For the first time ever, there were two overall winners - Phil Hart of Victoria, for his evocative animation titled, The Moon in Motion, and Peter Ward of NSW, for his beautiful image of the Orion Nebule, Stellar Cauldron.

This year's competition had eight categories: Deep Sky, Wide-Field, Solar System, Nightscapes, Animated Sequences (Scientific and Aesthetic), Junior and a Themed Section - Memories of Apollo.

Entries came from throughout 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," AstroFest organiser, John Sarkissian said.

Canon Australia supported the competition with Estore voucher prizes valued at $10,000.

In addition, the associated exhibition prints were made using a Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-1000 printer at SUNSTUDIOS.

Kate Guaran, General Manager, Consumer & Product Marketing, Canon Australia said Canon is proud to continue to be involved with the CWAS AstroFest.

"It enables us to celebrate the people behind the camera who, with patience and commitment, truly capture the beauty of what is possible, to produce incredible other-worldly images," she said.

The winners were presented with the "David Malin Awards" in the presence of invited dignitaries during the CSIRO Parkes Observatory's Apollo 11 50th anniversary Open Days, in the Observatory's Visitors Centre on Friday night, July 19.

The competition's exhibition was officially opened that evening and will remain on show at the CSIRO Parkes Observatory's Visitors Centre for an entire year.

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 on Saturday, 28 September 2019.

Last year's exhibitions were viewed by over 200,000 people Australia-wide.

The 2019 CWAS AstroFest was proudly supported by CSIRO, Parkes Shire Council and Canon Australia.

The winners:

"This is a vivid and astonishing rendition of the well-known Orion nebula. While it's the vivid red of the ionized hydrogen that catches the eye, the picture also reveals the subtle texture and shading of the dusty regions around and within it. This is one of the finest images of this object that I have ever seen."

"A beautifully made series of sequences of the 2017 USA solar eclipse, set to suitably mysterious music. This is by far the finest video we have had submitted in the history of this competition, and the processing and presentation completely embraces both aesthetic and scientific realms with aplomb."

"It is the simplicity and sincerity in this image that shines out, appearing to pass the message of Apollo 11 from the generation that went to the Moon to a representative of a generation that may yet return there. This is both beautifully lit and perfectly composed."

"The stark shapes of dead trees dominate this very wide-angle photograph as they reach towards the Milky Way, which extends deep into the northern sky. The horizon is mostly hidden in light cloud that masks street lights in the distance and scatters the light of a planet in the middle of the frame. The scene is further lit by red airglow, adding to the drama."

"This striking image is a selfie, created at the end of a cloudy night, by a young man with some imagination. His light beam makes for a simple but excellent V-shaped composition that catches the eye."