Winners Announcement of Optolong 2026 Nightscape Competition-Starryscape Dream
Winners Announcement of Optolong 2026 Nightscape Competition-Starryscape Dream
The 2026 Optolong Nightscape Competition-Starryscape Dream competition has officially come to a successful close.
We are absolutely amazed by the incredible passion and talent displayed by the global astrophotography community. This year, we received a total of 478 submissions from 266 participants across the world.
After multiple rounds of rigorous evaluation by our judging panel, the final winners have now been selected from the 276 shortlisted works.
Massive thanks to our judges, they are Mehmet Ergün from Germany, Yuri Beletsky from Chile, Vincent Cheng from Hong Kong(China) , Steed(虞骏) from China, and Stephanie(叶梓颐) from China who keep the contest equitable and fairness.
We are thrilled to announce the champions who have captured the beauty of the night sky in the most breathtaking ways.
It's the most exciting moment, the recipients of the prizes will be published here. Nine winners were born from both Nightscape Category and Special Celestial Phenomena Category.
Congratulations!
►Winners of the Nightscape Category will be announced.
|
NighScape Category |
Winners Number | Prizes |
| The 1st Prize | One winner to be selected |
1>Cash prize of US$2,000 *1 2>Either Optolong L-Pro or L-eXtreme clip-in filter *1 3>Physical Trophy |
| The 2nd Prize | Two winners to be selected |
1>Cash prize of US$600 *1 2>Either Optolong L-Pro or L-eXtreme clip-in filter *1 3>Physical Trophy |
| The 3rd Prize | Three winners to be selected |
1>Cash prize of US$300 *1 2>Either Optolong L-Pro or L-eXtreme clip-in filter *1 3>Physical Trophy |
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Several Excellence Awards: Physical Award of Trophy |
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The First-Prize ONE Winner
♦1/1 Photo Number：240 Nightscape Category -Sodium Milky Way
Full name: Julien LOOTEN
Nationality: France
Title of the work: Sodium Milky Way
Subject of the photograph: The Milky Way rising above the Very Large Telescope (VLT), Chile.
Equipment used for the capture: Sigma 28mm f/1.4 lens; Canon EOS Ra.
Shooting parameters: 360° panorama composed of 85 × 13-second exposures; ISO 3200; f/1.8.
Date of capture: July 2025.
Location of capture: Atacama Desert – Paranal Observatory, Chile.
Brief description of the work: Last summer, I had the opportunity to photograph from the summit of the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the world's largest optical telescope, beneath one of the darkest skies on Earth- completely free of light pollution, humidity, and clouds. The most distinctive feature of this image is the set of powerful sodium laser beams projected by the telescope for its adaptive optics system. These lasers pierce the night sky, enabling the telescope to correct for atmospheric turbulence and produce much sharper astronomical observations. Capturing the Milky Way together with these striking laser beams highlights the unique relationship between cutting-edge technology and the pristine beauty of the night sky.
