Milky Way Photographer of the Year 2026 Winners Announced
The 2026 Milky Way Photographer of the Year competition showcases outstanding astrophotography. Among the winning entries are Alvin Wu's 'The Milky Way Over a Field of Lupines' and Owain Scullion's 'Aoraki Mount Cook,' both captured in New Zealand, as well as Uroš Fink's 'Geminid Symphony Over La Palma’s Guardian of the Sky.' Noteworthy submissions include Julien Looten's 'Sodium Milky Way' from Chile, Anthony Lopez's 'Celestial Light Over Sea Cliffs' in France, and Tom Rae's 'Night at the Remarkables' in New Zealand. Additional remarkable works feature Baillie Farley's 'Firewater' in Yellowstone, Leonel Padrón's 'Lost in the Ripples of Space and Time' from Australia, and Jason Rice's 'Fireball in Paradise' in Florida.
Key facts
- Milky Way Photographer of the Year 2026 competition
- Alvin Wu photographed 'The Milky Way Over a Field of Lupines' in New Zealand
- Uroš Fink captured 'Geminid Symphony Over La Palma’s Guardian of the Sky' at Gran Telescopio Canarias
- Owain Scullion's 'Aoraki Mount Cook' in New Zealand
- Julien Looten's 'Sodium Milky Way' at Very Large Telescope, Chile
- Anthony Lopez's 'Celestial Light Over Sea Cliffs' in southern France
- Tom Rae's 'Night at the Remarkables' in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
- Baillie Farley's 'Firewater' at Yellowstone National Park
- Leonel Padrón's 'Lost in the Ripples of Space and Time' in Western Australia
- Josh Dury's 'Perseid Meteors Over Durdle Door' in Dorset, UK
- Anastasia Gulova's 'Galaxy on the Rise' in Tenerife, Canary Islands
- Kavan Chay's 'Divinity' on New Zealand's west coast
- Łukasz Remkowicz's 'Milky Way Over Tatra Mountains' in Jurgów, Poland
- Luis Cajete's 'Double Milky Way Over Monfragüe national park' in Spain
- Alejandra Heis's 'Salto del Agrio' in Neuquén, Argentina
- Andrew Imhoff's 'Galactic Spine'
- Gonzalo Javier Santile's 'Valle de la Luna, Universo Triassico Ischigualasto' in Argentina
- Jason Rice's 'Fireball in Paradise' in Florida
- Max Terwindt's 'Caldera Galaxy Panorama' on La Palma
- Luca Fornaciari's 'Il giardino delle stelle' in Italy
- Nacho Peláez's 'Standing on the Shoulders of Giants' in Baja California Sur, Mexico
- Stefano Pellegrini's 'Botswana Baobabs by Night' in Botswana
- Andrea Curzi's 'Where Earth Meets the Cosmos' in Normandy and Brittany, France
- Brendan Larsen's 'Milky Way Over Syme Hut and Mount Taranaki' in New Zealand
Entities
Artists
- Alvin Wu
- Uroš Fink
- Owain Scullion
- Julien Looten
- Anthony Lopez
- Tom Rae
- Baillie Farley
- Leonel Padrón
- Josh Dury
- Anastasia Gulova
- Kavan Chay
- Łukasz Remkowicz
- Luis Cajete
- Alejandra Heis
- Andrew Imhoff
- Gonzalo Javier Santile
- Jason Rice
- Max Terwindt
- Luca Fornaciari
- Nacho Peláez
- Stefano Pellegrini
- Andrea Curzi
- Brendan Larsen
Institutions
- Gran Telescopio Canarias
- Very Large Telescope
- Capture the Atlas
- Unesco
- Capture the Night
Locations
- New Zealand
- La Palma
- Spain
- Chile
- Atacama desert
- Cerro Paranal
- France
- Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
- Yellowstone National Park
- United States
- Western Australia
- Pinnacles desert
- Australia
- Durdle Door
- Dorset
- United Kingdom
- Tenerife
- Canary Islands
- Jurgów
- Poland
- Monfragüe national park
- Salto del Agrio
- Neuquén
- Argentina
- Valle de la Luna
- Universo Triassico Ischigualasto
- Florida
- Italy
- Baja California Sur
- Mexico
- San Juan Londo
- Botswana
- Normandy
- Brittany
- Mount Taranaki