We are launching our Smartphone Astrophotographer of the Year competition and you are invited to enter!
Smartphones are capable of producing amazing astrophotography images, including starry sky landscapes, meteor showers, or deep sky objects.
Whether you are a complete beginner or experienced astrophotographer, if you’ve taken a great photo of the night sky or object in space with your phone then you have a chance to win.
Sponsored by
Prizes
- Dwarflab Dwarf Mini Smart Telescope + Mini Tripod
- Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini Pro Pack
- MoveShootMove Nomad Star Tracker + Laser
- Agena Astro $200 voucher
- Picastro subscription
- Skies & Scopes courses
Plus, the title of Skies & Scopes Smartphone Astrophotographer of the Year!
How to Enter
- Quick summary of rules:
- Minimum Age: 18
- Equipment: Smartphone + Accessories
- Editing: Basic edits allowed; no AI generation
- Copyright: You keep the rights; we get a license to share
- Filenames: Photos should be submitted with a filename that includes your name and the title of your photo
- Entry Fee: Free
- Read the full rules below and see information on preparing your images for submission.
- Submit via this form by 8 February 2026:
Judges
Joao Yordanov Serralheiro
- Joao is a master of star trails photography and much more.
- He teaches Skies & Scopes’ Star Trails Fast Track Course.
- Website / Facebook / Instagram
Cayetana Saiz
- Cayetana is a professional photographer creating wildly successful astrophotography images and content
- She teaches Skies & Scopes’ DSLR Deep Sky Mastery Course
Anthony Robinson
- Anthony runs Skies & Scopes, showcasing the amazing work of some of the best astrophotographers in the world
- He presents video analysis on his YouTube channel
- Facebook / Instagram
Rules + Terms & Conditions and Image Waiver
1. Timings
- Competition opening date: 8 January 2026
- Competition closing date: 8 February 2026
2. Categories
- Landscape: Images combining aspects of the Earth’s landscape with the night sky. Including Milky Way, Aurora, Star Trails etc
- Planetary: Objects of our solar system, including our Sun and Moon, Planets, Comets & Meteor showers
- Deep Sky: Including Galaxies, Nebulae, Star Clusters etc
3. Prizes & Judging
- Prizes will be awarded for the overall winner, plus individual category winners.
- Winning entries will be decided by the judging panel based on composition, technical execution, and creativity and announced by Skies & Scopes.
- Winners will receive details of how their prize will be delivered via email.
- The decisions of the judges concerning any aspect of these awards are final. Prizes are non-transferable and no alternative prizes are available.
- Winners are responsible for any local taxes that may be associated with prize receipt.
4. Eligibility
- Participants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.
- This competition is open to entrants from anywhere in the world.
- Any person can enter up to 3 photos. Each photo will require its own submission.
5. Submission Requirements
- All images must be captured using a smartphone camera.
- Use of accessories like external lenses or telescopes is allowed.
- Entered photos must be 100% photographic in origin – no AI generated images.
- Editing and processing of images is permitted. You will be asked what software/apps you used when submitting.
- The entrant must be the sole creator and owner of the copyright for any image submitted.
- Photos should be submitted with a filename that includes your name and the title of your photo. For example, if your name is James Bond and you called the photo Moon Over Scotland, then the filename should be “james bond_moon over scotland.jpg”.
- Photos should be JPEG, with no watermarks and no bigger than 10mb.
6. Grant of Rights (The Image Waiver)
By entering this competition, you grant Skies & Scopes a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license to:
- Display the image on our website, social media and video content and use the image(s) in promotional and commercial materials (digital or print).
- Crop or resize the image for technical formatting purposes.
- You (the photographer) retain full copyright ownership of your work. We will provide photographer credit whenever possible.
- The entrant owns all rights and takes full responsibility that the work submitted is original and does not infringe any third party’s copyright, moral rights, or other rights.
7. Liability & Conduct
- Skies & Scopes is not responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to person or property (including smartphones) incurred while capturing images for this contest. Please practice safe night-sky viewing and photography!
- We reserve the right to disqualify any entry that is found to be fraudulent, offensive, or in violation of these terms.
- Skies & Scopes will interpret areas or issues not explicitly covered by these terms and conditions and other competition rules if and as they arise.
Contact
Any questions about the competition can be directed to contact@skiesandscopes.com
If you want some tips in advance, check out our Smartphone Astrophotography Cheat Sheet!