Jaw-Dropping Winners Of Annual ‘Capture The Dark’ Contest

Anti-light pollution non-profit DarkSky International has announced the winners of its annual “Capture The Dark” contest—and the winning images are stunning.

“This year we saw some of the most beautiful photos from around the world that we have ever seen,” said Michael Rymer, Program Associate at DarkSky International. “These brilliant views of the night sky show how our place in nature does not stop at the horizon, and that the sky above is as much a delicate and beautiful resource that we must protect and reclaim.”

A recent study found that over the last 12 years the night sky’s brightness has increased by seven to 10% per year, making it ever-harder for city dwellers to ever see stars, let alone the Milky Way.

The arc of our galaxy—visible right now straight after dark from places with no light pollution, such as Dark Sky Places—features prominently in the winning images from as far afield an Taiwan and Inner Mongolia.

Here are just a few of the winning astro-photos—with the rest here:

‘Milky Way Above The Turquoise Wonderland’ By Petr Horálek

First place winner in the “Creatures of the Night” category went to Czech astrophotographer Petr Horálek, who took the image of bioluminescence under the Milky Way in Soneva Jani, the Maldives. Find him on Instagram

‘Lily’s Whisper By Ethan Su’

First place in the “International Dark Sky Places” went to Hehuan Mountain Dark Sky Park in Nantou, Taiwan. Find him on Instagram

‘Desert Bloom’ By Marcin Zajac

Taken in Goblin Valley State Park in Utah, this image from Polish astrophotographer Marcin Zajac won first place in the “Utah Dark Skies” category. Find him on Instagram

‘The Sky Is Like A Dome, Covering Field’ by Wang Tianwei

Taken in Haisen chulu, Alashan Right Banner, Inner Mongolia, this image from a fisheye camera earned first place in the “Connecting to the Dark” category.

The contest results comes on the back of DarkSky’s recent announcement about a new status called Dark Sky Resort, which is hoped will help the burgeoning astrotourism industry.

Astro-tourism On The Rise

“Congratulations to this year’s Capture the Dark Photography Contest winners and the awe-inspiring photos,” said Vicki Varela, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism. “Astrotourism and dark sky messaging complement our Red Emerald Strategic Plan, which aims to elevate life in Utah through responsible tourism stewardship. Preserving dark skies helps communities establish long-lasting tourism economies and keeps our places Forever Mighty.”

The winners of the “Capture The Dark” contest get their images published in DarkSky’s Nightscape publication and on the DarkSky blog and social media, DarkSky membership and DarkSky and Visit Utah gear.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.