FAQ
If you can't find an answer to your question here, the RULES and HOW TO ENTER pages may help. If not, drop us a line at hello@cupoty.com.
How do you define a close-up photograph?
Close-up is the spirit of the competition, not its definition.
The finished image is the important thing, not the equipment that was used to take it – you don't have to use a macro lens to enter. If your image gives the viewer a feeling of being close to the subject, then it counts.
See: www.cupoty.com/what-counts-as-close-up
In practice, the spectrum covers sections of a large landscape to images made with a microscope:
Intimate landscape – the widest view in the contest, allowing small sections of the landscape.
A sense of proximity – images of animals, plants and underwater subjects that don't have to be super-close, but make the viewer feel they could reach out and touch the subject.
Small subjects in their habitat – insects, arachnids, fish, plants and fungi photographed in a wider context or habitat. Celebrating the overlooked is one of CUPOTY's central aims.
Macro and extreme macro – the heart of the competition, welcomed across every category.
Photomicrograph – work made with a light microscope or microscope objective. Accepted in any category except Underwater and Intimate Landscape.
Looking at the past winners galleries is the best way to see where these bands sit in practice.
If you're still unsure whether your image fits, email a low-res file to hello@cupoty.com before entering.
What's your AI policy?
Every entry must start from a photograph. Generative AI cannot be used to create an image, add anything to the original photograph, or extend the background.
Standard editing – exposure, contrast, dust removal, cropping, sharpening, denoise – is fine. AI-powered denoise and sharpening tools (such as those in Lightroom, Topaz Labs and Affinity Photo) are allowed because they enhance an existing photograph rather than generate new content.
What post-processing is allowed?
A wide range of standard editing is welcome:
Exposure, contrast, levels, curves, colour balance and saturation
Dodging and burning, including selective adjustments using layers
Cropping, straightening, and resizing
Dust spot, blemish, lens dirt and backscatter removal
Denoise and sharpening (including tools in Lightroom, Topaz Labs, Affinity Photo and similar)
Black-and-white conversion, tinting, and white balance adjustment
What's not allowed (except in Studio Art):
Removing, painting over or hiding major elements of the photograph
Adding anything to the photograph from another source
Generative AI of any kind
Composited images and software-layered textures
The guiding principle is that AI can help with how you process the image, but can't change what was in the original frame, except for basic clean-ups.
What equipment can I use?
Anything that produces a photograph. Cameras, phones, scanners, camera traps, microscopes, and non-camera processes such as photograms are all welcome. Microscope images can be entered into any category except Underwater and Intimate Landscape.
What matters is the resulting image, not the equipment. You don't need a macro lens to enter.
Are focus-stacked images allowed?
Yes. Focus stacking is welcome and judged on the same terms as single-frame images.
HDR, stitched panoramas, and in-camera multiple exposures are also allowed.
Composited images and layered textures created in software are only permitted in the Studio Art category.
We may ask shortlisted photographers about their methods, including how a stacked or stitched image was made, so judges have full context for the picture.
What's your ethics policy on photographing wildlife?
No animal should be harmed or distressed, and no habitat damaged, in pursuit of an image entered into CUPOTY.
In particular:
No living animal may be stilled in any way – by freezing, chemicals, glueing or pinning.
No animal may be restrained, or attracted using live bait.
Captions must accurately describe what's happening in the picture. Misrepresenting animal behaviour is not allowed.
Pictures of historical specimens are allowed, as are images captured through genuine scientific research.
We may ask shortlisted photographers about their methods and the welfare of the subject before, during and after the photograph was taken. Failure to disclose methods, or any breach of these ethics, may result in disqualification.
Can I enter microscope images?
Yes, any image made with a light microscope or a microscope objective on a lens can be entered into any category except Underwater and Intimate Landscape. All photomicrographs can be entered into Studio Art.
Who can enter CUPOTY?
Close-up Photographer of the Year is open to everyone. Anyone can enter, from any country. If you are under 18 years-old on the closing date, you must enter Young CUPOTY.
Does it matter when I took the photograph?
No, there is no date restriction on when the picture was taken.
Can I enter a photograph that has been entered into another competition?
Yes, you can. It will be at the judges discretion whether to award an image that has already won a category at another major competition or been widely published or exhibited elsewhere.
Can I enter a photograph that I submitted to CUPOTY in previous years?
Yes, as long as it hasn’t been in the Top 100 before. If the picture was shortlisted before, you can submit it again to see if it makes the Top 100. If it doesn’t, it will not be shortlisted again.
How many categories can I enter?
You can spread your entries across as many categories as you want. For example, you could purchase six entries and enter 2 in Animals, 3 in Plants and 1 in Intimate Landscape, or you could enter all six pictures into Insects. If you are 17 or under, you can only enter the Young CUPOTY category.
What category should I enter my picture in?
Almost any subject should be able to find a home in one of the categories. Sometimes it may not be obvious, or the image could go into two or three categories. If in doubt, select the category according to the main subject or focus point of the photo. If you are still unsure, please email a low-res image to hello@cupoty.com before entering. We will ensure no image will be disqualified for being entered into the wrong category.
Can I enter one image into more than one category?
Yes, you may enter a picture into more than one category but each category entered is counted as one entry.
For instance, you may have a detailed image of a beetle that you want to enter into Insects and Invertebrate Portrait. Although it is one picture, it counts as two entries.
You will need to send the same image twice with the appropriate category in each filename, eg.
Insects-Roberto-Gonzalez-beetle
and
Portrait-Roberto-Gonzalez-beetle
When does CUPOTY 8 (2026) open?
