The Wairarapa Dark Sky Astrophotography Competition aims to celebrate the beauty, value and uniqueness of the Wairarapa night sky. The aim, to find 13 stunning images for the 2027 calendar. For one lucky person the partnership with Fuji Film NZ means a fabulous prize is up for grabs too!
After the success of the 2026 calendar, coordinator Charlotte Harding was keen to take it to a new level and bring the opportunity to invite the community and visitors to be part of this annual project.
The competition that opens on 1 July through to 1 September aims to:
- Inspire people to experience and appreciate the night sky
- Showcase the landscapes, communities and natural environments of the Wairarapa region after dark
- Encourage responsible night photography and dark sky awareness
- Highlight the value of the Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve
The competition theme Under Wairarapa Dark Skies hopes to get people thinking about the many ways the dark sky can be enjoyed and explored across the region. We are hoping people will be inspired to capture a variety of themes alongside the stunning skies. Inspiration is abundant but themes such as people under the stars with images that include people interacting with the night environment such as stargazing gatherings, campfires, astronomy tours and walking at night.
As Matariki approaches there could be ways to bring the cultural connection to the sky or maybe its following on from the themes we saw during Wairarapa nature at night earlier in the year as we celebrated the nocturnal environment.
We are sure Wairarapa Icons such as our lighthouses, Wairarapa Moana and coastal scenes are all favourite elements that will be captured. With the Masterton extension project so close to submission the decision has been made to extend the area eligible to capture images to include the whole region.
Another exciting element has been the partnership with Fuji Film New Zealand. In June a workshop was held to launch the partnership with Fuji Film and announce the competition to a group of 30 camera owners who joined Keith Molloy and JM Beltram to learn more about astrophotography at a hands-on session at Lake Wairarapa.
The competition is open to everyone. You can find all the details on the wairarapadarksky.nz website.
