Overall Winners 2020

Nacreous clouds are one of the most enchanting atmospheric phenomena. Like the photographer, the judges were left spellbound by this picture. It captures delightfully the rich palette and graceful brushstrokes that can be found in nature. 

Melanie Vandenbrouck, Curator of Art (post-1800) at Royal Museums Greenwich

Clouds are said to be the bane of astronomers, but they can also be the inspiration for a breathtaking astrophoto. These rare, incredibly high nacreous clouds reflect colour like oil does on water and this photographer has captured them perfectly. With subtle processing they have brought out the vibrant hues that can sometimes be seen in our skies. 

Steve Marsh, Art Editor at the BBC Sky at Night Magazine

This vibrant image teases out the faint colours on the surface of the Moon. Not only is this composition visually striking, but it highlights the different materials the Moon is made up of, all from the safety of the Earth.

Emily Drabek-Maunder, astrophysicist, astronomer and science communicator at Royal Observatory Greenwich

It's always great to see the colours of the Moon teased out in an image and this one cranks it up to 11, showing our neighbour to be enormously complex.

Steve Marsh, Art Editor at the BBC Sky at Night Magazine

While judging the competition in times of lockdown, social distancing and isolation, this picture took on a particular poignancy. It was a healthy reminder, too, that scale and space is also a question of perspective.

Melanie Vandenbrouck, Curator of Art (post-1800) at Royal Museums Greenwich

The enormous distances in the Universe are beautifully captured in this phenomenal photograph. Even though the Moon and Jupiter appear side by side, they are approximately over 700 million kilometres apart.

Emily Drabek-Maunder, astrophysicist, astronomer and science communicator at Royal Observatory Greenwich

Creation, elements, fire, brimstone and wonder. This astonishing image conjures up these pictures that also represent the first moments of the Universe, before stars were formed. It’s a moving reminder that when we look up to the night sky, we tend to do so with earthly concerns on our minds, whether unconsciously or consciously as seen here. The tragedy of the 2019 bushfires in Australia shook people around the world; in the age of climate change, this extraordinarily beautiful picture urges us not to let our children’s future go up in flames. 

Melanie Vandenbrouck, Curator of Art (post-1800) at Royal Museums Greenwich

It is a reminder and testament to the horrors that the photographer references during the Australian bushfires. As photographers and artists it is often the personal experiences and moments in our individual lives that we translate into our depictions of what we see and then represent to our audiences through our works. 

Ed Robinson, Award-winning photographer, creative director and visual consultant. Founder of OneRedEye Visual Communications

I commend the choice of image data used alongside the artist’s vision to create an appropriately striking representation of the 'river' of the Milky Way, as it is so referenced in ancient human civilisations. It’s a powerful and poignant image presented in a striking manner that is befitting of our own galaxy and its place in the vastness of space and our Universe.

Ed Robinson, Award-winning photographer, creative director and visual consultant. Founder of OneRedEye Visual Communications

This image has transformed how the viewer experiences space by reinventing an observation of 84 million stars and moving into the three-dimensional realm.

Emily Drabek-Maunder, astrophysicist, astronomer and science communicator at Royal Observatory Greenwich