CUPOTY 8 opens for entries on 17th May 2026. An earlybird discount is available until June 7th.
When is the closing date of Close-up Photographer of the Year?
The Competition closes at the end of Sunday 12 July 2026, wherever you are in the world – up to a final cutoff of 12:00 UTC on 13 July 2026.
In practical terms: if it's still 12 July where you are, you can still enter. The form closes at the moment 12 July ends in the latest time zone on Earth, which is 12:00 UTC on 13 July.
It only takes 2 minutes to sign-up and pay. You can then submit your pictures at anytime up to seven days after the closing date.
How much does it cost to enter Close-up Photographer of the Year?
It costs:
£22 – Up to 6 images
£33 – Up to 15 images
£44 – Up to 30 images
Earlybird discount up to and including 7 June 2026:
£20 – Up to 6 images
£30 – Up to 15 images
£40 – Up to 30 images
Young CUPOTY (under 18s):
£5 – Up to 15 images
Can I enter more than 6 images but less than 15?
Yes you can. If you purchase entry for 15 images but only want to enter 12, that's completely fine. Likewise, if you want to enter 3 pictures, you'll need to pay for the entry of 6 images.
Do I have to send my pictures as soon as I pay for entry?
No, you can send your pictures at any time from the moment you pay to enter until exactly seven days after the closing date. You may send them all at once, or over a period of time but please bear in mind you cannot substitute or withdraw a picture once it has been sent.
How do I enter Close-up Photographer of the Year?
You need to pay for your entry first at ENTER CUPOTY. Then you need to send us your image files by visiting SEND IMAGES.
See HOW TO ENTER for more information.
How do I pay to enter Close-up Photographer of the Year?
Go to ENTER CUPOTY. Select the number of pictures you want to enter and click Purchase. Fill in your details. Payments are taken through PayPal or Stripe, so you can either pay with your PayPal account or with a bank or credit card.
How do I send my images to Close-up Photographer of the Year?
Images should be sent through the form at SEND IMAGES.
If this is not possible, please email us at enter@cupoty.com and we will provide another way.
I can't use the form to send my pictures, what should I do?
Refresh the page.
Try a different browser.
Send your pictures through our WeTransfer page at https://cupoty.wetransfer.com
Send an email to enter@cupoty.com so we can arrange a different way for you to send your images.
What size should the images be for entry?
Each image should be no larger than 2200px on the longest edge and saved at maximum quality. See PREPARING YOUR IMAGES for details on how to do this with image editing software.
How should I label my image file for upload?
You need to label your files in this order, separated by hyphens:
Category
(Choose from Animals, Insects, Butterflies, Portrait, Arachnids, Underwater, Plants, Fungi, Landscape, Studio or Young.)First name
Last name
A short picture title
For example:
Plants-James Green-Fern Frond.jpg
How should I caption my image?
Adding a caption isn't required, but it strongly helps the judges understand your picture.
A good caption covers:
What the subject is
Where and when the photograph was taken
How it was made, including any focus stacking, post-processing or other techniques used
Please don't include your name in the caption. All judging is anonymous, and each image is given a unique identifying number when it's submitted.
You can add a caption in your image editing software like this:
Lightroom Classic – Library module > Metadata > Caption
Lightroom (cloud/mobile) – Info panel ((i) icon) > Caption
Photoshop – File > File Info > Description
Affinity Photo 2 – Window > Studio > Metadata > IPTC (Image) > Description
Capture One – Metadata tool tab > IPTC - Content > Description
If you’re using different software, look for "Caption," "Description" or "IPTC" in the metadata or file info section.
How are entries judged?
Every image is judged anonymously. When you submit, your picture is given a unique identifying number, and the judges see the image and its caption but not your name.
Our Jury is a panel of 20+ photographers, editors and specialists, drawn from across the field of close-up and natural-history photography. You can see this year's full panel at www.cupoty.com/the-jury
Every category is reviewed by multiple judges, who vote independently to identify the strongest work. These images are then discussed collectively to agree the category finalists and top three places. The Jury votes across the ten category winners to choose the overall Close-up Photographer of the Year. A separate vote selects the Young Close-up Photographer of the Year from the Young category.
Before winners are announced, we ask shortlisted photographers for their original Raw files so we can verify the work and check the post-processing meets our rules. The Jury's decision is final.
We don't offer individual feedback on entries. With thousands of images to assess, it isn't something we can give the time it deserves.
What happens if I'm shortlisted?
If your image is selected for the shortlist, we'll email you at the address you entered with. To make sure our messages don't go to spam, please add enter@cupoty.com, tracy@cupoty.com and dan@cupoty.com to your contacts.
Once shortlisted, we'll ask you for a few things within 14 days:
A high-resolution version of your image, matching the colour and crop of the file you originally submitted.
The original Raw file (or untouched JPEG, if Raw isn't available) for authentication and to check the degree of post-processing.
A detailed caption and technical information – what the subject is, where and when the picture was taken, and how. This helps with media coverage, the Top 100 gallery and possible inclusion in the annual ebook.
In some cases, any images taken before or after the photograph, if we need them to verify methods or ethics.
If you can't meet the 14-day deadline, get in touch within that window and we'll do our best to grant an extension.
What happens to the copyright of my picture?
You retain the copyright and intellectual property rights of the picture. By entering the competition, you allow CUPOTY to use the picture to help publicise and promote the competition. Please read the rules for more information.
I live outside the UK, can I get my prize money in a currency that is not GBP?
Sorry, the prize money is awarded as Pounds Sterling (GBP). We will make it as efficient as possible for you to receive the prize money, with as little lost in transaction fees as possible.