Parkes local girl, 12 year-old Ella Harbidge, was a winner, taking out the "Photo Editor's Pick" award in the Junior category, for her picture titled, "Always Look Up".

This year's competition had eight categories: Deep Sky, Wide-Field, Solar System, Nightscapes, Animated Sequences (Scientific and Aesthetic), Junior and a Themed Section - "Astrophotography with your Smartphone".

Entries came from every State and Territory of Australia, and were judged by world renowned astrophotographer, Dr David Malin. To view all of the winning images, visit: http://www.cwas.org.au/

It was not just technical skill that was assessed - prizes were awarded to pictures that are technically excellent and captured the beauty of the sky and the intrinsic interest of astronomy in an aesthetically pleasing manner. "The high quality of the images is a testament to the outstanding skills and talents of Australian astrophotographers", said AstroFest organiser, John Sarkissian.

Due to this year's unique COVID-19 restrictions, the winners were announced during a special online presentation on Saturday, 18 July 2020.

"The competition gets harder to judge every year, as the entrants polish their skills to reveal more and more of the Universe around us, with beautiful, scientifically informative, images", said Dr David Main during the presentation ceremony.

The competition's associated exhibition will be officially opened in the CSIRO Parkes Observatory Visitor's Centre, later in the year, when the COVID-19 restrictions have been eased further.

A second touring exhibition, organised by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, will travel to selected venues throughout Australia, beginning with the Sydney Observatory.

Last year's exhibitions were a resounding success and were viewed by over 200,00 people Australia-wide, making it the largest photographic exhibition in Australia.

The 2020 CWAS "David Malin Awards" are proudly supported by the CSIRO and the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences.