These are the 2026 winners of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards, the biggest astrophotography competition on planet Earth.
Now in its 18th year, the 2026 contest attracted almost 4,000 entries from 769 photographers across 66 countries, all hoping to impress the judges.
The overall winner of the competition is The Quiet Predator by Ali Alobaidly, which shows a stream of dark cosmic clouds known as the Shark Nebula, officially LDN 1235.
Credit: Ali Alobaidly, Kuwait
APY judge and BBC Sky at Night Magazine's art editor Steve Marsh says: "Sometimes a photograph comes alive through its flawless presentation, pin-sharp details and dynamic contrast of light and dark. This is such an image.
"The Shark Nebula is already a striking object, but when it is resolved to the point where even detail-rich distant galaxies can be seen through it, you know you’re looking at something very special.
"Perfectly rendered, softly glowing stars visible to the very edges of the frame, thin wisps of tenuous nebulosity consistent across the whole ‘shark’ and a brilliantly resolved dark nebula patch for its eye put this image at the very forefront of modern astrophotography."
Credit: Nikolaos Strimpoulis, aged 15
The winner of the ZWO Young Competition category – for entrants aged 15 and under – is Nikolaos Strimpoulis, aged 15, for his beautifully-coloured mineral Moon image.
Alongside the eight main subject categories were two special prizes – the Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer and the Annie Maunder open category
You can see all of the winning photographs for yourself when they go on public display at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, from 18 September 2026.
The Quiet Predator by Ali Alobaidly, Kuwait. Winner, Stars and Nebulae (overall winner)Beyond the Wormhole by Kfir Simon, Israel. Runner-up, Stars and NebulaeAbell 85 by Humbert Cédric, France. Highly commended, Stars and Nebulae
Aurorae
The Crown by Radoslav Sviretsov, Bulgaria. Winner, AuroraeAurora Between Two Continents by Phil Halper, UK. Runner-up, AuroraeOn the Edge of Glory by MaryBeth Kiczenski, USA. Highly commended, Aurorae
Our Moon
Venusian Pearl on the Moon by Petr Horalek, Czechia. Winner, Our MoonPlato and Vallis Alpes by Raul Cantemir, Germany. Runner-up, Our MoonPythagoras Crater by Tom Williams, UK. Highly commended, Our Moon
Our Sun
Active Region 4122 by Miguel Claro, Portugal. Winner, Our SunAnatomy of the Chromosphere by Peter Ward, Australia. Runner-up, Our SunMoody Partial Solar Eclipse by James McBeath, UK. Highly commended, Our Sun
People and Space
A Message From the Ancients by Max Inwood, Aotearoa (New Zealand). Winner, People and SpaceCapture the Night by Dan Zafra, Spain. Runner-up, People and SpaceGolden Moonrise Over Seattle by AJ Smadi, USA. Highly commended, People and Space
Planets, Comets and Asteroids
Saturnian Equinox by Tom Williams, UK. Winner, Planets, Comets & AsteroidsThe Uranian System by Tom Williams, UK. Runner-up, Planets, Comets & AsteroidsComet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) by Julien DeWinter, Belgium and Landon Boehm, USA. Highly commended, Planets, Comets & Asteroids
Skyscapes
Botswana Star Trail by Stefano Pellegrini, Italy. Winner, SkyscapesCosmic Canyon by Tom Rae, Aotearoa (New Zealand). Runner-up, SkyscapesI Hear the Stars by João Yordanov Serralheiro , Portugal. Highly commended, Skyscapes
Galaxies
NGC 4753: A Symphony of Dust Lanes in Virgo by 智鹏 严and Xinran Li, China. Winner, GalaxiesM104: Pure Elegance by Patrick Winkler, Austria. Runner-up, GalaxiesWildflowers Across a Neighbouring Galaxy: The Large Magellanic Cloud by Shaoyu Zhang, China. Highly commended, Galaxies
Best Newcomer
M1: Echoes of an Ancient Explosion by Haocheng Zhu, China. Winner, The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer
ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer
Mineral Moon by Nikolaos Strimpoulis, aged 15, Greece. Winner, ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the YearM20 The Trifid Nebula by Kaiyan Ma, aged 15, China. Runner-up, ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the YearCelestial Enchantress by 与晨 林, aged 14, China. Highly commended, ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the YearA Sphere of Opposites by Shamiqh Gajdhar, aged 14, India. Highly commended, ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the YearThe Heart Nebula by Benjamin and Joshua Lawler, aged 10 and 12, UK. Highly commended, ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year
Annie Maunder Open Category
Reverse Astronomy: Mother by Paweł Paweł, Poland. Winner, The Annie Maunder Open Category
Are you an astrophotographer? Whether seasoned or complete beginner, send us your images and they could appear in a future issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Iain Todd is BBC Sky at Night Magazine's Content Editor who has been writing about astronomy and space science for over a decade. He has covered major stargazing events, space launches and the latest news in cosmology, astrophysics, planetary and space science.
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