Akwa Ibom Photographer Wins 3rd Place at 2023 International Close Up Photographer Of The Year Photo Contest.

An Akwa Ibom photographer, David Joseph has clinched the 3rd place spot, Animals category at the 2023 edition of Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY).

David Joseph

The Close-Up Photographer Of The Year (CUPOTY) is a yearly global photo competition that celebrates close-up, macro, and micro photography, where tiny creatures and things (or tiny parts of larger things), are captured to reveal details our naked eyes can't pick therefore revealing the hidden wonder of the world.

The winners and Top 100 pictures of its 5th edition were announced on Tuesday, January 9, via the contests' official website, with David Joseph making the list in the Animal category of the CUPOTY with his flawless "Natural Architecture", a picture of a sac spider in a curled and webbed grass.

David Joseph's winning image, a sac of spider in a curled webbed grass (Natural Architecture)

According to the CUPOTY website, It took over 20 hours of Zoom calls with 23 judges looking at 11,870 photographs to create what is the best survey yet of close-up, macro, and micro photography in the world across 11 categories from 67 countries.  

"Personally, I think this is our best collection of winning images yet, and I’m so grateful to those who entered as it allows us to see and learn from their work and to recognize how incredible and surprising the world is", says CUPOTY co-founder Tracy Calder.

Robberfly by David Joseph

David, a native of Ikot Annung in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State and a 2023 English Education graduate from the University of Uyo had won Akwa Ibom State Professional Photographers and Cinematographers Guild (ASPPACG) Macro Photographer Of The Year Award, 2022 edition.

He hopes to make more people, especially our young ones aware and understand these little creatures, and replace fear with fascination, through his photos, future exhibitions and workshops, as well as activities in nature conservation programs, as these bugs, which are the unseen heroes of our world are essential to not just our survival, but continuity of the earth. See his works on Instagram: @abcdee_david.