Winners of June #M8&M20 Astrophotography Contest Are Announced

Hello all astrophotography enthusiasts,

Our June themed astrophotography contest focusing on #M8&M20 (Lagoon Nebula & Trifid Nebula) has officially wrapped up. After comprehensive judging based on imaging detail, color restoration, composition and processing techniques, we are thrilled to release the full list of winners today.

Contest Winners & Works Links

🥇 First Prize: Daryl Perreau

Work Title: The Sagittarius Triad

Work Link: https://www.svbony.com/creations/the-sagittarius-triad?preview=admin

This image captured M8 Lagoon Nebula, M20 Trifid Nebula together in one frame with SC571CC cooled color camera paired with SV555 astrograph. The exquisite filamentary dust structure and layered star field perfectly show the outstanding sensor performance of SVBONY deep-sky gear, winning unanimous high praise from our judging team.

🥈 Second Prize: Tiago Rocha

Work Title: M8 Lagoon e M20 Trifída

Work Link: https://www.svbony.com/creations/m8-lagoon-e-m20-trif%C3%ADda?preview=admin

The creator skillfully combined narrowband filter data and RGB integration to balance natural cosmic color and nebula structural contrast, presenting a stunning visual of two iconic star-forming regions in Sagittarius.

🥉 Third Prize: komer

Work Title: Wide M8&M20

Work Link: https://www.svbony.com/creations/wide-m8-m20?preview=admin

With wide-field SVBONY SV535 astro lens, this wide-angle shot outlines the complete distribution of nebulae and surrounding star clouds, bringing viewers a grand panoramic view of the Sagittarius Milky Way core.

Rewards Notice

We sincerely appreciate every participant who submitted their fantastic deep-sky shots for this June contest. All corresponding reward points for winners and participants have been fully credited to your personal SVBONY official website accounts. Please log into your account page to check your points balance at your convenience. All points can be redeemed for equipment discounts, exclusive astronomical accessories and gear purchases on our store.

Next Contest Invitation

Don’t put your astro rig away! Our brand-new July deep-sky challenge — The Veil Nebula Challenge (#Veilnebula) is now live. July is the optimal observation window for Veil Nebula (NGC 6960/6992), and you can earn extra reward points by submitting your Veil Nebula photos shot with any SVBONY equipment.

Full activity rules and submission entry: https://www.svbony.com/blog/the-veil-nebula-challenge-capture-the-deep-sky-wonders-with-svbony-in-july-

Closing

All relevant information about the June #M8&M20 contest including entry gallery and judging standards can still be viewed on this page. We look forward to more breathtaking deep-sky masterpieces from you in the July Veil Nebula Challenge!

Happy stargazing & clear skies!

Welcome to the June SVBONY Astrophotography Challenge! As the summer night sky officially opens its curtains, it reveals some of the most spectacular deep-sky treasures in our galaxy. Following our official celestial roadmap, we are setting our sights on the ultimate cosmic targets for June: The Lagoon Nebula (M8) & The Trifid Nebula (M20)!

Known as the crown jewels of the summer sky, these magnificent gas clouds offer a breathtaking contrast of fiery cosmic structures and intricate dark dust lanes. Whether you are a deep-sky veteran or an intermediate tracer, it is time to unleash your imaging train and showcase your astrophotography skills to our global community!

The Prize Pool: Earn Member Points

To fuel your passion and help you secure your next gear upgrade, we have loaded up our community reward pool for the best deep-sky submissions this month:

1st Prize: 800 SVBONY Member Points
2nd Prize: 500 SVBONY Member Points
3rd Prize: 300 SVBONY Member Points

What can you do with Member Points?

Your earned points can be directly applied as cash discounts on our official website. It is the perfect opportunity to save on high-performance flagships like the SC571CC Cooled Camera or the SV550 Triplet APO!

Target Profile: Why M8 & M20?

According to our seasonal deep-sky chart, June provides the perfect window to target these emission and reflection nebulas:

1. The Lagoon Nebula (M8)

A massive, highly luminous interstellar cloud located in the constellation Sagittarius. It is a classic emission target bursting with hot hydrogen gas, making it incredibly rewarding for long exposures.

2. The Trifid Nebula (M20)

Sitting just above M8, this unique structure is a combination of an emission nebula (red), a reflection nebula (blue), and a dark nebula that divides the core into three distinct petals.

Recommended Gear: A mid-to-long focal length telescope (such as our ED refractors or Maksutov-Cassegrains) paired with a dual-band filter like the SV220 7nm will allow you to isolate the vibrant $H-\alpha$ and $O-III$ signals perfectly, even under moderate light pollution.

How to Enter

Submit via Our Official Website Gallery (Highly Recommended)

Head over directly to our official campaign gallery page: https://www.svbony.com/pages/awards
Upload your high-resolution M8 or M20 frames and fill in your acquisition details. Submitting here ensures your work enters our permanent global hall of fame!

Submission Requirement: please include your SVBONY gear list (e.g., OTA, camera, filters) and your exposure settings (gain, offset, exposure times) in the description text so the entire community can learn from your workflow.

Timeline & Deadline

Challenge Starts: June 1, 2026
Submission Deadline: June 30, 2026, at 23:59 (UTC)

Get your rigs balanced, polar align with precision, and let the summer deep-sky hunt begin. We cannot wait to see the universe through your eyes!

Clear Skies!

Want to upgrade your setup before the next clear night? Explore our latest deep-sky cooled cameras and premium optics directly at https://www.svbony.com/.