2026 Milky Way Photographer of the Year Winners Announced
Capture the Atlas has revealed the winners of its ninth Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest, which drew submissions from 15 countries, totaling 6,500 entries. The selected images, 25 in total, highlight stunning celestial photography from 12 nations, such as New Zealand, Argentina, and the United States. The judging panel, overseen by editor Dan Zafra, evaluated the works on criteria including creativity and narrative strength. Standout photographs feature the Milky Way over the Very Large Telescope in Chile and the Valle de la Luna UNESCO site in Argentina. For the complete winners list and technical details, visit Capture the Atlas.
Key facts
- Capture the Atlas announced the 2026 Milky Way Photographer of the Year winners.
- The competition received over 6,500 submissions, a record high.
- Winners represent 15 nationalities.
- Images were captured across 12 countries and regions.
- Editor Dan Zafra curated the list.
- Included rare scenes from the Very Large Telescope in Chile and Valle de la Luna in Argentina.
- Features one of the first night images from a canyon in the Hopi Indian Reservation.
- Astronomical phenomena include Perseids and Geminids meteor showers and a giant fireball.
Entities
Artists
- Anthony Lopez
- Jason Rice
- Baillie Farley
- Evan McKay
- Andrew Imhoff
- Anastasia Gulova
- Uroš Fink
- Leonel Padrón
- Łukasz Remkowicz
- Daniel Viñé Garcia
- Tom Rae
- Josh Dury
- Julien Looten
- Alvin Wu
- Owain Scullion
- Dan Zafra
Institutions
- Capture the Atlas
- Very Large Telescope
- UNESCO
- Hopi Indian Reservation
Locations
- New Zealand
- Argentina
- Spain
- Chile
- France
- United States
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- Poland
- Italy
- Mexico
- Botswana
- Paranal, Chile
- Valle de la Luna, Argentina
- Baja California, Mexico
- Florida, United States
- La Palma, Spain