Dark Sky International The winners of the night photography competition were announced. Capture the Darkness 2026. This year’s competition, its sixth annual edition, attracted a record number of entries from photographers from more than 30 countries.
“Light pollution is increasing at an alarming rate – nearly 10% annually worldwide – disrupting wildlife, impacting community well-being, and making it difficult to experience the beauty of the night sky,” explains DarkSky International. “DarkSky International is working to change this through advocacy, education, and programs that encourage responsible, community-friendly outdoor lighting.”
The Capture the Dark photography contest is an important part of the organization’s efforts to preserve dark skies and raise awareness about light pollution. The contest uses “the power of photography to showcase the beauty of night while highlighting the harmful effects of light pollution through a variety of contest categories.”
Judges selected the top three winners across a record nine categories, ranging from extended night landscape images to deep sky observations, as well as two winners in a special Star Trek-themed category and one People’s Choice Award winner. All 31 winning photos are shown below.
Night views
Paul Wilson won top honors in the Nightscape category with a beautiful panorama taken at Quorn, South Australia. Wilson used a Canon EOS R5 with a Sigma 28mm f/1.4 DG Art lens.
International Dark Sky Locations
In the International Dark Sky Places category, photographer Kat Loman won for a beautiful blended composite image taken in Arches National Park in Utah, USA. Lawman used Sony a7 III and a7 IV mirrorless bodies along with a Sony 20mm f/1.8 lens for the final image.
Lighting quality and design
Photographer Ross Stensland’s photo from Little Mount Hoffman Lookout in California bested stiff competition in the lighting quality and design category. Steensland used an astronomically modified Sony a7 III camera with a Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art lens.
Effect of light pollution
While the DarkSky International Capture the Dark Photo Contest aims to showcase what people can see in the world’s darkest skies, it also seeks to show the impact of light pollution on the night sky. Quyu Wang’s category-winning shot shows the paths of several satellites in the sky, for example.
Night creatures
On Earth, many animals depend on the very dark night sky to survive. Light pollution can affect wildlife in different ways. The winning photo, taken by Tom Ray in Waitomo, New Zealand, beautifully shows how life not only survives (or survives) in the dead of night, but thrives.
Deep Sky Observations
Dark skies are also important for astronomers who want to replace their telescope’s wide-angle lenses. Julian de Winter’s image captures the cosmic beauty of nebulae LBN 528 and LBN 532 and the supernova SNR G110.3+11.3.
Night photography with mobile phone
Smartphone camera technology has improved dramatically in recent years, allowing phones to be used to capture the beauty of the night sky. Enrique Barque won this category with a phone photo of the aurora borealis over Mount Shuksan in Washington.
Young astrophotographers
Category winner Nora Swan, second-place photographer Kunze Chen, and bronze winner Avis Kennedy-Stirling show that astrophotography isn’t just for seasoned adults; Kids can expertly capture the night sky, too.
Night adventures
Denis Lehtonen won the Nighttime Adventures category with a stunning single-exposure aurora shot captured in Greenland with the Sony a7 IV and Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM lens.
Star Trek 60
This year’s special category, Star Trek 60, celebrates the 60th anniversary of the iconic science fiction series, Star TrekWhich has inspired a love of the universe among many fans over the years. Monica Deviat won this category for her nighttime self-portrait giving the famous Vulcan salute in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.
People’s Choice Award
Canadian photographer Ethan Keller won the People’s Choice Award for his photo of the northern lights in Alberta.
“As a young Canadian fascinated by ancient folklore, I grew up learning Aboriginal stories in which the aurora borealis represented ancestral spirits,” Keller says. “I believe this image reflects those myths, depicting the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear) and Canis Venacci (hounds) surrounded by a vibrant mosaic of the northern lights.”
Image creditsDarkSky International’s Capture the Dark 2026 photography competition. Individual photographers are credited in the captions.
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