The top prize in the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s 18th ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition has been awarded to a striking image of a shark-shaped nebula. The winning photograph, titled “The Quiet Predator,” was captured by amateur astronomer Ali Alobaidly from Kuwait.
Alobaidly’s image depicts the Shark Nebula, also known as LDN 1235, located approximately 650 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. The results were announced on Thursday, September 17.
Shot over two days in August 2025 from the Jahra governorate, the photograph utilized an Askar 140 APO telescope, a Sky-Watcher EQ8-R mount, and a ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera. Alobaidly described the appeal of the image as the poetic contrast between an oceanic predator roaming the skies above the Kuwaiti desert, reflecting his connection to both the cosmos and his ancestral homeland.
Along with 10 other category winners, Alobaidly will receive a cash award of 10,000 British pounds (approximately $13,300). The winning collection will be displayed at London’s National Maritime Museum beginning Friday, September 18.
Other notable winners include Radoslav Sviretsov of Bulgaria, who took first place in the Aurorae category with “The Crown,” a photo of the northern lights taken near Reykjavík, Iceland. In the Our Moon category, Petr Horalek from Czechia won with “Venusian Pearl on the Moon,” capturing Venus as it transited behind the lunar crescent in September 2025.
Miguel Claro of Portugal claimed the Our Sun award for “Active Region 4122,” showcasing the sun’s photosphere and convection cells using a dual-band telescope. The People and Space category was won by Max Inwood from New Zealand for “A Message from the Ancients,” which featured ancient petroglyphs in California thought to represent the 13 full moons in a year.
Tom Williams of the U.K. won the Planets, Comets & Asteroids division with “Saturnian Equinox,” an image highlighting Saturn’s rings edge-on during the planet’s rare equinox. Stefano Pellegrini from Italy secured the Skyscapes prize with “Botswana Star Trail,” a saturated long-exposure shot taken among baobab trees in Nxai Pan.
The Galaxies category was awarded to Chinese photographers Zhipeng Yan and Xinran Li for “NGC 4753: A Symphony of Dust Lanes in Virgo.” Captured in Chile, the image reveals the intricate dust lanes surrounding the core of the galaxy, located 60 million light-years away.
ZWO dominates these contests again. I wonder if they have any special discount for the winning photographer?
Sixty-five hundred light-years away, yet it feels so close. That depth in the nebula is absolutely stunning.
Wait, did the article mention who took the Milky Way category winner? I only see Aurora and Sun awards listed here.
The poetic contrast of a shark in the Kuwaiti desert sky is hauntingly beautiful. Truly evocative imagery.