Category winner
Crown of Light by Kavan Chay
“Taken during the G5 storm [the most extreme level of geomagnetic storm] in May 2024, I knew this shot would work out the moment I stumbled upon the big, distinctly red auroral display that morning. The reds were a level of intensity I had never experienced,” recalls photographer Kavan.
“I was excited as I drove to the location, wired and not feeling the lack of sleep as I set up my camera alongside flocks of people who had also decided to come out and chase the elusive Aurora Australis.
“I eventually called it a night, exhausted but very satisfied, after 24 hours of being awake. While shooting this, I captured panorama after panorama, hoping for a display that would line up compositionally with this foreground element.”
Taken in Tumbledown Bay, Little River, Banks Peninsula Community, New Zealand, 10 May 2024