• © James Woodend. Aurora over a Glacier Lagoon. Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 winner. "Although it is not a strong aurora, sometimes these make the best reflection shots. The water was very still – you can see the icebergs floating in the lagoon and their reflections. In the background is the Vatnajökull Glacier.
    © James Woodend. Aurora over a Glacier Lagoon. Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 winner. "Although it is not a strong aurora, sometimes these make the best reflection shots. The water was very still – you can see the icebergs floating in the lagoon and their reflections. In the background is the Vatnajökull Glacier.
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Call for entries – Astronomy Photographer of the Year

10 January 2023

Entries are now open for the 15th annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year, run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine – a global search for the most striking images of the cosmos.

Entrants of all ages and skill level are invited to submit up to 10 images across any of the nine main categories. There's also a youth category for photographers up to the age of 16. A grand prize of £10,000 is up for grabs.

A total of 100 images, including all the winners, runners-up, and highly commended entries will be displayed at the National Maritime Museum in London from September 2023.

© Shuchang Dong. The Golden Ring. Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2021 overall winner. The image shows an annular solar eclipse taken in the Ali region of Tibet. "This place has year-round sunny weather, but in front of the annular eclipse, I saw dark clouds all over the sky. We were waiting with anxious minds but we were lucky. Within a minute of the annular eclipse, the sunshine penetrated through the clouds and afterwards the Sun was sucked into the thick clouds. We were so lucky here!”
© Shuchang Dong. The Golden Ring. Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2021 overall winner. The image shows an annular solar eclipse taken in the Ali region of Tibet. "This place has year-round sunny weather, but in front of the annular eclipse, I saw dark clouds all over the sky. We were waiting with anxious minds but we were lucky. Within a minute of the annular eclipse, the sunshine penetrated through the clouds and afterwards the Sun was sucked into the thick clouds. We were so lucky here!”

Competition categories

  • Skyscapes: Landscape and cityscape images of twilight and the night sky featuring the Milky Way, star trails, meteor showers, comets, conjunctions, constellation rises, halos and noctilucent clouds alongside elements of earthly scenery
  • Aurorae: Photographs featuring the Northern and Southern Lights
  • People and Space: Photographs of the night sky including people or a human interest element
  • Our Sun: Solar images including solar eclipses and transits
  • Our Moon: Lunar images including lunar eclipses and occultation of planets
  • Planets, Comets and Asteroids: Everything else in our Solar System, including planets and their satellites, comets, asteroids and other forms of zodiacal debris
  • Stars and Nebulae: Deep-space objects within the Milky Way galaxy, including stars, star clusters, supernova remnants, nebulae and other intergalactic phenomena
  • Galaxies: Deep-space objects beyond the Milky Way galaxy, including galaxies, galaxy clusters and stellar associations
  • Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Pictures taken by budding astronomers under the age of 16

As well as the nine main categories, Astronomy Photographer of the Year includes two special prizes: the Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer and the Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation.

The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer is open to amateur photographers who have taken up astrophotography in the past year and have not entered an image in the competition previously. The Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation recognises the best photo processed using pre-existing open source data, bringing together the worlds of the arts, astronomy, and astrophotography. Visit rmg.co.uk/imageinnovation to learn more about the Annie Maunder Prize and see step-by-step guides for finding images and image processing.

Head to the website for more information. Entires close Friday, 3 March.

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