Hellas-Sky Spring Contest 2026

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Don’t forget to upload your image!!!

Hellas-Sky Spring Contest 2026

Our Third Competition Starts – Featuring the Magnificent Messier 51!

Are you ready for a new challenge under the stars? Welcome to the Hellas-Sky Spring Contest 2026! This time, we’ve prepared something really special: a deep, high-quality dataset of the magnificent whirlpool galaxy M51.

Captured using two DeltaRho 350 f/3 telescopes and an LRGB+Ha filter set, these data showcase the full power of our world-class location and equipment – and now they’re yours to explore!

🔭 Your Mission:

Download the data, process it using your skills – and create a stunning image of this tremendous pair of galaxies.

✅ Available in XISF, FITS and TIFF formats

✅ Free to download

✅ Submission deadline: April 19, 2026

🏆 What You Can Win:

1st Prize: A 4-month subscription to one of our telescopes – that’s 2 premium datasets per month, delivered to you free of charge!

2nd Prize: 3 datasets of your choice from our large collection

3rd Prize: 1 dataset of your choice from our large collection

Our jury this time includes many members of the PixInsight Development Team as well as experienced astro-photographers!

🎉 Winners will be announced by the end of April 2026 and featured on our website!

📥 How to Participate:

1. Register for free on our website if not done yet.

2. Download the M-51 dataset (XISF, FITS or TIFF).

3. Create an image using only our data (no additional external data allowed).

4. Submit your final JPEG (max. 5MB) by April 19, 2026 via the button below.

5. Include the software/tools you used for processing.

🧪 Judging Criteria:

Depth and contrast

Fine details

Overall visual impact and balance of realism and creativity

📣 Share Your Vision with the Community!

All image rights remain with the participants. By entering, you agree that Hellas-Sky may feature your image on our website and social media – with full credit to you as the creator.