INSIGHT ASTRONOMY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
The 2015 competition is open – find out about the new categories and new prizes.
The world’s premier astro imaging competition is back for its seventh year – and it’s been completely revamped to better represent the rising number of entries. As well as gaining a title sponsor in the form of Insight Investment – a leading European investment manager – there are now eight categories and a total of 32 prizes to be won, so there has never been a better time to flaunt your imaging talents for all to see.
With more categories, the organisers have been able to separate images that would have previously been grouped together. They are: Aurorae; Skyscapes; People and Space; Our Sun; Our Moon; Planets, Comets and Asteroids; Stars and Nebulae; and Galaxies.
In addition, there are also two special prizes: Robotic Scope and The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer. There is also a separate competition open to all entrants aged 15 and under – the Insight Astronomy Photographer of Year Young Competition, for which there are five awards.
“The new spread of categories shows just how vast and inspirational a subject the night sky is,” says Melanie Vandenbrouck, curator of art for Royal Museums Greenwich and one of the judges behind the restructure. “I think having more categories means that people who might have hesitated entering the competition before will feel more confident doing so.”
Go for the unfamiliar
Whether you enjoy imaging the sky as a backdrop to Earthly scenes, or showcasing your skills by capturing the most distant objects we can see from the surface of our planet, an artistic eye or a novel approach might earn you the grand prize.
“What always surprises me is the new ways that people find to photograph familiar objects,” says Marek Kukula, Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. “Every year someone manages to come up with something that we’ve never seen before.”
Last year saw the first entry taken from a weather balloon on the edge of space. Other submissions to the 2014 competition included the swirling clouds of gas beneath the Horsehead Nebula – usually invisible in images – and unusual monochrome shots of familiar sights such as star trails. But out of more than 2,500 entries from 51 countries, it was James Woodend from the UK who claimed the prestigious title of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 with a stunning auroral image taken in Iceland.
“Don’t be self-conscious, or scared by the technical aspects,” says Vandenbrouck. “Just keep looking up, keep being inspired, and send us the shots that inspire you about the splendours of the Universe.”
Whether you are a novice new to astronomy or an expert with many years experience, the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2015 contest offers more opportunities to have your work displayed at the Royal Observatory Greenwich than ever before.