The competition is open to any photographer (professional or amateur) including adults, students and young people who have taken their own photographs between the period: 1st August 2020 to 31st October 2021. Entrants may submit a maximum TWO entries per category:
The four categories are:
1. Warrumbungle Nightscape Widefield – Any nightscape taken within the Warrumbungle Shire/Warrumbungle Dark Sky Park.
2. Night Sky Widefield – Open to all locations in the world using any photographic equipment to capture the night sky.
3. Open Deep Space – Deep space objects captured through a telescope.(Photographer must have personally gathered the data)
4. Smartphone Warrumbungle Iconic Astrophotography – Widefield or Solar System image taken with a smartphone including an identifiable feature of Warrumbungle Shire/Warrumbungle Dark Sky Park.
People’s Choice Award – Determined at each‘Capture the Cosmos – Under the Warrumbungle Sky’ exhibition.
1. Read the ‘Capture the Cosmos – Under the Warrumbungle Sky’ official terms and conditions and complete the entry form. If submitting the digital word documents to us, please make sure you save it first before sending it, to avoid data loss.
2. Prepare your submission (up to two entries per person, per category). Photo format is to be JPEG, between 2 and 5MB per file, (A maximum of 2000px on the longest side). sRGB colour space
Winners will be contacted for a higher resolution image for printing purposes for the exhibition. Along with a paragraph description of how, where and when the photograph was taken.
Entrant retains all copyright of their own images. Limited copyright for promotional purposes is granted to the competition and exhibitions, now and in the future for promotional purposes only.
Exhibition entries may be selected for exhibition at associated events in NSW. We will always credit your images and you retain copyright of your original work. (As per clause 6.1, entrants grant permission for associated publication / media / online usage).
Terms and Conditions
Entries can be colour, black and white, monochrome or false colour.
Photo format is to be JPEG, between 2 and 5MB per file, (A maximum of 2000px on the longest side). sRGB colour space.
Copyright of entries is retained by the copyright holder (the entrant)
By entering the competition, the entrant grants permission to publicly exhibit and promote your entries, which are selected for the exhibition, for competition promotion and online and print media purposes, and possibly for related exhibitions, publications and events as determined by the competition committee.
Entries are open to everyone including adults, students and young people, professional and non-professional astronomers and photographers.
Photos must be taken within the last 12 months prior to the competition entry closure date.
The images for categories 1 & 4 must have been taken from within the Warrumbungle Shire or Warrumbungle Dark Sky Park. (See Map of these jurisdictions – Warrumbungle National Park and Warrumbungle Shire Council)
Entries are selected by an expert judge according to their aesthetic and/or scientific merit.
None, some or all entries from an entrant may be chosen for exhibition.
Awards are at the discretion of the judges and their decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding this outcome.
No entry that has been submitted to any other competition is allowed.
Any entry considered by Capture the Cosmos to be unsuitable for the exhibition, for any reason, will not be accepted.
The organisers reserve the right to modify, delete or add awards, prizes and commendation certificates at any time.
Entrants whose entries are exhibited will be notified prior to the Capture the Cosmos.
Entrants may be requested to supply higher resolution versions of their submission, if required.
The entrant warrants that their entry does not breach any third party rights, that they have obtained any necessary permissions (including recognisable individuals featured in photos), and that photos were lawfully obtained.)
The entrant agrees to indemnify ‘Capture the Cosmos – under the Warrumbungle sky’ competition and its agents, against any claim or dispute whatsoever, which may arise regarding the competition, exhibition or use of their submission.
Receipt of each submission is acknowledged via email, usually within 24 hours of online submission. If you do not receive an email acknowledgement, please contact the organiser.
Digital Imaging / computer enhancement – The original image must be made by the entrant on photographic emulsion or acquired with a digital imaging camera or other digital imaging device. Any modification of the original image must be made by the entrant. Digital processing and editing is acceptable, however, the entrant must disclose and briefly describe any digital image enhancement or modification. The original unedited raw file to be available if requested by the organiser .
Entries selected for exhibition may be exhibited by hard copy print format and mounted on professional matting only. Exhibition locations will be advertised on https://cosmos.myphotoclub.com.au
...
Awards & Sponsors
Close ×
Excitingly the winners of each Category of the 4 categories in the 2021 Capture the Cosmos – Under the Warrumbungle Sky competition will receive 2 nights Accommodation prizes at a venue in the Warrumbungle Shire as well as $250 spending vouchers.
Many thanks to our key sponsors for their valued support!