Post-processing techniques used: The panorama was stitched using Autopano, followed by final image processing in Adobe Photoshop.
The Second-Prize TWO Winners
♦1/2 Photo Number：235 Nightscape Category -流浪地球
参赛者姓名：裴奕斐
国籍：中国
作品名称：流浪地球
拍摄器材：索尼 A7R 改机 + 老蛙 8-15mm F2.8 Fisheye Zoom
拍摄参数：天空 30s f2.8 iso1600 300张堆栈，地景 60s f2.8 iso200，人物 15s f2.8 iso 200
拍摄时间：2025.8.24
拍摄地点：青海省海西蒙古族藏族自治州直辖茫崖市俄博梁
作品简述：夜空中的轨迹，是地球自转留下的印记。漫长的曝光将群星的移动化作层层光环，如同时空的涡流。伫立在岩石之上的身影，与大地一同注视这场星际舞蹈。人是时光的旅客，地球亦是宇宙的游子，在星辰的漩涡中共同漂泊。
♦2/2 Photo Number：267 Nightscape Category -一眼亿年
参赛者姓名：任立龙
国籍：中国
作品名称：《一眼亿年》
拍摄器材：索尼a7r3bcf+唯卓仕35mmf1.2lab+星空原野赤道仪
拍摄参数：天空曝光30秒，光圈f1.2，iso1600；地景曝光61秒，光圈f2.8，iso3200；天空25张+地景19张拼接；
拍摄时间：2026年6月19日 拍摄地点：中国内蒙古阿拉善盟
作品简述：嘿！朋友！这里是中国内蒙古阿拉善盟，我在沙漠腹地，撞见了3.4亿年前的银河。 石炭纪的风早已吹散，大陆板块几经漂移，山河沧海反复更迭，可这片盐湖沼泽从未沉寂。水面浮沉的橙黄色卤虫，是跨越亿年的地球活化石，它们的祖先，曾亲眼仰望过同一片璀璨星河。 3.4亿年何其漫长，恐龙尚未崛起，人类未曾诞生，唯有银河亘古高悬，唯有卤虫生生不息。它们在贫瘠盐碱中蛰伏、繁衍，以微小躯体，封存着远古地球的时光密码。 今夜星光落满盐湖，亿万星辰依旧，小虫岁岁如初。原来世间最动人的浪漫，是当下的仰望，也是银河像兽瞳般对我们的凝视，又恰好复刻了3.4亿年前的璀璨。 山河迭代，星河未改，微小生命，不负时光。
The Third-Prize THREE Winners
♦1/3 Photo Number：010 夜空景象单元 《旧友，望苍龙抬头》
作品：参赛类目：夜空景象单元
姓名：幼薇
国籍：中国
作品名称：《旧友，望苍龙抬头》
拍摄目标：龙抬头银河
拍摄器材：尼康z7改机+尼康z20f1.8
拍摄参数：单张20s f1.8 iso6400 5张拼接
拍摄时间：2026-03-20
拍摄地点：四川省甘孜藏族自治州康定格迪拉姆
作品简述：老友，我们如期而至。你又变了，好像比去年的这个时候更残破。 我们来了，不要被冰雪掩埋。我们帮你睁开眼睛抬起头，再助你看一次，这云雾中东方苍龙抬头。
♦2/3 Photo Number：117 Nightscape Category -Galactic Quatrefoil
–Category of participation: Nightscape
–Full name: Maxime DESCHAMPS-BERGER
–Nationality: French
–Title of the work: Galactic Quatrefoil
–Subject of the photograph: Paranal observatory full nightsky
–Equipment used for the capture: Sony A7s (astromodified) w/ TTArtisan 11mm f/2.8 fisheye lens
–Shooting parameters: 11mm | ISO 6400 | f/2.8 | 20s
–Date of capture: 21/07/2025
–Location of capture: Cerro Paranal, Chile
–Brief description of the work: A fisheye view panorama of the nightsky at ESO's Paranal Observatory.
–Post-processing techniques used: Individual frames edited in Lightroom, panorama stitched with Autopano Giga, perspective correction and final adjustments in Photoshop.
–Interesting story related to the photograph: Quite frankly one of the most beautiful nights of my life. Having the chance to spend some time shooting in the middle of some of the most prestigious astronomical instruments in the world, under the clearest skies I've ever witnessed, is impossible to describe accurately. I positioned myself at the crossroads of the auxiliary telescopes' guiderails in order to get an interesting geometry for the shot, hence the gothic look reminding of the architectural "quatrefoil" shape.
♦3/3 Photo Number：113 Nightscape Category -贡嘎之镜
参赛单元：夜空景象
参赛者姓名：他的小伙伴（范思睿）
国籍：中国
作品名称：贡嘎之镜
拍摄器材：Nikon Z9 + Sigma 40mm f/1.4 Art
拍摄参数：单张4s，f/1.4，ISO2500，多张堆栈
拍摄时间：2025.5.4
拍摄地点：中国四川省甘孜藏族自治州康定市贡嘎山镇玉龙西村冷嘎措
作品简述：这张照片拍摄于冷嘎措，定格了月光映照下的贡嘎雪山及其在湖中的完美星空倒影。要完成这样的拍摄，首先需要晴朗无云的夜空确保雪山和星空清晰可见，同时还要保证长时间几乎无风的环境避免水面扰动。月光勾勒出群峰轮廓，使雪山在夜色中呈现出清冷素净的独特质感。
►Winners of the Special Celestial Category will be announced herewith.
