The Category Winners
judged by Dr David Malin, Phil Hart, Peter Ward, and Alex Cherney
judged by Dr David Malin, Phil Hart, Peter Ward, and Alex Cherney
OVERALL WINNER
Jong Lee
"Rising Together"
Winner: Nightscapes
Winner: Nightscapes
Citation: “A single exposure reveals a breathtakingly beautiful composition: a twisted coastal tree framing the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean, bathed in the ethereal light of a rising moon, while the radiant core of the Milky Way completes this exquisite nightscape.”
Geoff Healy
"The Dark Doodad and Surrounds"
Winner: Deep Sky
Winner: Deep Sky
Citation: “Under the veil of dark Victorian skies, an ancient globular cluster and an enigmatic dark nebula spring to life in this 10.6-hour winning image. Skilfully presented interstellar dust and great noise control create a cosmic ballet of light and darkness, lending the image a palpable sense of depth.”
Jarrod Koh
"The Southern Crown"
Winner: Wide-Field
Winner: Wide-Field
Citation: “This winning image is presented with a captivating composition and masterful unveiling of faint dust – a challenging task in astronomical photography. Crafted over the span of 22 hours, it paints a striking scene of one of the closest star-forming regions to our solar system. This delicate tapestry of cosmic swirls stretching 8 degrees across the sky stands a testament to the photographer's extraordinary patience and skill.”
Niall MacNeill
"Vallis Rheita"
Winner: Solar System
Winner: Solar System
Citation: “The interplay of light and shadow of this image featuring the Rheita valley on the moon shows exquisite technique. The image is beautifully framed, skilfully processed with no unsightly artifacts. The details in shadow line, mountain peak and craters within the 71-kilometre wide Rheita crater, is reminiscent of Apollo orbiter images. Wonderful!”
Benjamin Alldridge
"Aurora over SW Tasmania"
Winner: Smartphone Astrophotography
Winner: Smartphone Astrophotography
Citation: The radiant hues of the aurora are complemented by the sense of depth in Tasmania’s mountain scenery. Remarkable that night scenes such as this can be captured on a smartphone.”
Lachlan Wilson
"Rosette Nebula SHO"
Winner: Junior
Winner: Junior
Citation: “Seven and a half hours of exposure, captured with technical skill that belies the photographer’s age. The wide dynamic range is well handled, with appropriate and aesthetically pleasing rendering of the narrow-band colour, and the detail in the dust clouds is excellent.”
Kelvin Hennessy
"Cape Byron Lighthouse Moonrise"
Winner: Photo Editor's Choice
Winner: Photo Editor's Choice
Citation: “A wonderful image that captures the balance of people and a man-made structure exposing just how small we are in the universe.”