photo gallery

The winners of this year's Close-up Photographer of the Year have been announced, with the photographer Ross Gudgeon scooping the top prize with their entry 'Fractal Forest', showing cauliflower soft coral in exquisite detail. Named for its characteristic cauliflower-like appearance, this species of coral has numerous small, bump-like polyps that give it a distinctive texture. The international competition attracted more than 12,000 entries from 63 countries, skillfully judged by 22 expert photographers, naturalists and editors. The judges selected winners and the Top 100 images across 11 categories. Co-founder Tracy Calder noted: "This was the toughest competition yet. The winning image