Ali Alobaidly wins 2026 Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Ali Alobaidly has been named the overall winner of the 2026 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. His winning photograph, titled ‘The Quiet Predator’, depicts the Shark Nebula (LDN 1235) located approximately 650 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus.

Captured in the Jahra Governorate of Kuwait in August 2025, the image was praised by judges for its technical precision and ability to reveal distant galaxies through the nebula’s dense dust clouds. Alobaidly, an amateur astronomer, received a £10,000 prize for the achievement, marking the first time a winner from Kuwait has taken the top honor in the contest's history.

Other notable winners include 15-year-old Nikolaos Strimpoulis, who claimed the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year title. The competition, hosted by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, received nearly 4,000 entries from 66 different countries. The winning works are scheduled to be displayed at the National Maritime Museum in London starting September 18, 2026.