CWAS David Malin Awards 2026: Stefan Buda Wins for Lunar Apennines
The David Malin Awards, organized by the Central West Astronomical Society (CWAS) in New South Wales, revealed its winners during the AstroFest, a celebration of astronomy. Stefan Buda claimed the top honor for his tonal moonscape titled 'The Lunar Apennines,' which also triumphed in the Solar System category. This year’s competition attracted amateur photographers and scientists worldwide, featuring categories like Deep Sky, Solar System, Wide-Field, and Nightscapes. Among the distinguished participants was Andy Campbell, who earned an honorable mention in Deep Sky for 'OED1 – Winged Sandals of Mercury' and won the Deep Sky category with 'The Rippling Flames – Chamaeleon III.' Other notable winners included Brighton Seeley for 'Zenith' (Nightscapes International) and several honorable mentions. Winning images will appear in a 2027 calendar, with the complete gallery available on the David Malin Awards website.
Key facts
- The Central West Astronomical Society (CWAS) of New South Wales hosts the annual David Malin Awards during AstroFest.
- Stefan Buda won the overall prize for 'The Lunar Apennines,' a tonal moonscape of Montes Apenninus.
- Buda's image also won the Solar System category.
- Andy Campbell won the Deep Sky category with 'The Rippling Flames – Chamaeleon III' and received an honorable mention for 'OED1 – Winged Sandals of Mercury.'
- Brighton Seeley won the Nightscapes (International) category with 'Zenith.'
- Honorable mentions went to Luke Tscharke, Paul Montague, Jarrod Rueff, Luke Rasmussen, and Lucy Yunxi Hu.
- Categories include Deep Sky, Solar System, Wide-Field, Nightscapes, and more.
- A 2027 calendar featuring the winning images is available for purchase.
Entities
Artists
- Stefan Buda
- Andy Campbell
- Brighton Seeley
- Luke Tscharke
- Paul Montague
- Jarrod Rueff
- Luke Rasmussen
- Lucy Yunxi Hu
- Jarrod Koh
- Ed Hurst
- Elizabeth Armarego
- Rodney Watters
- Murray Parkinson
- Frank Alvaro
- Anne-Maree McComb
Institutions
- Central West Astronomical Society
- David Malin Awards
- AstroFest
- Colossal
- The Guardian
Locations
- New South Wales
- Australia
- Moon
- Montes Apenninus
- Chamaeleon molecular cloud complex
- Orion molecular cloud complex
- M78
- LDN 1622
- NSW
- Capertee Valley
- EZ Canis Majoris
- Gum12b
- Antlia
- Vela
- Tasman Island
- BRAN 56
- Comet 2025 R3 PanSTARRS
- OED-1 nebula
- Vela supernova remnant
- Puppis constellation
- Earth