| Award Categories | Winners Number | Prizes |
| The 1st Prize | One winner to be selected |
1>Cash prize of US$1,000 *1 2>Either Optolong L-Pro or L-eXtreme clip-in filter *1 3>Physical Trophy |
| The 2nd Prize | One winner to be selected |
1>Cash prize of US$300 *1 2>Either Optolong L-Pro or L-eXtreme clip-in filter *1 3>Physical Trophy |
| The 3rd Prize | One winner to be selected |
1>Cash prize of US$100 *1 2>Either Optolong L-Pro or L-eXtreme clip-in filter *1 3>Physical Trophy |
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The First-Prize ONE Winner
♦1/1 Photo Number：132 Passing Wonder
Category: Special Celestial Phenomena
Full Name: Ali Matinfar
Nationality: Iranian
Title: Passing Wonder Subject: Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS), two young sisters experiencing their first comet beneath the twilight sky of Iran's Central Desert
Date of Capture: 2024/10/15 *Location of Capture: Sand dunes near Mesr Village, Khur and Biabanak County, Isfahan Province, Iran
*Equipment Used: Camera: Canon 6D (Astro-modified) Lens: Canon EF 24–70mm f/2.8L II USM (50 mm)
*Photo Info: Foreground: Single exposure — 50 mm - f/3.2 - ISO 800 - 1.3 s Sky: 20 stacked exposures — 50 mm - f/3.2 - ISO 800 - 5 s each
*Post-processing Techniques: The foreground was captured in a single exposure under natural moonlight during evening twilight. The sky was created by stacking 20 consecutive exposures in Adobe Photoshop to improve the SNR ratio while preserving the comet's delicate structures and the natural twilight colors. The final image combines the single foreground exposure with the stacked sky, maintaining a realistic representation of the original scene.
For me, this photograph was not merely a record of a comet. It preserves the moment when two children witnessed one of the sky's rarest visitors with their own eyes for the very first time. Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) was approaching its peak brightness. A few days before this celestial event, I planned a journey to Mesr Village in Iran's Central Desert, where I stayed with Mohsen, a local desert resident, to photograph the comet beneath one of the region's pristine night skies. On the evening of the observation, Mohsen and his young twin daughters, Avin and Azin, joined me as we walked to the nearby sand dunes. With a clear, dry atmosphere and an unobstructed western horizon, the location offered ideal conditions for observing and photographing the comet. As I prepared my camera equipment, the twins watched with curiosity. While setting up, I explained—in simple words, what comets are, where they come from, and the celestial visitor they were about to witness for the first time. During evening twilight, as the Moon rose and shortly before the comet disappeared below the horizon, I invited them to stand beside me. The resulting image captures not only the comet, with both its prominent dust tail and visible antitail, but also a shared moment of discovery beneath the desert sky.
The Second-Prize ONE Winner
♦1/1 Photo Number：131 Comet Lemmon through Aurora Borealis
Category of participation: Special Celestial Phenomena
Full name: Petr Horálek
Nationality: Czech Republic
Title of the work: Comment Lemmon through Aurora Borealis
Subject of the photograph: Aurora, Comet (Lemmon)
Equipment used for the capture: Used Canon Ra, Sigma 50mm
Shooting parameters: Used Canon Ra, Sigma 50mm, f1.4, ISO 2500, 20×3.2s exposure from tripod.
Date of capture: 24 October 2025
Location of capture: Suotojärvi Lake, Sweden
Brief description of the work: A beautiful Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) "floating" in the sky just above majestic Aurora Borealis over the freezing Suotojärvi Lake. Post-processing techniques used: 20 single 3,2s shots were stacked into one (darkframes applied) to denoise the comet's tail structures. Final stacked image was registered into the first frame of the series. After this, color corrections were done (color balance, curves, contrast). Interesting story related to the photograph: The night of 24 October, 2025, was just incredible. I have just moved to Sweden, where I organize astrophotography workshop for a group, and this is the view of nature offered over Suotojärvi Lake. The comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon was seemingly swimming in bright Aurora Borealis. The comet was so bright that we could see it with our naked eyes, even very low over the horizon.
