2025 ToupTek Astro Global Astrophotography Competition

2025 ToupTek Astro Global Astrophotography Competition

The 2025 ToupTek Astro Global Astrophotography Competition invites the best astrophotographers worldwide to share their images of the amazing night sky, from the eye-catching solar system to enchanting nebulae and galaxies. Photographers of all skill levels are invited to submit up to 5 images in each category.

Submission Date

Opening: 21st June 2025, 10 AM (UTC+8)
Closing: 21st December 2025, 10 AM (UTC+8)

Submission Channel

Entries must be in digital form (JPG or PNG) and will be accepted ONLY through submission via the dedicated website.

Please name your images as follows:
Category_ImageName_AuthorName_Nationality

  • Remote Deep-sky Group: Deep-sky objects, including Star clusters, Galaxies and Nebulae, captured by remote observatory operation
  • Field Deep-sky Group: Deep-sky objects including Star clusters, Galaxies and Nebulae, captured by outdoor shooting.
  • Solar Group: Solar objects including Planets, the Moon, the Sun and Comets.

Overall Winner

Level Prize Value # Winners
Overall Winner Premium Bundle of ToupTek Astro New Products More then US$1500 1

Category Prizes

 

Golden

Silver

Bronze

Remote Deep-sky Group

ATR585M Bundle*1

GPM174M *1
1.25" LRGB Filters*1

FS-200AR*1

Prize Value:

US$929

US$508

US$189

Field Deep-sky Group

ATR585M Bundle*1

StellaVita *1
1.25" LRGB Filters*1

AAF*1

Prize Value:

US$929

US$478

US$179

Solar Group

ATR585M Bundle*1

G3M678M *1
1.25" LRGB Filters*1

AAF*1

Prize Value:

US$929

US$448

US$179

# Winners

1 per group

2 per group

3 per group

Entry Prize

Each entrant with qualified images will receive a $10 coupon per image from the ToupTek Astro official online store. The coupon is compatible with other promotions and discounts.
All Golden, Silver and Bronze winners will also receive a competition certificate with their name and the title of the winning image.

Chiefland Star Prize
(June 21st 2025 – Oct 10th 2025)

Chiefland Star Prize

Chiefland Astronomy Village is the official partner of the 2025 Competition. One entry submitted through the Chiefland Astronomy Club will be selected for this special prize.

Level Prize Value
Chiefland Star Prize 1.25″ LRGB + SHO Filter Set
Astrofest 2026 Ticket
$448.00
$110.00

1、Conditions on Entry

1.1 Entry is open to all astrophotographers around the world.
1.2 For entrants who are under the age of 18, the consent of a parent or guardian is required. By entering the competition, it is trusted that all entrants have obtained consent from their parents or guardians. Parents or guardians will be contacted to confirm their consent when entrants subscribe to the competition. 

2、Submission and Eligibility:

2.1 All Entrants may submit up to 5 images per category. All submitted images must be taken using ToupTek Astro’s cameras as the main cameras. The main cameras include deep-sky cooled cameras and planetary cameras.
2.2 Images need to be taken after 1 January 2024.
2.3 Submission Image should be in JPG or PNG, and 20MB maximum per image in size.
2.4 Entrants need to submit their images renamed as: Categories + Image Name + Author’s Name + Nationality
2.5 Entrants need to provide the following information when submitting images. Any lack of information will lead to unqualified.
  • Target name
  • Photo date
  • Equipment used
  • Data sheet
  • Description
  • Processing method
2.6 Please remove all identifying marks, such as watermarks, from the image. Images will be deemed ineligible if not removed.
2.7 Group entries are permitted (Group Entrants). A Lead Entrant needs to be nominated to represent the group for communication and submission. Please specify all members’ information when submitting the entries. If a Group Entrant wins the prize, ToupTek Astro will not participate in prize allocation within the Group.

