The David Malin astrophotography awards for 2026 have been announced, showcasing stunning images of the cosmos captured by amateur astronomers and photographers from Australia and around the world. The competition features categories including Nightscapes, Deep Sky, Wide-Field, and Solar System.
Overall winner and solar system winner
The Lunar Apennines, captured by Stefan Buda, took the overall and solar system prizes. The image shows the Montes Apenninus, a rugged mountain range on the northern part of the moon's near side, using a DIY Dall-Kirkham telescope and a ZWO ASI290MM camera.
Deep Sky winner
Andy Campbell won the Deep Sky category with The Rippling Flames – Chamaeleon III, a two-panel mosaic revealing the scale and structure of the Chamaeleon molecular cloud complex, located around 450 to 600 light years from Earth.
Wide-Field winner
The Dividing Line by Jarrod Koh captures two distinct structures within the Orion molecular cloud complex: the bright nebula M78 and the dark nebula LDN 1622.
Nightscapes winner
Zenith by Brighton Seeley features an aurora australis, described as a once-in-a-lifetime event. The photographer trudged through bush to the beach as the southern lights danced above, taking over 6,000 photos.
Honourable mentions
Honourable mentions include The Wishing Tree by Luke Rasmussen, captured during an aurora australis at Tasmania's Bruny Island; Pantoneys Crown by Ed Hurst, showing a mesa against star trails; Celestial Dolphin by Elizabeth Armarego, an emission nebula; Gum12b RGB Ha SII by Rodney Watters; Tasman Arc by Luke Tscharke, featuring aurora above sea cliffs; BRAN 56 by Jarrod Rueff; Comet 2025 R3 PanSTARRS by Murray Parkinson; Winged Sandals of Mercury by Andy Campbell; and God's Hand by Frank Alvaro, a star-forming region in Puppis.
