The winners of this year's Close-up Photographer of the Year have recently been announced, and there are some truly amazing images with interesting stories to go with them.
The overall winner was photographed by Samantha Stephens, for her image of a pair of salamanders who had fallen prey to a carnivorous plant.
"Northern pitcher plants normally feast on moths and flies but researchers recently discovered a surprising new item on the plant’s menu: juvenile spotted salamanders," says Samantha.
"While following researchers on their daily surveys, I saw a pitcher with two salamanders floating at the surface of the pitcher’s fluid, both at the same stage of decay. I knew it was a special and fleeting moment."
We have selected our favourites from the top three of each category, including stunning snakes, slime moulds and scary parasitic worms.
The Close-up Photographer of the Year is a celebration of close-up, macro and micro photography, and is open to amateurs and professionals from around the world.
Animals category winner & overall winner
Two juvenile spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) have been swallowed up by a northern pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), a type of carnivorous plant. These salamanders have already started to decay in the bottom of the bell-shaped leaves of the plant.Photo by Samantha Stephens/CUPOTY
Underwater category winner
This is a stalked jellyfish (Lucernaria quadricornis), hiding in the freezing waters of the White Sea, Russia. The green algae that surround it indicate that spring is on its way.Photo by Viktor Lyagushkin/CUPOTY
Manmade category winner
This macro picture was captured as two drops of oil were merging, and the image resembles a very jolly face. Photo by Matt Vacca/CUPOTY
Fungi category winner
Somemature slime moulds, identified asComatricha, grow on an old rotten fence post. These moulds have been encased in ice during the freezing cold night. The largest slime mould in this image is still only 3mm tall.Photo by Barry Webb/CUPOTY
Butterflies category winner
A dew-covered male banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) rests on a reed stem, in the early morning in Ede, Netherlands. Photo by Wim Vooijs/CUPOTY
Young category winner
Fruiting bodies of slime moulds (Hemitrichia calyculata), photographed on rotten wood. Photo by Nathan Benstead/CUPOTY
Plants category winner
Snake’s-head fritillary flower (Fritillaria meleagris), taken in the city ofToulouse, France. Photo by Sebastien Blomme/CIPOTY
Micro category winner
A type of red algae (Batrachospermum)taken from a small river in Wigry National Park, Poland, and photographed under a microscope.Photo by Marek Miś
Invert portrait category winner
This triangular spider species (Arkys curtulus) is an ambush predator, not a web-based hunter like most other species of spider. To hunt its prey, it sits compact and curled up on a leaf, mimickingbird poo. Photo by Jamie Hall/CUPOTY
Intimate landscapes category winner
A building is reflected in the water of a nearby water feature, at Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom.Photo by Mike Curry/CUPOTY
Insects category winner
A swarm of termites fly around a light near a petrol pump in Cooch Behar, India, but unfortunately a drongo (a small bird) is swooping in and easily eating them all up. Photo by Anirban DuttaIntruder/CUPOTY
A scarlet waxcap slime mould, photographed in November 2021 in Ebernoe Woods, United Kingdom. Dew covers the slime mould as well as surrounding spider webs, in this eerie image. Photo by Jeremy Lintott/CUPOTY
Underwater category runner-up
A blue spotted klipfish (Pavoclinus caeruleopunctatus) rests on top of some Mediterranean mussels, an invasive species in the waters of Steenbras Deep, False Bay, South Africa, where this photo was taken.Photo by Kate Jonker/CUPOTY
Invert portrait category runner-up
This Gordian worm (Nematomorpha) is a parasitic beast that has just emerged from inside a fire back huntsman spider, in the rainforest creek of the Australian Sunshine Coast. These worms lay their eggs in water, and if an insect is unlucky enough to consume an egg when they drink, they will soon find such a worm growing inside of them. Photo by Ben Revell/CUPOTY
Animal category third place
A Sahara sand viper (Cerastes vipera) makes its way over the sand dunes of the Negev desert, Israel, before getting into a good position to catch prey.Photo by Paul Lennart Schmid/CUPOTY
Butterflies category third place
A common winter damselfly (Sympecma fusca) rests on the tip of a grass spikelet, in this image taken in Fribourg, Switzerland. Photo by Kai Rosler/CUPOTY
Intimate landscapes category third place
Close-up image of a sea fan, photographed in the waters of Aruba. Photo by Angelo Richardson/CUPOTY
Micro category third place
This incredible moss, identified as Schistidium, is only about 1mm wide at the head, where you can see what is known asperistome teeth. These teeth are common in mosses, and allow them to release spores gradually. This was photographed in Ulleråker, Sweden, in the photographer's front room. Photo by Harald Cederlund/CUPOTY
James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.
