Essential information
| Type |
Events and festivals
|
|---|---|
| Location |
Online
|
| Date and times | Thursday 17 September 2026 | Live online from 7pm |
| Prices | Free |
ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year is the world's biggest astrophotography competition. But who will take home the coveted grand prize in 2026?
Join us for a special online awards ceremony to see all the winning and runner-up images in each category, and find out who will be named the overall winner.
Make sure to sign up to our space newsletter to keep up to date with the 2026 competition, receive our monthly night sky highlights blog, discover new astronomy content, and more.
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About ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year
From amazing aurorae to glittering galaxies, discover the world’s greatest space photography at the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition at the National Maritime Museum.
The 2025 exhibition is currently open until 3 August, showcasing over 100 photographs on brilliant lightbox displays.
Each image has been selected by a panel of international experts and showcases some of the best space photography in the world.
Get into astrophotography
Discover stories from previous competitions
Billions of stars, one winning photograph: the core of Andromeda
A trio of photographers from China have won the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025 competition with a breathtaking image of the core of the Andromeda Galaxy
A happy accident: photobombed by a meteor
Learn more about this breathtaking accidental capture of a fleeting fireball meteor, winner of Best Newcomer in ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025
Earth and space through an astronaut's lens
Discover how NASA astronaut Don Pettit takes out-of-this-world photographs from the unique and constantly moving vantage point of the International Space Station
A rare spectacle: photographing the aurora in England
An incredibly strong solar storm in May 2024 made the aurora visible across the UK. Astrophotographer Darren Flinders seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
'Observing the Universe reveals how small yet precious we are'
An accident led Takanobu Kurosaki to rediscover life’s beauty and fall in love with astrophotography. Explore his image shortlisted in ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025
Photographing a natural optical illusion
Meet Marcella Giulia Pace, who won the Our Moon category of the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025 competition with her unique image of a natural optical spectacle
Beads of sunlight: photographing an annular solar eclipse
Ryan Imperio's spellbinding image of our Sun earned him the top prize in Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024
Anatomy of a habitable planet: Earth as you've never seen it before
Sergio Díaz Ruiz uses satellite imagery to explore climate change by creating an image of Earth as it might be analysed by a distant alien civilisation
A stellar duo: two young astrophotographers shooting for the stars
Meet the youngest entrants in Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024: brothers Benjamin and Joshua Lawler
Finding community through astrophotography
Sophie Paulin and Tom Williams struck up a friendship in an online astrophotography forum. Discover how they combined their expertise to win a prize in Astronomy Photographer of the Year
Behind the lens with Monika Deviat
Dancer, educator, heavy metal fan and astrophotographer, discover more about the Aurorae winner of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023
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