Rich Haridy – 
The winners of the Macro Art Photo Project have been revealed with first place awarded to a magnificent shot of two mayflies perched atop a poppy. The competition highlights the world of plants and gardens through the lens of macro photography.
The Macro Art Photo Project is part of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition, an annual global search for the best in garden, plant, flower and botanical photography. Alongside the primary competition (with entries open until late October), there are three seasonal, smaller scale awards offered. This year those smaller projects include black and white, macro art and still life. The still life project will not be revealed until early September, but winners have been announced in both the other smaller categories.
Alongside Peter Sabol’s beautiful winning shot, other commended entries include Richard Kubica’s frightening close-up of a jumping spider, a surreal image of two leaves that resembles a pair of apples, and a vibrant close up of moss framed to look like tiny strands of fire.
The Macro Art Project follows on from the Black & White seasonal competition awarded earlier this year. That competition focused on the ways black and white photography can be used to emphasize textures, patterns and shapes in the realm of garden photography.
The International Garden Photographer of the Year is run in association with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom. Entries close for the main competition on October 31st with winners announced the following February before a touring exhibition kicks off to celebrate the best photographs.