Win 2 nights motel accommodation at the Warrumbungles Mountain Motel a regular venue for astrophotography groups.Win 2 nights accommodation at the Binnaway Barracks – a great win for railway and astronomical enthusiasts.Thanks to Donna the Astronomer for donating $ prizes to one of the category winnersThanks to BINTEL who are donating $ vouchers to two category Winners of the Capture the Cosmos 2021 competition.Thanks to the Baradine & District Progress Association for their $ donation to a category winner in the 2021 Capture the Cosmos Competition.
...
The competition is open to any photographer (professional or amateur) including adults, students and young people who have taken their own photographs between the period: 1st August 2020 to 31st October 2021.
Entrants under 18 are automatically entered into the Youth category.
Entrants may submit a maximum TWO entries per category:
The four categories are:
Warrumbungle Nightscape Widefield – Any nightscape taken within the Warrumbungle Shire/Warrumbungle Dark Sky Park.
Night Sky Widefield – Open to all locations in the world using any photographic equipment to capture the night sky.
Open Deep Space – Deep space objects captured through a telescope.(Photographer must have personally gathered the data)
Smartphone Astrophotography – Widefield, Solar System or Deep Space taken using a smartphone.
...
Exhibitions
Close ×
Winning entries selected from the Capture the Cosmos – Under Warrumbungle Skies will be chosen and printed for an ongoing touring exhibition.
A selection from the winning and highly commended entries from the 2019 Capture the Competition are currently on exhibition at the Coonabarabran Visitors Information Centre.
Winners from the 2020 & 2021 competition will be added to the exhibition collection held by the Warrumbungle Shire Council.
Plans are underway for a series of exhibition into 2021 & 2022.
So far this exhibition has appeared at the following venues
We are honoured to have the following three judges for the 2021 Capture the Cosmos – Under Warrumbungle Sky competition.
Brad le Broque, Dr Angel Lopez-Sanchez and Peter Ward
Dr Angel R. López-Sánchez
Dr Ángel R. López-Sánchez
Angel is a passionate science communicator who continuously gives talks and public lectures, writes popular science articles and organises science communication events and stargazing activities. An astrophysicist working at the Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) and the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the Macquarie University (MQ) in Sydney Angel also provides support for visiting astronomers to the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT, Siding Spring Observatory).
As an active amateur astronomer Angel enjoys observing the sky with his eyes, binoculars, or small telescopes and taking astronomical images using his own equipment. He is very active in social media, his Twitter feed is @El_Lobo_Rayado. You can check out his images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelrls
Dr Angel R. Lopez-Sanchez has been our esteemed judge for Capture the Cosmos – under Warrumbungle Sky in 2019, 2020 and now joins us again for the 2021 competition.
Brad Le Brocque
From Astrophotography to intimate portraits, Brad Le Brocque will have a go at shooting anything. He is passionate about photography and has won many awards for his work. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and encouraging people to enjoy the many aspects of photography.
Brad is the president of both the Northern Photographic Federation (NPF), and the Maitland Camera Club, multiple time winner at the David Malin Astrophotography Awards. He has been doing photography for over 30 years starting as a kid at school. Started off with a Pentax ME Film camera in 1982 and has owned every high end Pentax DSLR released since 2007. Check out Brad’s Instagram page
Brad Le Brocque has been our esteemed judge for Capture the Cosmos – under Warrumbungle Sky Astrophotography competition in 2019, 2020 and now joins us again for the 2021 competition.
Peter Ward
Peter Ward
Peter Ward (B.Sc. ATPL AIPA) has been photographing the sky for over five decades and is one of Australia’s most lauded astrophotographers. His images have won over 60 national and international awards. He was the Deep Sky photography winner for the coveted Royal Greenwich Observatory Astronomy photographer of the Year awards in 2020.
Peter was an Associate Editor at Southern Astronomy and Sky and Space magazines. His astrophotography has been published on the web, local and national newspapers, numerous magazines, text books and have featured in a national advertising campaign and have been screened on national television . He was a vetting judge for the inaugural CWAS Malin awards in 2004 and was guest judge for the RASNZ Astrophotographic competition in 2016.
His portfolio is extremely diverse. He has won every photographic category of the CWAS David Malin awards showing mastery over an impressive range of imaging techniques using varied cameras, lenses, telescopes, filters, focal lengths and software to create unique, compelling images of the heavens.
This is the first year that Peter Ward has joined the judging panel for the Capture the Cosmos – Under Warrumbungle Sky Astrophotography competition.
The Capture the Cosmos committee thank all three judges for their commitment of time and their highly valued expertise.
