Whether you love or loathe the cold, there’s a good chance that glimpsing the elusive Northern Lights features on your bucket list.
For those of us who are yet to witness the phenomenon, you’re in luck – 2026 is set to be a particularly good year to do so. However, 2025 also delivered some rather magnificent skies thanks to where we are in the current solar cycle.
The Northern Lights Photographer of the Year awards, organised by photography blog Capture The Atlas, showcases the most spectacular snaps of the aurora borealis captured by professional photographers this year. The winning photos were taken in destinations ranging from Alaska to Iceland, New Zealand to Norway, plus many, many more.
Have a look below at our selection of favourites from this year’s winners.
Recommended: These are the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights.
If all that wasn’t awe-inspiring enough, you can also have a look at the winners from last year’s competition.
Did you see that this incredible immersive artwork is officially the best new thing to do in the world in 2026?
Plus: The world’s best tourism villages to visit in 2026 have been named.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.
