Photo Competition That Gets Up Close and Personal With Wildlife Announces Shortlist

Oct 31, 2025

Matt Growcoot

A close-up of a beaver sitting on the forest floor at night, surrounded by twisted branches and dry leaves, with its wet fur glistening in the light. — ‘In the Forest of Mordor’ by Vincze Balint. Animals category.

The shortlist for Close-up Photographer of the Year 7 (2025) has been revealed after the 22 judges assessed 12,557 photographs across 11 categories during 20 hours of Zoom calls.

The categories are as follows: Animals, Insects, Butterflies and Dragonflies, Arachnids, Invertebrate Portrait, Underwater, Intimate Landscape, Plants, Fungi, Studio Art, and Young (U18s).

The top prize will be £2,500 ($3,277), a trophy, and a copy of Topaz Labs AI 4. Each category winner will take home £250 in cash and a Universal License for all three Affinity apps (Photo, Designer + Publisher) for macOS, Windows & iPad OS.

A bat with brown wings and an orange neck flies low over water, creating a splash and ripples, with droplets suspended in the air and a blurred green background. — ‘Splash’ by Douglas Gimesy. Animals category.

A delicate insect with translucent wings clings to a vertical stem at sunset, with a soft, glowing background and a blurred reflection of the insect visible nearby. — ‘Le Projectionniste’ by Nicolas Reytet. Insects category.

A beetle with open wings clings to a stalk of golden wheat in a field at sunset, with a dramatic sky and dark treetops in the background. — ‘Sharp Bend’ by Mark Pal. Insects category.

Hundreds of white moths swarm around a bright streetlight at night, creating a swirling, chaotic pattern against the orange glow, with buildings visible on either side of the street. — ‘Light Trap’ by Imre Potyo. Insects category.

A large, white, spiky mushroom grows on mossy ground in a dark, misty forest with deep blue lighting, creating a mysterious atmosphere. — ‘Bearded Ghost’ by Imre Potyo. Fungi and Slime Moulds category.

A parasitic fungus sprouts thin, dark stalks with red tips from the body of an insect on a green leaf; the fungus also has an orange, spore-producing structure at the top. — ‘Weevil’s End’ by Rafael Steinlesberger. Fungi and Slime Moulds category.

Five orange and black butterflies, some flying and some resting on green leaves, with a blurred green forest background. — ‘Flight’ by Pal Hermansen. Butterflies and Dragonflies category.

A long-exposure photo showing the flight paths of two moths, creating swirling, golden trails against a black background, with several clear images of the moths along the paths. — ‘S’ by Mark Pal. Butterflies and Dragonflies category.

A close-up of a damselfly perched on a cluster of delicate grass flowers with water droplets, set against a soft, blurred green background. — ‘Xanthocnemis Zealandica’ by Glenys Steegh. Butterflies and Dragonflies category.

A large, hairy spider clings to a weathered metal pole at night, with a power pole and a street sign labeled “Karelia” visible in the dark background. — ‘Nightmare on Karella Street’ by William Menzies. Arachnids category.

Close-up of a jumping spider with large eyes and hairy legs, perched on the edge of a green leaf, with a soft, blurred background. — ‘Magician’ by Thirachet Sonakul. Arachnids category.

A close-up of a small, dark, spiky spider with debris on its back, standing next to a translucent, pale pink fungus on a rough surface. The background is softly blurred. — ‘Hungry Mite’ by Pavel Krasensky. Arachnids category.

A close-up of a spider in the center of its web, silhouetted against a warm orange sunset background, with intricate web strands highlighted by the light. — ‘Sunrise’ by Natalia Shinkevich. Arachnids category.

Close-up macro image of a spider showing its hairy, segmented pedipalps and legs, with fine details of its eyes, body, and textured background in warm brown and orange tones. — ‘Pumpkin Spice’ by Justin Chan. Arachnids category.

A close-up of a brown spider with long legs holding a web shaped like a rectangular net, suspended against a black background. The spider is hanging upside down. — ‘Nocturnal Huntress’ by Darcy Santos. Arachnids category.

A large brown spider suspends a small fish caught and wrapped in its web against a black background. The fish hangs below the spider, entangled in silk threads. — ‘Caught Between Worlds’ by Ben Revell. Arachnids category.

Close-up of several slender, translucent fungi stalks growing from a dark surface, with one stalk emerging from the body of a small, dried insect. The background is soft yellow and green. — ‘Mite Feeding on Slime Mould’ by Barry Webb. Arachnids category.

A close-up macro photo of a small pseudoscorpion gripping its prey, an insect, with its pincers on a textured brown surface. Both creatures show fine detail and textures. — ‘Predator’ by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas. Arachnids category.

A green tree frog peeks its head and front legs out of a hole in a green wall at night. The frog appears relaxed, with part of a lit building visible in the background. — ‘Frog in the Wall’ by Willi Roman. Animals category.

A bird with an open beak faces a fish that is mid-air above its mouth, against a dark background. The bird appears poised to catch the fish. — ‘The Decisive Moment’ by Turgay Uzer. Animals category.

A close-up of a small insect with translucent wings perched on the textured, scaly skin right above the eye of a reptile, possibly a lizard or a snake. — ‘Precarious Perch’ by Rafael Steislesberger. Animals category.

Two nutrias with long white whiskers and large orange teeth face the camera against a blurred blue background, creating a surreal, close-up effect. — ‘Whiskers’ by Luca Lorenz. Animals category.

A brown hare sits among green foliage, surrounded by out-of-focus yellow flowers. The hare’s fur is wet, and its whiskers are clearly visible as it gazes to the right. — ‘Island Hare’ by Jacqueline Kirk. Animals category.

A small, translucent green frog with large eyes sits on a bright green leaf against a black background. The frog's body and eyes are in sharp focus, while the leaf and background are blurred. — ‘Guided by the Whistles’ by Guillaume Correa-Pimpao. Animals category.

A small ground squirrel stands in green grass, reaching up to touch a large dandelion puff. The background is soft and blurred, creating a dreamy, pastel scene with white and pink wildflowers. — ‘Flowered’ by Frensis Kuijer. Animals category.

A close-up of a sloth with wet, matted fur embracing its baby, whose face is partially visible as it nestles against the parent's arm. — ‘In Mothers Arms’ by Dvir Barkay. Animals category.

A close-up photo of a golden-yellow bee in mid-flight, with its wings blurred from motion and facing directly toward the camera against a softly blurred blue-green background. — ‘Bee in Flight’ by Uwe Zimmerman. Insects category.

Close-up of a bee covered in dewdrops, perched on a vibrant purple petal, with a soft-focus pink and purple background. — ‘Leafcutter Bee’ by Andrei Chetronie. Invertebrate Portrait category.

The Top 100 pictures and winners will be selected in January 2026. Close-up Photographer of the Year was founded in 2018 by Tracy and Dan Calder. Head to the website for more. Check out last year’s winners here.