The Third-Prize ONE Winner
♦1/1 Photo Number：056 Special Celestial Category - 雅丹秘境与长六甲火箭云
参赛者姓名：魏伟
国籍：中国
作品名称： 雅丹秘境与长六甲火箭云
拍摄器材：尼康Z62+索尼14 f1.8GM
拍摄参数： 天空：14mm，f1.8，ISO5000，曝光15秒，单张 地景：14mm，f1.8，ISO5000，曝光15秒，10张堆栈
拍摄时间：2026年3月15日
拍摄地点：新疆维吾尔自治区哈密市大海道景区
作品简述： 为了拍摄大海道雅丹秘境的星空日夜日延时摄影，我用软件提前进行机位模拟，傍晚时分就已经提前架设好相机，没想到入夜后天上出现了火箭云的奇观，回看自己拍摄的延时摄影序列，可谓是震撼无比！ 后期处理方式： 1、用Light room调整原始文件的曝光、颜色，拉亮暗部、压高光，批量输出TIFF。2、用Photoshop处理导出后的照片，进行最后的调整光影、颜色、对比度等，后导出JPG并出图。
►Excellence Awards of Nightscape Category
♦Photo Number：105 Nightscape Category -Sky Spectacle
–Category of participation: NightScape
–Full name: Gergely Tóth
–Nationality: Hungary
–Title of the work: Sky Spectacle
–Subject of the photograph: Winter Milky Way arch with Zodiacal light and lenticular clouds
–Equipment used for the capture: Sony A7III (astro mod), Sony 20mm f/1.8 G, Fornax Lightrack II
–Shooting parameters: Sky: f/1.8, 120s, ISO 640 (7 panel panorama), Ha: f/1.8, 120s, ISO 2500 (7 panel panorama), Foreground: f/1.8, 120s, ISO 640 (7 panel panorama)
–Date of capture: 2026.04.11.
–Location of capture: Death Valley National Park, California
–Brief description of the work: The arching Milky Way stretches across the night sky above a vast plateau of Joshua trees, accompanied by the soft glow of the Zodiacal Light and several faint H-alpha emission nebulae. Smooth lenticular clouds drift overhead, while a few flaring Starlink satellites leave subtle traces across the scene.
–Post-processing techniques used: I used PTGui for panorama stitching, Auriga Registar to register the H-alpha data to the sky, Photoshop to blend the foreground to the sky, and Lightroom for the final touches.
–Interesting story related to the photograph: The first image of our road trip came only after a last-minute change of plans. An unfavorable forecast near Hanksville sent us on a nearly 500-mile drive to Death Valley, where strong winds and passing clouds made the night anything but easy. Sometimes, the best photographs are the ones you never planned to take.
►Excellence Awards of Nightscape Category
♦Photo Number：200 Nightscape Category 星穹
参赛者姓名：段良友
国籍：中国
作品名称：星穹
拍摄器材：尼康D750天文改机+适马14-24 2.8 DG
拍摄参数：天空赤道仪接片：快门71s iso2000 光圈2.8 20张接片后裁切调整构图 地景关闭赤道仪接片：快门71s iso 2500 光圈2.8 16张接片后裁切调整构图
拍摄时间：2024年11月20日
拍摄地点：四川甘孜藏族自治州塔公云绕雅拉
作品简述：作品拍摄于24年11月底的云绕雅拉 ，入夜后银河横跨天际，雅拉雪山的上空被整片重力波气辉所覆盖，我站在雪山前用相机记录下了这一时刻。 前期使用赤道仪天地分开拍摄 后期通过ptgui接片后导入ps中处理
►Excellence Awards of Nightscape Category
♦Photo Number：338 Nightscape Category - Emergence
- Nightscape Category
- Josh McGuigan
- New Zealand
- Emergence
- A calm night in a remote New Zealand high-country valley.
- Nikon Z6a, Sigma 40mm F1.4, Skywatcher Star Adventurer
- 30s F1.4 ISO 1250 (Sky), 60s F4 ISO 6400 (Foreground)
- 14 May 2026
- Ahuriri Valley, New Zealand
- A large panoramic image, showing the Milky Way above a glacier-fed river - Autopano Giga + Photoshop
- One of my favourite images I’ve ever captured. After following a long 4WD track deep into this valley, I came across a beautiful bend in the river, which would have a perfect alignment for the night sky later in the night. I got setup and ready to capture this image. This night in particular had a strong display of airglow, visible throughout this image in green and orange tones. Along with the beautiful blue tint of the river water, the color palette in this image is what makes me keep coming back to look at it.
►Excellence Awards of Nightscape Category
♦Photo Number：272 Nightscape Category -雷暴云星河
雷暴云星河 / 夜空天象
R5+EF 24 1.4
24mm F1.8 10s ISO 8000
内蒙克什克腾旗深山孤树，恰逢一片雷暴云穿银心而来
A huge congratulations to all the winners! Your creativity, dedication, and vision continue to inspire us and all the stargazers.
To all the winners - we will be reaching out to you shortly regarding prize redemption.
Thank you once again for being part of this incredible journey. Until next year - keep chasing the stars!
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