WHY SHOULD I ENTER PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITIONS?

Close Up Photographer of the Year co-founder TRACY CALDER says competitions can boost your reputation

TELL US MORE ABOUT CUPOTY AND WHY YOU DECIDED TO LAUNCH IT?

I’ve always loved closeup photography and whilst there are many competitions out there with close-up sub-categories, there wasn’t a fully dedicated competition covering close-up, macro and micro photography.

In 2016, I came up with the idea for CUPOTY and after two years we (that’s my husband

Dan and I) launched the first CUPOTY competition. It’s now in its third year running and each year the community and entry numbers are growing.

There are nine categories to enter (Animals, Insects, Butterflies & Dragonflies, Underwater, Plants & Fungi, Intimate Landscape, Manmade,

Micro and Young). Anyone can enter, wherever you are in the world, whether you are professional or amateur. For those aged 17 and under, there is Young CUPOTY (the subject can be anything in this category). We have a dedicated team of 17 judges with varying expertise to decide on the winners.

WHAT DO YOU AND YOUR TEAM OF JUDGES LOOK FOR IN A WINNING IMAGE?

Obviously, something different, but more importantly with the animal and insect images, I love to see a behaviour or story told in the scene. I like it when the photographer is able to connect elements together and bring an emotional level to the image.

HOW DOES ENTERING COMPETITIONS HELP WITH YOUR PROFESSIONAL CAREER AND REPUTATION?

Firstly, it’s great to have a challenge or project to work on. Entering a competition not only forces you to consider and refine your ideas but also helps you develop your technical skills as a photographer.

Secondly, there is the benefit of peer respect. With CUPOTY, photographers will contact other photographers and say ‘hey I loved your image…’ so you get that peer respect and recommendation amongst each other.

And thirdly, there is the industry respect that comes with the competition. There is much promotion from all the photography competitions in magazines, online and in the newspapers. For example, one CUPOTY photographer’s image was featured in a double-page spread in The Guardian. They were then contacted through that publicity by someone who wanted to buy their image.

CUPOTY 2021’S WINNERS WERE ANNOUNCED IN OCTOBER 2021. GO TO WWW.CUPOTY.COM TO FIND OUT MORE AND TO SEE DETAILS ON HOW TO ENTER THE 2022 COMPETITION, WHICH LAUNCHES IN FEBRUARY 2022. YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM @CUPOTY

Top left Bufo bufo MATHIEU SAYS, ‘THIS TOAD (BUFO BUFO) DIDN’T STOP FOLLOWING ME DURING MY DIVE IN THE BUÈGES KARST SPRING.’ (HÉRAULT, FRANCE)

Above left Water scorpions JUAN SAYS, ‘TO GET THE SILHOUETTE, I PLACED TWO FLASHLIGHTS UNDER TWO WATER SCORPIONS.’

Top right A dream of spring MARK SAYS, ‘THE LIVERWORT (HEPATICA NOBILIS) HERALDS THE START OF SPRING. THIS APPARENTLY SIMPLE FLOWER IS A PLEASURE TO PHOTOGRAPH.’

Above right Foam SERGIO SAYS, ‘RÍO TINTO IS A MINING AREA, WITH HEAVY METALS CREATING ALL KINDS OF TEXTURES.’