2.8 By submitting an entry, each Entrant agrees to these competition rules and guarantees that:

  • The Entrant is the sole copyright owner or representative of the Image and the images do not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any third party.
  • The image was taken by the Entrant or by a group of which the Entrant is an active participant (Group Entrant) and is the original work of the Entrant or Group Entrant. 
  • If ToupTek Astro has any claims brought against it due to the Entrant’s breach of this guarantee, the Entrant will be required to compensate ToupTek Astro in full for any losses and costs incurred due to those claims.
2.9 The following Images are not eligible for entry into the 2025 ToupTek Astro Global Astrophotography Competition
  • Images taken before 1 January 2024;
  • Images that have won other competitions before;
  • AI-processed or generated images;
  • Images taken with a paid professional remote service.
  • Winners will be contacted and asked to provide FITS or TIFF files of the winning image. Failure to provide these files will result in ineligibility for prizes.

3、Winner Shortlisting

After judging, we will shortlist winners and their winning images on our website and social media accounts for the public.

During the shortlisting period, any images that receive reports and are verified to have violated the competition rules will be disqualified. The corresponding winning qualifications will be filled by the image with the highest score in the same category.

4、Copyright and Use of Image

By entering, all Entrants grant ToupTek Astro a non-exclusive, irrevocable worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, and publish or communicate to the public any image, by any means, entered into the competition in promotional, press and marketing materials (including social media and ToupTek Astro’s website) to promote and publicise the competition, exhibition and touring exhibition, future related exhibitions and activities, and to promote the understanding of astronomy to a wider audience. This may include publication in international and national media publications and online.

Cuiv, the Lazy Geek

Cuiv, the Lazy Geek

www.youtube.com/@CuivTheLazyGeek

Cuiv the Lazy Geek is an astrophotographer and YouTuber who has obtained more than 69k followers. He has been sharing his passion for the night sky through stunning images, gear reviews, and engaging tutorials, inspiring beginners and seasoned astrophotographers alike.

Bill Williams

Bill Williams

www.williamsseaandsky.com

Bill Williams, retired physician and inventor of the Celestron-Williams Cold Camera, helped pioneer film hypering in astrophotography. Now imaging digitally from Chiefland Astronomy Village, he’s traveled the globe to do astro-imaging and even captured deep sky images from an underwater habitat.

Haoze Wu

Haoze Wu

Product manager from ToupTek Astro R&D team, with 7 years of astrophotography experience and a strong technical background. He has led the development of several ToupTek Astro products.

Jamie Keras

Jamie Keras

www.astrobin.com/users/jamiekenas

Jamie Keras is a Florida-based astrophotographer celebrated for his stunning deep-sky images and dedication to astronomy outreach. An active member of the Alachua and St. Petersburg Astronomy Clubs as well as Chiefland Astro Village, he shares his expertise generously and inspires others through education, mentorship, and visual storytelling.

Joe Haldeman

Joe Haldeman

www.facebook.com/JoeHaldemanAuthor

Joe Haldeman is an award-winning science fiction writer with a BS in Astronomy from the University of Maryland. He’s been watching the sky since he was eight years old. His best-known novel is The Forever War.

Patrick Freeman

Patrick Freeman

www.astro-pat.com

Patrick has been photographing the heavens for over 25 years, using film, DSLRs, and cooled CCD/CMOS astro-cameras. He is a permanent resident of Chiefland Astronomy Village in Florida and retired since 2022.

Weitang Liang

Weitang Liang

Weitang Liang is an advanced astrophotographer and president of the Zhuhai Amateur Astronomers Association. He won the 2022 Astronomy Photographer of the Year (Stars & Nebulae), China’s first world winner in the deep-space category. He’s now actively engaged in astronomical observation and public science education.

Process

Time

Submission

21st June 2025 (UTC+8 10AM) – 21st Dec 2025 (UTC+8 10AM)

Judging

5th Jan 2026 – 18th Jan 2026

Winner Shortlisting and Announcement

19th Jan 2026 – 2nd Feb 2026

Prize Delivery

Starting from 3rd Feb 2026

*The above timeline may be slightly adjusted based on the actual progress of the competition.

Overall Winner Prizes

Category Winner Prizes

ATR585M

ATR585M

GPM174M

GPM174M

StellaVita

StellaVita

AAF

AAF

FS

FS Series Guide Scope

G3M678M

G3M678M

LRGB Filters

LRGB Filters