” by José Manuel Lois Rial (Spain). 2nd Place, Invertebrate Portrait
A Lobster moth caterpillar (Stauropus fagi) on a tree branch in my garden in Spain.
The photographers submitted their best work into 11 different categories.
“Mayfly Arena” by Imre Potyó (Hungary). 2nd Place, Insects
Danube mayflies (Ephoron virgo) swarm above the Danube in Hungary.
“Afternoon Snack” by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas (Germany), 17 years old. 2nd Place, Young
A robber fly (Asilidae sp.) feeds on a flesh fly (Sarcophagidae sp.). Brandenburg, Germany.
“Storm of Spores” by José Luis Gigirey González (Spain). 2nd Place, Fungi & Slime Moulds
Puffball mushrooms release spores in a chestnut forest in Covas, Spain.
“Flowing Kelp” by Sigfrido Zimmermann (USA). 3rd Place, Plants
A giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) frond in the water of Channel Islands National Park, California.
“Fall Matrix” by Andrew Mielzynski (Canada). 2nd Place, Intimate Landscape
Dead Jack Pine branches cross-cross vibrant huckleberry plants. Jackpine-Crowberry Barrens, Nova Scotia, Canada.
“Sphere” by Ferenc Kocsis (Hungary). 2nd Place, Butterflies & Dragonflies
A winter moth flies in a Hungarian forest at twilight.
“Fire Stream Scorpio” by Avilash Ghosh (India). 2nd Place, Arachnids
A scorpion glows under UV light on the sand of the Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India. Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India.
“A Network of Life and Death” by Jean-Philippe Delobelle (France). 1st Place, Intimate Landscape
The etched tunnels of bark beetle larvae (Ips typographus) beneath the bark of a spruce tree. Le Monal in the French Alps.
“Drift 5” by Matt Vacca (USA). 2nd Place, Studio Art
Oil drops on water. Los Angeles, USA.