Welcome to the sixth Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY), in association with Affinity Photo!

Do you photograph things that most people overlook or will never get the chance to see? Do you spend an uncomfortable amount of time laying on the ground trying to photograph a beetle or a wild orchid from the best angle? Do you notice the way mud cracks on the edge of a river or paint peels on a wall? Perhaps you spend days watching the behaviour of an animal or hours waiting for the perfect light to capture nature’s beauty. Or maybe you spend afternoons endlessly adjusting tiny details to get the perfect shot in the studio, or spend all night staring down a microscope.

If you do any of these things, and you’d like to show the astonishing things that you have photographed to your peers, expert jury and global audience, then that’s what Close-up Photographer of the Year is here for.

Close-up Photographer of the Year, in association with Affinity Photo, is an annual competition revealing the hidden wonder of the world through close-up, macro and micro photography.

Enter now for your chance to win the £2,500 cash grand prize and CUPOTY trophy.

There are 10 categories to choose from and a Young category for under 18s.

It’s not all about the winning though. Our celebrated shortlist galleries bring together hundreds of photographers to gauge the current state-of-play in close-up photography. The unique vision, creative approach and individual experience of each photographer collected in the gallery will help viewers see the world anew.

The Top 100 images selected by the expert jury will appear in the winner’s gallery as a permanent exhibition on this website. These images will be seen by millions of people around the world through newspapers, magazines, websites and social media.

Our hope is that these pictures will help to inspire a wider appreciation of nature’s wealth, encourage a deeper connection to these sometimes overlooked animals, plants and landscapes and kindle a desire to protect them.

The competition closes on Sunday 14th July, 2024. It only takes 2 minutes to enter and you can submit your pictures later. You have until July 21st to send them in.

We can’t wait to share your wonder!