Photo: Michelle Clark |
Astronomy photographers, it’s your time to shine. Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025 The competition is now open for entries, giving you the opportunity to submit your favorite images of the night sky. The competition is hosted by the Royal Observatory, Greenwich and aims to highlight epic space photography. Participants stand the chance to win a cash prize, the chance to have their image displayed in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum and a one-year subscription to BBC Sky at Night magazine. Entries Open until March 3, 2025, noon GMT.
The competition consists of eight categories for adults (anyone aged 16 and older). While some ranges require powerful magnification, others focus more broadly on the night sky, so you don’t need a powerful telescope to participate. A separate youth competition is open to those aged 15 and under. The youth competition is completely open and has no individual categories.
The Astronomy Photographer of the Year website defines the adult categories as the following:
- Aurorae: Northern and Southern Lights photos (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis)
- Galaxies: Photographs of deep space objects beyond the Milky Way Galaxy, including galaxies, galaxy clusters and stellar associations
- Our Moon: Pictures of the Moon, including lunar eclipses and the mysteries of the stars and planets. Images of the Moon along with Earthly scenes may also be entered into this category, or skyscapes.
- Our Sun: Photos of the Sun including solar eclipses and transits. Earthly scenes as well as images of the sun may also be entered into this category, or skyscapes.
- People and places: Photographs of the night sky that include people or elements that show the presence or influence of humans
- Planets, Comets and Asteroids: Photographs of objects in our solar system, including planets and their satellites, comets, asteroids, and other forms of zodiacal debris. Images of the Moon, Sun and Earth should not be entered in this category
- Skyscraper View: Photographs of landscapes, seascapes and townscapes in which the night sky or twilight sky is a prominent feature. Images of star paths and nocturnal and nacreous clouds, haloes, meteors and other upper atmospheric phenomena may also be included in this category.
- Stars and Nebulae: Photographs of deep space objects in the Milky Way, including stars, star clusters, supernova remnants, nebulae, and other astrophotographic targets within the Milky Way.
The overall winner across all adult categories will receive a prize of £10,000 (approximately $12,231 at the time of writing) and the title of Astronomy Photographer of the Year. The judges will select a winner, runner-up and one highly commended entry from each category for the adult categories, as well as a winner, runner-up and three highly commended images in the youth competition. The prizes are £1,500 ($1,835), £500 ($611) and £250 ($305) respectively.
Additionally, two special prizes are also available. The Sir Patrick Moore Award for Best Newcomer is for new astronomy photographers who are only practicing in the genre from January 2024, are 16 years of age or older, and have not previously entered a competition. Annie Maunder Open Category To reward innovative approaches to the art of astronomy. Both offer prizes worth £750 ($917).