Stunning Astronomy Photography Winners Showcase Cosmic Beauty

WHO:

PetaPixel - Ali Alobaidly won the Royal Observatory Greenwich ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 18 competition.

PetaPixel - Nikolaos Strimpoulis, a 15-year-old from Greece, won the ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year Award.

PetaPixel - Steve Marsh, Art Editor at BBC Sky at Night Magazine, served as a competition judge.

PetaPixel - Sam Wen is the Founder and CEO of ZWO, an astronomy equipment and telescope company.

WHAT:

PetaPixel - Alobaidly's winning photo, titled "The Quiet Predator," depicts the Shark Nebula and earned him a £10,000 prize, approximately $13,400.

PetaPixel - Alobaidly's photo also won the top spot in the "Stars and Nebulae" category.

PetaPixel - Strimpoulis' photo, "Mineral Moon," is a colorful close-up of the Moon.

PetaPixel - Each category winner and Strimpoulis received £1,500, while category runners-up received £500, and highly commended entries earned £250 each. Special prize winners received £750.

PetaPixel - All winning photographs will be exhibited at the National Maritime Museum in London starting tomorrow, September 18, 2026.

WHERE:

PetaPixel - The Shark Nebula (LDN 1235) is located nearly 650 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus.

PetaPixel - The winning photographs will be exhibited at the National Maritime Museum in London.

WHEN:

PetaPixel - The exhibition of winning photographs will start on September 18, 2026.

WHY:

PetaPixel - Alobaidly expressed a desire to inspire others to enjoy the night sky and contribute to scientific research through his photography.

HOW:

PetaPixel - Alobaidly's photo showcases intricate structures of the Shark Nebula, combining technical excellence and artistic vision.

(UPDATED September 18, 2026 07:58 UTC)

Ali Alobaidly has been awarded the Royal Observatory Greenwich ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 18 competition for his stunning image titled "The Quiet Predator," which captures the intricate structures of the Shark Nebula and earned him a £10,000 prize. In addition, 15-year-old Nikolaos Strimpoulis from Greece won the ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year Award for his colorful close-up photo of the Moon, titled "Mineral Moon," with both winners receiving recognition and cash prizes. All winning photographs, including those from category runners-up and highly commended entries, will be exhibited at the National Maritime Museum in London starting tomorrow, September 18, 2026.