Zoom in on these amazing close-up photos

a green chameleon hanging on to dry plants, suspended above ground — Image caption,
Competition co-founder Tracy Calder said: "Close-up photography has a wonderful way of revealing details and perspectives that often go unnoticed"

11 November 2026

Do you like looking at nature? How about reeeeally closely?

Well Close Up Photographer of the Year competition aims to showcase photos that get us close to the action.

A record 15,388 images were entered into this year's contest.

There's 11 different categories, including Insects, Animals, and a category for photographers who are under-18 too.

The category winners and overall champion will be announced in January 2027, so for now let's look at some who are in the running.

More fabulous photography

Check out this year's Bird Photographer of the Year winning pics
Making a Splash: Check out Ocean Photographer of the Year winning pics
Poo-pushing beetle wins Young Wildlife Photographer Award

'Young' category

Skip image gallery

Image source, Emma Navazesh/CUPOTY
Image caption,
This colourful photo by Emma Navazesh is of an urban thrush
Image source, Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb/CUPOTY
Image caption,
This photo by Flynn Thaitanunde called Buzzing Past really gives a sense of the bee flying through the air
Image source, Marina Gavrikova/CUPOTY
Image caption,
This snap of an ant peering through some leaves was taken by Marina Gavrikova
Image source, Marton Janos Nagy/CUPOTY
Image caption,
This picture by Marton Janos Nagy is called 'Collision'
Image source, Oliver Lacey/CUPOTY
Image caption,
This cool looking spider snapped by Oliver Lacey has a pretty impressive mohawk
Image source, Sasha Jumanca/CUPTOY
Image caption,
This dramatic shot of two birds fighting over a good spot to get fish for dinner was taken by Sasha Jumanca

Best of the rest

Skip image gallery

Image source, Hira Punjabi/CUPOTY
Image caption,
Hira Punjabi, the photographer behind this dramatic picture of a bat, said: "I spent seven nights photographing animals visiting a waterhole at Shompole Conservancy in Kenya. Even bats need a way to beat the scorching summer heat! On hot summer days, these fascinating creatures dip themselves in cool water to help regulate their body temperature, stay refreshed and escape the rising heat."
Image source, Joao Potes/CUPOTY
Image caption,
This cheeky fella was snapped by Joao Potes and is called 'Suspended'
Image source, Dmitrii Melgunov/CUPOTY
Image caption,
This photo by Dmitrii Melgunov is in the 'Butterflies and Dragonflies' category
Image source, David Myles/CUPOTY
Image caption,
These dewy fungi were captured by David Myles
Image source, Bidyut Kalita/CUPOTY
Image caption,
This picture by Bidyut Kalita is called 'The Weight of Survival', and shows a wasp carrying a spider it plans to feed to its young.
Image source, Lukas Furlan/CUPOTY
Image caption,
This colourful shot by Lukas Furlan is in the 'Intimate Landscape' category, and Lukas said rotating the image "revealed an entirely different world, almost like looking through a portal"
Image source, Adalbert Mojrzisch/CUPOTY
Image caption,
There's a 'Plants' category too - this is Adalbert Mojrzisch's entry of beachgrass

Bite-sized videos