Photo: Nipaluna Lights by Luke Tscharke
The judges
DarkSky has brought together an extraordinary panel of astrophotographers to judge this year’s contest. Representing diverse regions around the world, each judge brings a unique creative vision, technical expertise, and deep passion for the night sky. Guided by contest rules and the DarkSky Principles of Responsible Astrophotography, they’ll evaluate entries in specific categories to select standout photographs that capture the wonder—and importance—of the night.
Osvaldo Castillo Montes
Osvaldo Castillo is a Chilean astrophotographer based in Chile. For more than a decade, he has been capturing the beauty of the night sky while traveling to remarkable landscapes.
Through workshops focused on astrophotography and photographic planning, Osvaldo shares his experience with others, helping photographers refine their skills while inspiring a deeper appreciation for dark skies.
Category: Nightscapes
Abderraouf Chettibi
Abderraouf Chettibi is an astrophotographer born in Algeria whose passion for astronomy began at a young age. Drawn to the connection between science and photography, they travel the world capturing the cosmos, from deep sky objects and striking moon alignments to the aurora borealis.
They are also a member of the National Outreach Committee for the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Algeria, where they help promote deep sky observation and support the development of astrotourism while sharing the beauty of Algeria’s night sky with the public.
Category: Deep Sky Observations
Mallory Davis
Mallory Davis is an American photographer based between the Texas Hill Country and the Chihuahuan Desert. Her work focuses on the landscapes, cultures, and night skies of the Southwest, particularly the Big Bend region, where her images highlight the relationship between dramatic terrain and the communities that call it home.
Through her photography and YouTube channel, Mallory shares her passion for travel, desert landscapes, and astrophotography. Working across film, digital, and video, she invites audiences to experience the beauty of the night sky while fostering appreciation for the natural world and the importance of protecting dark skies.
Category: International Dark Sky Places
Rositsa Dimitrova
Rositsa Dimitrova is an award-winning astrophotographer who has spent more than seven years traveling across five continents in search of the world’s darkest skies. Her work has been featured in major international media and is known for its careful planning and striking night sky imagery.
Rositsa often plans her dark sky expeditions years in advance, combining travel, patience, and technical skill to capture remarkable views of the night sky while inspiring appreciation for dark sky environments.
Category: The Impact of Light Pollution
Monika Deviat
Monika Deviat is an award-winning photographer, Nikon Ambassador, and educator specializing in distinctive landscapes and night photography. With a background in physics and early experience as a concert photographer, she brings a unique perspective to capturing the night.
Now based in the Canadian Rockies, Monika ventures into the wilderness to photograph striking nighttime scenes that inspire a sense of wonder and appreciation for the night sky.
Category: International Dark Sky Places
Abuko Estrada
Abuko Estrada is an astrophotographer from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the creator behind Estrada Estrellada Astrophotography. His passion for night photography began in 2016 after capturing his first Milky Way landscape beneath the dark skies of New Mexico, an experience that reshaped the way he saw both photography and the night.
Since then, Abuko has focused on photographing landscapes under dark skies whenever possible. Through his work, he hopes to inspire others to step outside, experience the night sky, and appreciate the importance of protecting it.
Category: Mobile Nighttime Photography
Michael Goh
Michael Goh is a professional photographer specializing in astrophotography, landscape, aerial, time-lapse, and commercial photography. Inspired by science fiction and experimental photography, he captured his first astrophotography image in 2011 and has been teaching landscape astrophotography since 2012.
After more than 20 years working in the finance industry, Michael transitioned to full-time photography, using his work to promote interest in STEM, conservation, tourism, and creativity. His images have earned multiple astrophotography awards and APOD recognitions and have appeared in magazines, books, documentaries, and space-related film projects.
Category: Young Astrophotographers
Avilash Ghosh
Avilash Ghosh is a wildlife photographer based in India who focuses on capturing authentic moments in the natural world. His work highlights the beauty and behavior of wildlife in their natural habitats through patience, timing, and an eye for light.
