The 2025 Astrophotography Prize has announced its winners, celebrating exceptional achievements in capturing the beauty of the cosmos through photography. This prestigious competition, dedicated to advancing education and promoting continuous improvement in astrophotography, attracted 545 entries from 155 photographers representing 35 countries across six continents.
The competition featured a unique scoring system where entries were evaluated by three specialist astrophotographers across four distinct categories: Deep Space, Solar System, Remote Imaging, and Astro Landscape. Each submission was scored out of 100 points, with the top 25 entries in each category advancing to a live public finale where they were debated and re-scored. According to the competition organizers, this transparent judging process provides unparalleled insight into the elements that make award-winning astrophotography, including composition, technical excellence, and creative impact.
Ani Shastri from the United States claimed the title of Photographer of the Year with her remarkable image "Deep Field Squid Nebula (Ou4)." This breathtaking photograph captures a nebula that spans six times the size of the full moon. Shastri's winning image was created through 51 hours of exposure time at Sierra Remote Observatories in California, using a PlaneWave CDK350 telescope paired with a ZWO ASI6200MM camera. The judges were particularly impressed by the image's extraordinary scale and precision.
Italian photographer Alessandro Ravegnin earned both the Celestron Prize and the Solar System category award for his high-resolution image titled "Magnetic Shadow." This stunning photograph showcases sunspot group AR370, captured with a Celestron C11HD Edge telescope at an impressive 0.5 arcsecond resolution. The technical achievement demonstrated in this solar observation impressed judges with its clarity and detail.
The competition's other category winners included notable achievements across various aspects of astrophotography. In the Deep Space category, Paul Milvain's "The Southern Cross Aflame" took first place, while Pavel Radomski's "LDN1448" secured the runner-up position. The Solar System category saw Damir Maksan's "ISS Moon Transit" as runner-up, followed by impressive submissions from Dan Bartlett, Lorand Fenyes, and Lukasz Remkowicz in the top five.
The Astro Landscape category was dominated by Matteo Strassera, whose winning image "Between Lava and Stars" captured judges' attention, while his "Rain Stop Under the Galaxy" earned the runner-up spot. Other notable entries in this category included Louis Leroux-Gere's "Aurora Pillars and Thunderstorm Above Kirkjufell" and two striking images from Jason Perry: "Alien Throne" and "Anmatjere Man."
Additional recognition in the Deep Space category went to several exceptional photographers, including Steeve Body for "Vela Supernova Remnant," Alpha Zhang for both "Rainbow Rosette Xmas Tree" and "Spaghetti Nebula," and Jan Beckmann for "SH2126." The diversity and quality of submissions demonstrated the growing sophistication of astrophotography techniques and equipment worldwide.
The competition serves as both a celebration of artistic achievement and a platform for education within the astrophotography community. By showcasing these exceptional images and providing transparency in the judging process, the Astrophotography Prize continues to inspire both participants and viewers to explore the wonders of deep space through the lens of a camera. More details about the competition and information about next year's contest can be found on the official Astrophotography Prize website.
