Congratulations to the Winners of the New Zealand Astrophotography Competition 2025
It is always a tough job going through all the images and thank you to our judge Ian Cooper for going through them and picking the best images as winners. Thank you to everyone who shared their vision of the New Zealand night sky. The standard was truly world-class once again!
All results were announced at the Burbidge Dinner hosted by Auckland Astronomical Society
Overall Winner:
Evan McKay – “Waiohine Gorge”
Judge’s comment:
“In astrophotography it has often been all about one particular phenomenon that dominates the scene, such as planets, comets, eclipses etc. This image has all of that in spades — long lenses, stunning depth, and perfect balance of foreground and sky. A true showcase of widefield composition.”
Here is a list of category winners:
Nightscape / ArtisticWinner: Evan McKay – Waiohine Gorge
Highly Commended: Brendan Gully – Comet and Bioluminescence
Highly Commended: Kavan Chay – Ring of Fire
AuroraWinner: Daniel Mickelson – Guardians of the Aurora
Judge’s comment:
“The Aurora Australis can be dazzling, yet this image captures a perfect balance, beautiful coastal foreground, fading mountains, and just enough moonlight to highlight the magic.”
Highly Commended: James O’Dea – Hanmer Springs Hero Shot
Highly Commended: Tristian McDonald – Cosmic Boom in the Lindis Valley
Deep SkyWinner: Ashley Sampson – Celestial Dolphin in a Cosmic Ocean
Judge’s comment:
“A singular object dominates the frame with incredible detail, and the blend of coloured nebulosity adds depth that emphasises the spheroidal nature of the Dolphin’s Head.”
Highly Commended: Matt Balkham – Hand of God
Highly Commended: Dimitri Breidenbach – A 70 Hour Shot in the Unknown
Solar SystemWinner: Oscar Wright – The Descent: C/2024 G3 ATLAS
Judge’s comment:
“With a comet as bright as this ‘Headless Wonder,’ there are many images out there, but this one shines for its clarity and balance in twilight, a dynamic and graceful composition.”
Highly Commended: Peter Barnett – Partial Solar Eclipse
Highly Commended: Otto Gruebl – Flaring Big Sunspot and Prominence
Dark Sky PlacesWinner: Chester Hall-Fernandez – Fire and Ice (Aoraki Mackenzie)
Judge’s comment:
“It is very rare to see anyone attempt to capture the deep, northern part of the Winter Milky Way as seen from New Zealand. The three elements in this photo the frozen white foreground, fiery H-alpha emissions, and green airglow combine for a truly unique composition.”
Highly Commended: Owain Scullion – Mt Sefton and The Footstool (Aoraki Mackenzie)
Highly Commended: Max Inwood – A Sea of Lupins (Aoraki Mackenzie)
SmartphoneWinner: Navaneeth Unnikrishnan – River of Stars (Xiaomi 15 Ultra)
Judge’s comment:
“Cell phone cameras are advancing at a rapid pace. This skyscape takes full advantage of an ultra-wide lens and beautifully balances the light of the setting sun with the vast night sky the sense of scale is palpable.”
Highly Commended: Paul Wilson – OPPO Trails (OPPO Find X8 Pro)
Highly Commended: Daniel Mickelson – The Sky on Fire (iPhone 15 Pro Max)
TimelapseWinner: Glen Butler – ATLAS
Judge’s comment:
“A view I can really relate to only a timelapse can show the majesty of a setting object and the fading light over Tapuae-o-Uenuku in such a dramatic way.”
Highly Commended: Vaclav Henzl – CME Arrival
Highly Commended: Paul Wilson – Tumbledown
People’s Choice AwardGrant Birley – Flipping the Full Moon
Jordan McInally – Sensibilities
Nikita Veerabahu Pillai – Camping Under Multiple Galaxies
Thank-you to everyone who entered, and to our judges for their time and insights.
To view all shortlisted images, visit nzastrocompetition.com.
It’s been an absolute honour organising the New Zealand Astrophotography Competition over the past few years. I’m grateful for the incredible community that’s grown around it.
From next year, Eric Chiu will be taking over and I have no doubt he’ll make it even bigger and better.