Editor's note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series dedicated to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet and identifying solutions to those challenges. Rolex's Perpetual Planet Initiative has partnered with CNN to raise awareness and education on key sustainability issues and inspire positive action.
(CNN) – Mesmerizing photos of ants shooting acid, a shrimp swimming on a rainbow-colored starfish and a butterfly watching a wedding reception are among the winning images in the 2023 Close-up Photographer of the Year competition.
Now in its fifth year, the competition celebrates micro and macro photography and seeks to reveal the hidden wonders of nature, from microscopic mushrooms to majestic animals. “Micro” refers to photographing small objects that need to be enlarged, while “macro” involves taking close-up photos of larger creatures.
This unusually colorful piece of seaweed won the photomicrography category. (Gerhard Vlcek/cupoty.com)
Tracy Calder, co-founder of the competition and member of the jury, told CNN how the photos reveal unusual interactions between animals and plants and demonstrate how everything in the natural world is interconnected and interdependent. “They celebrate animals and behaviors that people have never seen or encountered before,” he said.
This year's main prize went to Hungarian photographer Csaba Daróczi for his black and white image of a nuthatch flying through a forest. The stunning image was captured with a GoPro from inside a hollowed-out tree trunk and offers a new perspective of the bird against a backdrop full of elongated trees.
Csaba Daróczi’s photo is titled “The Forest Bird.” (cupoty.com)
This year's young close-up photographer title went to 17-year-old Spaniard Carlos Pérez Naval for his image of a Moorish gecko on a wall covered in pyrolusite crystals. “These magnesium minerals form impressive formations that look like petrified trees, but they are so small that they are difficult to see,” he said in a press release.
Carlos Pérez Naval, 17, took this photo in Calamacha, Spain, the city where he lives. (Carlos Perez Naval/cupoty.com)
“I have long wanted to catch a gecko in the Petrified Forest, but recently it appeared in my village, probably brought with fruit baskets from warmer climes. Due to climate change, they can now survive here,” he added.
In the “Plants” category, this photo, reminiscent of a Monet painting, shows the reflection of a magnolia tree on the water, taken by Ria Bloemendaal. (cupoty.com)
The jury, consisting of 23 photographers, scientists and naturalists, selected the winners in each category from a total of 12,000 candidates from 67 countries. Many were taken in the photographers' area, showing the beauty of what could be seen in their own backyard, Calder said.
Carpenter ants that shoot acid secretions, in a photo by René Krekels. (cupoty.com)
Calder and her husband Daniel launched the competition in 2018. They are both professional photographers. While many other photography awards have close-up categories, they felt there was a need for an entire competition dedicated to macro and micro photography.
“Guest at the wedding”, photo also by Csaba Daróczi. (cupoty.com)
“It is often easier for people to support conservation stories that involve “cute” or more obvious animals and plants: rhinos, pandas, orchids. But the lesser-known insects and plants that we often think of as pests play a big role in keeping everything in balance. Close-up photos often show these animals and plants,” he said.
In the invertebrate category, a photo of a “stiphra,” part insect, part cricket, won. Taken by Tibor Molnar in Ecuador. (cupoty.com)
“It’s also fun to show people things they wouldn’t be able to see without a macro lens or microscope. Many of the creatures and plants we show are around us but never observed. The competition is a way to get exposure,” he added.
In the “Mushrooms” category, a 1 millimeter mushroom with a piece of ice on top won. Taken by Barry Webb in the UK. (cupoty.com)
In the “Artwork” category, Elizabeth Kazda won, photographing threads using long exposure. (cupoty.com)