Photographers in Kildare invited to enter Ireland’s leading astrophotography competition

Entries are now open for photographers in Kildare to enter Ireland’s leading astrophotography competition, 'Reach for the Stars', as it returns for a sixth year.

The Reach for the Stars Astrophotography Competition is celebrating its sixth anniversary, inviting people in Kildare to pause, look up, and capture the moments that remind us how extraordinary our night sky truly is. 

Since the beginning of the competition five years ago, photographers from Kildare have consistently featured among the winning, shortlisted and commended entries in Reach for the Stars, reflecting the strength of the talent across the county.

Organised this year by the School of Cosmic Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), Reach for the Stars aims to find the best astro-photographs taken in Ireland between June 3 2025 and May 10 2026.

Shortlisted entrants will be announced in late June, with the public invited to vote for their favourite to win the “People’s Choice” category at that time.

Photographs can be entered in three categories:

1. Night Sky in Your Hand – Images taken with a smartphone only, without telescopes, capturing an astronomical scene.

2. Out of this World – Images of astronomical objects, including the Sun, Moon, planets, and deep-sky objects such as nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies.

3. Back on Earth – Images that depict astronomical features alongside landscapes, landmarks, nature, buildings, or heritage sites.

In addition, one overall Public Choice winner will be selected by public vote from across the shortlisted entries in all categories.

Entries will be judged by Dan Dennison, Visual Editor, The Irish Times; Dr. Donnacha O’Driscoll, President of the Irish Astronomical Society; Professor Peter Gallagher, Senior Professor and Head of Astronomy and Astrophysics at DIAS; and Dr Niamh Shaw, Scientist, Engineer, and one of Ireland’s leading Science Communicators.

Launching the competition, Dr. Eucharia Meehan, CEO and Registrar of DIAS, said:

“Reach for the Stars is designed to make astrophotography more accessible for everyone with an interest, supporting science communication and outreach, building awareness of dark skies, and encouraging citizen science. We’re looking forward, as ever, to seeing the range of perspectives and skills that these astrophotographers will bring to the night sky.”

Chair of the judging panel and Director of DIAS Dunsink Observatory, Professor Peter Gallagher, said: “The standard of entries to Reach for the Stars generally reflects huge creativity and technical capability. Entries are assessed against clear criteria – technical skill, artistic flair, astronomical understanding, and originality – and it’s always evident how much effort sits behind each frame, delivering images that show how extraordinary out universe really is.”

Competition Details

Entrants may submit up to two images per category to the competition. The deadline for entries is 5pm, May 11 2026.

All entries will be screened by a shortlisting panel to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria. The shortlisted images in each category will then go forward for consideration by the judging panel and for an online public vote on www.reachforthestars.ie.

Prize Package

The winning photographers in the ‘Out of this World’ and ‘Back on Earth’ categories, as selected by the judging panel, will receive a prize package that includes:

1. Publication of their images on the DIAS and The Irish Times websites;

2. Passes to the three sites of the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland – DIAS Dunsink Observatory, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, and Birr Castle Demesne;

3. A €500 voucher for photographic equipment; and

4. A digital subscription to The Irish Times.

The winner of the Public Choice category, as voted for by the public, and the winner of the ‘Night Sky in Your Hand’ category will each receive a voucher to the value of €250 for photographic equipment, along with passes to the three sites of the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland – DIAS Dunsink Observatory, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, and Birr Castle Demesne.

Two runner-up prizes from each of the Out of this World and Back on Earth categories will also be awarded vouchers to the value of €250 for photographic equipment and passes to the three sites of the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland.

Winning and highly commended images will also be included in exhibitions at DIAS Headquarters, Burlington Road, Dublin 4 and at DIAS Dunsink Observatory later in 2026. Furthermore, all shortlisted images will be included in an online exhibition on the competition website www.reachforthestars.ie.

DIAS’s ‘Reach for the Stars’ competition is being run in partnership with The Irish Times, and is sponsored by MKC Communications and The Astronomical Observatories of Ireland. The Irish Astronomical Society are initiative supporters.

Further information, including the competition guidelines and entry form, is available at www.reachforthestars.ie.