The seventh annual Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) competition, presented in association with Affinity Photo, is a prestigious event dedicated to unveiling the often-unseen wonders of the world through the art of close-up, macro, and micro photography. This is your opportunity to submit your finest work across eleven diverse categories for a chance to win the £2,500 cash prize and the coveted CUPOTY trophy.
By participating, your images could be featured in our celebrated shortlist galleries, reaching a global audience, or even make it into the Top 100 winners’ gallery, gaining exposure to millions worldwide through various media outlets. Winners also have the chance to share the story behind their photograph in our annual eBook. Submit your captivating close-up perspectives, which should aim to bring viewers into an intimate proximity with your subject, encompassing everything from small flora and fauna in their environment to the intricate details revealed through macro and microscopic lenses.
Entry Fees: save 10% before 16 June
Under 18’s:
- £5 for 15 Pictures
Over 18’s:
- £22 for 6 Pictures
- £30 for 15 Pictures
- £40 for 30 Pictures
Prepare your image files
1920px or less along the longest edge
at 300dpi
in the sRGB color space
without watermarks, borders or signatures
Resize a copy of each image so that it is:
Though not essential, adding information to the metadata description box of your image during file preparation gives you the opportunity to tell the judges anything interesting about the picture. Explaining what the photo is of, as well as where, when and how it was taken may add to our understanding of the image.
NANPA recommends these five elements to write a good caption:
The What – Informative description of what the image depicts
The When – The time of year the image was taken
The Where – The location where the image was taken
The How it was photographed – Truthful disclosure of the conditions under which the image was captured
The How it was post processed – Truthful disclosure of any post-processing and digital manipulation.
How to add a caption:
Lightroom: Library module > Metadata tab > Caption.
Photoshop: File > File info > Description.
Affinity Photo 2: In Photo Persona > View > Studio > Metadata > Select File from the drop-down menu
Affinity Photo 1.8.1: In Photo Persona > View > Studio > Info > Under the Metadata tab select File from the drop-down menu
Affinity Photo: In Photo or Develop Personas > View > Studio > EXIF
Phase One Capture One: Metadata tab in Toolbar > IPTC-Content > Description.
EXIF data (exposure, camera lens etc) should be kept intact where possible.
Rename each image in the following order:
category
(animals, insects, butterflies, portrait, arachnids, underwater, plants, fungi, landscape, studio or young)first name
last name
a short picture title
Separate each word with a hyphen so that it looks like this:
animals-John-Smith-jumping spider
or
plants-Lucy-Jones-snowdrops-in-the-snow
Save the image as a JPEG / .jpg file
Overall Prize
£2,500
Universal License for all three Affinity apps (Photo, Designer + Publisher) for macOS, Windows & iPadOS
Topaz Labs Photo AI 4
Close-up Photographer of the Year trophy
Digital certificate and badge
Featured in the CUPOTY ebook
Global media coverage
The overall winner of the competition will receive the Close-up Photographer of the Year trophy, win £2,500 cash and gain worldwide exposure.
CATEGORY WINNER
£250
Universal License for all three Affinity apps (Photo, Designer + Publisher) for macOS, Windows & iPadOS
Cynustech Diffuser (to the Insects winner)
Digital certificate and badge
Featured in the CUPOTY ebook
Global media coverage
The adult entrants (except for the overall winner) judged to have taken the best picture in each category (Animals, Insects, Butterflies & Dragonflies, Arachnids, Invertebrate Portrait, Underwater, Plants, Fungi & Slime Moulds, Intimate Landscape and Studio Art) will win £250 each.
Young CUPOTY
SIGMA 105mm F2.8 DG DN MACRO | Art lens
SIGMA 105mm F2.8 DG DN MACRO | Art lens
SIGMA 105mm F2.8 DG DN MACRO | Art lens
Universal License for all three Affinity apps (Photo, Designer + Publisher) for macOS, Windows & iPadOS
Young Close-up Photographer of the Year trophy
Digital certificate and badge
Featured in the CUPOTY ebook
Global media coverage
The entrant aged 17 or under who has taken the best picture according to our judges will be awarded a SIGMA 105mm F2.8 DG DN MACRO | Art lens worth £700. They will also be named Young Close-up Photographer of the Year and receive a trophy.
The Top 100
Featured in the CUPOTY ebook
Digital certificate and badge
Global media coverage
Up to 100 of the best pictures entered into the competition, as chosen by our judges, will be displayed in our online exhibition and feature in the CUPOTY 7 eBook. This will be a permanent Hall of Fame for the photographers selected. These pictures will also be sent out to the world’s press.
CUPOTY respects your rights and does not claim copyright for pictures you submit to the Competition, you will retain full copyright for each entry.
CUPOTY will make every reasonable effort to ensure that name credits are given to any photograph published in any medium. You agree that CUPOTY will not be liable if the credit is omitted.
By entering the Competition, you grant CUPOTY and its sponsors and supporters a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free licence to display, reproduce, adapt and publish, by any means, in any media, throughout the world, any winning, Top 100 or shortlisted images for any purpose directly connected with the Competition for a period of five years following the date of the announcement of the winners. This may include, but is not limited to:
a) the judging of the Competition,
b) displaying the entries on the Site and on the websites of sponsors and supporters;
c) publishing the entries in associated books, magazines, calendars, posters, flyers and cards — both print and digital;
d) displaying the entries at any CUPOTY exhibitions, talks, webinars, workshops or awards ceremony;
e) cropping and re-sizing the work as necessary to fit pre-defined formats to promote the competition;
f) sub-licensing the entries to the press for reproduction in connection with the Competition and any related exhibition or book;
g) on social media used by CUPOTY, its sponsors and supporters;
h) inclusion within any materials promoting the Competition or any exhibition of works from this competition organised by CUPOTY.
Should any use of the image beyond those needed to promote the Competition arise, permission will be sought from you in advance with terms and conditions to be agreed on by all parties.
Winning, Top 100 or shortlisted images may also be held in a Competition Winners Archive on the Site, in perpetuity, so the public can see any winning or shortlisted entries from previous years.
Disclaimer: Although we make every effort to provide accurate information, we advise a thorough review of the competitions rules and details to ensure your understanding and acceptance before proceeding with your entry.
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