Northern Lights Photographer of the Year 2023 Announced

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Travel photography blog Capture the Atlas has published the 6^th edition of their annual Northern Lights Photographer of the Year, a collection featuring the best 25 photos of the Northern Lights from around the world.

This compilation is always published in December to coincide with the Northern Lights season and the end of the year, and it is aimed at inspiring and sharing the beauty of this natural phenomenon.

© Frøydis Dalheim / Northern Lights Photographer of the Year 2023

This year’s list includes images that were taken around the globe, in countries like the UK, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand, by 25 photographers of 13 different nationalities.

As we get closer to a solar maximum (the period of greatest solar activity during the Sun’s 11-year solar cycle), we are seeing Northern Lights displays at lower latitudes and Aurora images emerging from unique places where they haven’t been photographed before.

These unique places include Wales, Germany, Italy’s Dolomites, mainland Australia, and Death Valley National Park.

Images are selected on their quality, the story they tell, and the overall inspiration that the photograph can provide.

The competition not only helps other photographers who want to photograph the Northern Lights but also brings this phenomenon closer so everyone can learn and discover more about nature’s spectacular light show.

The Northern Lights season ranges from September to April in the Northern Hemisphere and from March to September in the Southern Hemisphere.

The best time to see and photograph the Lights is during the fall and spring equinoxes because of the orientation of Earth’s axis.

Dan Zafra, editor of Capture the Atlas, curates these photos throughout the year. He looks not only for images taken by some of the most renowned photographers but also for new talents and for new locations where Aurora images are rarely seen.

Capture the Atlas is a travel and photography blog that helps others plan their trips and improve their photography.