Through his photography, Avilash shares the stories of the wild, inspiring greater appreciation for wildlife and the landscapes they inhabit.
Category: Creatures of the Night
Tori Harp
Tori Harp first picked up her mom’s camera beneath the starry skies high in the mountains of western Washington, USA, where she discovered her passion for astrophotography. After many cold nights working to capture the images she had long envisioned, her connection to photographing the night sky quickly deepened.
Now based in New Zealand, Tori works as a glacier guide on the Tasman Glacier by day and photographs the night sky by night. Living within the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, she continues to pursue the magic of the night through her astrophotography.
Category: Mobile Nighttime Photography
Samer Hobeika
Samer Hobeika is a Lebanese-Canadian night landscape photographer based in Montréal and the founder of Zenderfull. Self-taught, he blends his passion for astronomy, the outdoors, and photography to capture and share memorable experiences beneath starry skies.
Through guided outings across Québec, Samer helps others discover remarkable views of the Milky Way and the Northern Lights. He also serves as secretary of DarkSky Québec, promoting appreciation for the night sky and the importance of protecting dark skies.
Category: Young Astrophotographers
Melanie Jean
Melanie Jean is a photographer based in Québec City, Canada, specializing in nature and wildlife photography for nearly a decade. Much of their work focuses on tourism and highlighting destinations while promoting appreciation for the natural world.
In 2023, they began working professionally in astrophotography and now offer introductory workshops to help others explore night photography. Through their work, they encourage a deeper connection to nature and the importance of protecting it.
Category: The Impact of Light Pollution
Derrick Kosea
Yá’át’ééh (Hello). Derrick Kosea is a member of the Navajo Nation and a landscape and astrophotographer based in the American Southwest. With more than six years of experience, his work focuses on the lands in and around the Navajo Nation in the Four Corners region, where desert, canyon, and mountain landscapes hold deep cultural and personal meaning.
Through astrophotography, Derrick honors the night sky as part of a living landscape while advocating for the protection of dark skies for future generations.
Category: International Dark Sky Places
Ian Lauer
Ian Lauer is an astrophotographer and YouTuber who creates engaging videos that help people reconnect with the night sky. Blending storytelling with science, he makes complex astronomy and astrophotography topics approachable for curious audiences.
Beyond YouTube, Ian leads astrophotography workshops and stargazing tours, guiding participants through hands-on nights under the stars. With a background in astrophysics and experience working with institutions such as NASA and MIT on deep space imaging and satellite tracking projects, he combines science, adventure, and cultural astronomy to bring the night sky closer to the public.
Category: Deep Sky Observations
Stefan Liebermann
is a German landscape, nature, and night photographer who discovered his passion for photography in 2015. Driven by a deep connection to nature and a background in natural sciences, he travels the world capturing striking landscapes and natural phenomena.
Through his night photography, Stefan shares his fascination with the hidden beauty of the night sky. Using light-sensitive cameras, he reveals details and colors not visible to the naked eye, offering a unique artistic perspective on the night.
Category: Nightscapes
Anthony Lopez
Anthony Lopez is a 34-year-old nightscape photographer based in the south of France. For more than a decade, he has been capturing the quiet connection between land and stars through carefully stacked and blended exposures that reveal details and colors beyond what the eye can see.
Over the years, Anthony has refined his own nightscape workflow, which he now shares with photographers looking to improve their night images. He also contributes to the astrophotography community through his “Banger of the Day / Week / Month / Year” contests, using shared images to raise awareness about the importance of protecting dark skies.
Category: Nightscapes
Ali Matinfar
Ali Matinfar is an amateur astronomer, night sky photographer, and astronomy educator based in Iran. Since beginning his work at the Zafaranieh Observatory in Tehran in 1998, he has been active in astronomy education through teaching, public programs, and contributions to Nojum Magazine, Iran’s astronomy monthly.
Ali regularly leads astronomy trips and night sky photography workshops in Iran’s deserts and naturally dark-sky regions. Through his work, he promotes public engagement with astronomy while raising awareness about light pollution and the importance of protecting desert night skies.
