The 2025 Astrophotography Prize Explores the Wonders of Deep Space

Science

A small, lit house sits on a barren landscape under an arched, star-filled Milky Way. To the right is a colorful, red and blue nebula set against a dark space background.
Photo credit: Matteo Strassera, left, Ani Shastry, right.

The 2025 Astrophotography Prize has revealed its field of winners, a competition dedicated to the “education and the continual improvement of astrophotography.”

Entries were scored out of 100 by three specialist astrophotographers across four categories: Deep Space, Solar System, Remote Imaging, and Astro Landscape. The top 25 in each category were then debated and re-scored in a live public finale.

“This transparent process offers unmatched insight into the secrets behind award-winning composition, technical excellence, and creative impact, inspiring participants and viewers alike,” the competition’s organizers say.

Ani Shastri of the United States was named Photographer of the Year for Deep Field Squid Nebula (Ou4), a breathtaking image of a nebula six times the size of the full Moon. Captured over 51 hours at Sierra Remote Observatories in California with a PlaneWave CDK350 and ZWO ASI6200MM camera, the photograph captivated the judges for its scale and precision.

Alessandro Ravegnin of Italy received the Celestron Prize and the Solar System award for Magnetic Shadow, a high-resolution image of sunspot group AR370 taken with a Celestron C11HD Edge at 0.5 arcsecond resolution.

Remote Imaging

A large, blue, cloud-like nebula shaped like a cocoon floats in space, surrounded by a vibrant red and orange cosmic background filled with scattered stars.
Winner and 2025 Astrophotographer of the Year. Ani Shastry, Squid Nebula.
Colorful nebula in deep space, featuring bright pink and red clouds with intricate, wispy blue filaments forming swirling patterns against a dark star-filled background.
Runner Up. Steeve Body, Vela Supernova Remnant.
A vibrant, colorful image of outer space showing swirling clouds of orange, red, purple, and blue nebulae, with bright stars scattered throughout a dark background.
Top 5. Alpha Zhang, Rainbow Rosette Xmas Tree.
A colorful, intricate nebula with glowing red and blue filaments expands against a star-filled background in deep space. The nebula appears like a tangled, luminous cloud with varying intensity and detail.
Top 5. Alpha Zhang, Spaghetti Nebula.
Brilliant red and orange nebula clouds stretch across a star-filled background in deep space, with wispy, ethereal patterns illuminated by bright stars.
Top 5. Jan Beckmann, SH2126.

Solar System

Close-up image of a large sunspot on the Sun’s surface, showing a dark central region surrounded by textured, glowing orange and granular patterns.
Winner and 2025 Celestron Prize Winner. Alessandro Ravagnin, Magnetic Shadow.
A close-up photo of the moon in its first quarter phase, showing detailed craters and lunar surface textures, with multiple tiny silhouettes of the International Space Station passing across it.
Runner Up. Damir Maksan, ISS Moon Transit.
A bright comet with a glowing blue-green head and long, wispy tails streams through a star-filled night sky, with a yellow star visible nearby.
Top 5. Dan Bartlett, Comet 12P Pons Brooks.
A detailed, high-contrast image of the Moon shows its cratered surface illuminated in a crescent shape against a black background, highlighting the texture and features near the curved edge.
Top 5. Lorand Fenyes, Crescent Moon.
A total solar eclipse showing the dark silhouette of the Moon perfectly aligned with the Sun, with the Sun’s white, wispy corona radiating outward against a dark blue sky.
Top 5. Lukasz Remkowicz, Total Solar Eclipse 2024.

Deep Space

A vibrant image of a star-filled night sky featuring bright stars and glowing red nebula clouds, creating a colorful and detailed cosmic scene.
Winner. Paul Milvain, The Southern Cross Aflame.
A vibrant view of a star-filled nebula, with bright stars scattered amid swirling clouds of blue, brown, and orange cosmic dust and gas against a dark space background.
Runner Up. Pavel Radomski, LDN1448.
A bright comet with a glowing tail streaks through a star-filled sky, surrounded by vivid red and blue nebula clouds and distant stars, creating a vibrant cosmic scene.
Top 5. Jan Beckmann, Comet C:2021 S3 PANSTARRS crossing Cygnus.
Vivid image of a nebula in deep space, featuring bright blue and red glowing gas clouds against a dark background scattered with tiny stars. The swirling colors create a dramatic, ethereal effect.
Top 5. Joshua Robertson, Vela SNR.
A colorful galaxy filled with bright pink, purple, and blue regions, glowing nebulae, and dense star clusters against a dark, star-filled background.
Top 5. Rodney Watters, Large Magellanic Cloud.

Astro Landscape

An abandoned house glows with warm light on a barren desert under a vivid night sky, where the Milky Way forms a bright, colorful arc overhead, framed by two leafless trees.
Runner Up. Matteo Strassera, Rain Stop Under the Galaxy.
Rocky landscape with scattered green shrubs under a dark sky, featuring the Milky Way arched in bright colors above jagged rock formations at night.
Winner. Matteo Strassera, Between Lava and Stars.
Snowy landscape with a mountain, waterfall, and river under vibrant green and pink Northern Lights illuminating the night sky.
Top 5. Louis Leroux-Gere, Aurora Pillars and Thunderstorm Above Kirkjufell.
Rocky hoodoo formations rise under a vivid night sky, with the Milky Way arching overhead and colorful aurora-like lights illuminating the landscape in a remote desert scene.
Top 5. Jason Perry, Alien Throne.
A tall statue of an Aboriginal man holding a spear stands on a hill under a night sky, with the Milky Way galaxy arching brightly overhead. Sparse vegetation and distant hills are visible on the ground.
Top 5. Jason Perry, Anmatjere Man.

Overall, there were 545 entries from 155 photographers, representing 35 countries from across six continents. Head to the Astrophotography Prize website for more details and information on next year’s competition.


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