Entries to the 2023 Astrofest Astrophotography Exhibition have opened and will culminate with an Awards ceremony at the popular Astrofest event to be held in Perth on 18th November.
All West Australians interested in photographing the night sky are encouraged to participate in this fantastic event irrespective of skill or experience level. There are awards for mobile phone images, nightscapes, deep sky and many more.
The 2023 exhibition will include a special award for the Best Exmouth Solar Eclipse Photograph. The total solar eclipse witnessed by thousands of people in Exmouth in April 2023 inspired many photographers and this award has been added to capture the awe-inspiring moment.
WA has also experienced some extraordinary Aurora Australis activity over recent months. To recognise photographers who chase these phenomenal events, the Best Aurora Australis Photograph is a new Award for this year’s exhibition.
The Astrofest Astrophotography Exhibition is a showcase of Western Australian astrophotography talent, with the finalist selection whittled down from a large pool of entries. It’s the 14th year of the exhibition with hundreds of entries expected.
Sponsors of the 2023 competition include Sony, Camera Electronic, BinoCentral, Shire of Perenjori and Shire of Upper Gascoyne. The prize pool is worth over $9,000 dollars.
Entry to the 2023 Astrofest Astrophotography Exhibition is open until midnight 13th August 2023. For details on how to enter, visit www.astronomywa.net.au.
Carol Redford, CEO, Astrotourism WA said, “The Astrofest Astrophotography Exhibition is a highlight on WA’s dark sky tourism calendar. WA’s Astrotourism Towns offer prizes for the Best Astrotourism WA Nightscape which is one of the exhibition’s awards. Iconic images feature incredible landscapes under the Milky Way and promote our world-class dark sky destinations in regional WA.”
The Astrotourism Towns Project is supported by 18 regional Local Governments in Western Australia. Together they are developing the dark sky tourism sector of the WA’s Tourism Industry and taking steps to protect the dark night sky asset from artificial light pollution.
Astrofest is WA’s largest astronomy event and has attracted approximately 4,000 people every year since the inaugural festival in 2009.
Ready to be inspired?
Who were the winners of the 2022 Astrofest Astrophotography Competition?