Category: Creatures of the Night
Karabo Matlala
Karabo Matlala is a South African wildlife and nature photographer with more than 14 years of experience behind the camera. In recent years, her work has focused on capturing the beauty and complexity of the natural world through wildlife photography.
With a deep respect for the environment, Karabo uses photography to explore and share the stories of nature. Through her images, she hopes to inspire a stronger connection to the natural world and an appreciation for the value and beauty found in every subject.
Category: Creatures of the Night
Philipp Merki
Philipp Merki is a Swiss landscape and astrophotographer. His imagery is particularly characterized by mountain scenery, clear lakes, and expansive landscapes. In recent years, he has also specialized in astrophotography, taking advantage of clear nights in the mountains to capture the Milky Way and the starry sky. His photographs combine atmospheric mood with a sensitive eye for light, tranquility, and naturalness.
Category: Nightscapes
Jakob Sahner
Jakob Sahner is an astrophotographer from Germany whose work is driven by a deep passion for the night sky and the stories hidden within it. What began as a chance discovery through photography quickly grew into a creative journey focused on capturing the beauty of the cosmos.
Since starting out in 2017, Jakob has explored a wide range of landscapes and dark-sky locations, continually refining his craft and developing a distinct visual style inspired by nature, travel, and the universe above.
Category: Deep Sky Observations
Toby Sinkinson
Toby Sinkinson has spent years photographing the night sky in the southwest of England, drawn to its ability to captivate and place life into perspective. His work reflects a deep appreciation for the quiet power of the night and the sense of wonder it inspires.
At the same time, Toby recognizes that the night sky is increasingly contested as technological pollution continues to grow. Through his astrophotography, he seeks to reveal what stands to be lost and believes that, when guided by ethical astrophotography principles, photography can inspire greater awareness and meaningful global change.
Category: Young Astrophotographers
Anthony Sleiman
Anthony Sleiman is a Miami-based photographer and videographer whose work focuses on creating cinematic stories from Florida’s wild places and the disappearing night skies above them. Through his imagery, he captures the quiet beauty of the natural world after dark.
For more than eight years, Anthony has documented the Everglades, blending adventure and human connection to inspire people to slow down, look closer, and rediscover the magic that still exists at night. Through his work, he hopes to reconnect people with nature and remind them that some of the most powerful moments happen when the world finally grows quiet.
Category: Creatures of the Night
Vicky Thompson
Vicky Thompson is a nature and landscape photographer based in Northern California who first began photographing the world around her as a teenager using film cameras. Over time, her passion for long-exposure photography and astrophotography has grown into a central focus of her work.
Through her photography, Vicky explores the challenges and rewards of working in the dark, believing that the night reveals how far we are willing to push ourselves through terrain, climate, and the unknown. She has mentored many photographers along the way, sharing guidance and encouragement, while remaining focused on her core goal as an artist: revealing the beauty that surrounds us.
Her work has been featured in numerous publications, recognized with several awards, and exhibited in gallery shows from California to New York.
Category: The Impact of Light Pollution
Stephanie Vermillion
Stephanie Vermillion is a photographer, journalist, and author who covers outdoor adventure and astrotourism. Her work has appeared in publications including National Geographic, Outside Magazine, and Travel + Leisure.
She is also the author of National Geographic’s 100 Nights of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Adventures After Dark, a book that explores remarkable nighttime experiences around the globe and celebrates the wonder of the world after sunset.
Category: International Dark Sky Places
Judges continued
Derek Culver - Nightscapes
Jack Fusco - Nighttime Adventures
Jeanine Holowatuik - Nighttime Adventures
Prathmesh Jaju - Young Astrophotographers
Ivey Kennedy - Creatures of the Night
Angela Ledyard - Nighttime Adventures
Lorenzo Mirandola - Mobile Nighttime Photography
Zandi Ndhlovu - Mobile Nighttime Photograph
JJ Rao - International Dark Sky Places
Flora Xue - The Impact of Light Pollution
