Young Competition 2026

Close up image of the surface of the Moon

Category winner

Mineral Moon by Nikolaos Strimpoulis

"This image is a close-up of the surface of the Moon, including dark areas (known as maria) and bright areas (known as the highlands)," Nikolaos says.

"The smooth, dark areas are ancient lava flows, while the rugged highlands have been shaped by billions of years of impacts."

Taken in Palaio Faliro, Athens, Greece, 8 March 2025

Pink and blue nebula surrounded by stars

Runner-up

M20: The Trifid Nebula by Kaiyan Ma

"I needed about three hours of exposure data to capture the faint starlight that has travelled thousands of light years to reach us," Kaiyan recalls.

"As the red nebula and blue dust gradually emerged on the computer screen, I got the impression of a clover flower blooming in the Universe."

Taken in Zhongtai, Lingtai County, Gansu Province, China, 27 July 2025

Highly commended

The Heart Nebula by Benjamin and Joshua Lawler

"This was our first attempt at taking a picture using a monochrome camera with seven filters. We decided on the Heart Nebula (IC 1805) as our target, as we had already imaged this with our colour camera setup when we first started," they say.

"We think the result is amazing, especially when we remember it was taken from our back garden in the UK, in between all the cloudy nights we always get!"

Taken in Tutbury, Staffordshire, England, 31 December 2025, 2 and 4 January 2026

Ethereal blue clouds of the Witch Head Nebula

Highly commended

Celestial Enchantress by 与晨林

"This deep-space image of the Witch Head Nebula (IC 2118) reveals ethereal blue clouds of gas and dust that form the mysterious silhouette of a celestial sorceress." 与晨林 says.

Taken in Nanping City, Fujian Province, China, 15 November 2025 and 14 February 2026

Image that fuses together two sides of the Sun and Moon

Highly commended

A Sphere of Opposites by Shamiqh Gajdhar

"This image presents a celestial fusion: one half is illuminated by the quiet glow of the Moon and the other by the fiery brilliance of the Sun. Together, they form a single sphere that feels both balanced and powerful, uniting night and day in one frame," Shamiqh explains.

Taken in Al-Balad, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, 7–8 September 2025 and 25 February 2026