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11 sensational images from the Northern Lights Photographer of the Year awards

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a glacier hiker climbs in the foreground with a headlamp as a rainbow colored aurora dances above

In 2024, the skies treated viewers to a breathtaking display. With the sun being particularly active, aurora displays around the world dazzled in their colorful beauty.

The Northern Lights Photographer of the Year, presented by Capture the Atlas, not only celebrates the photographers who captured these stunning aurora images but also their incredible stories. Photographer Adrian Cormie received a text from a friend in Nepal urging him to head as far north as possible due to an incoming geomagnetic storm, the strongest in two decades. Cormie drove to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, despite the heavy snowfall, and captured a vibrant shot of the celestial light show.

“Carpe Diem,” Crater Lake National Park, USA
May 10, 2024, began like any other new moon cycle for me. I was shooting at one of my favorite spots along the Sonoma coastline. Around 2:30 a.m., I was surprised to feel my phone buzz with a notification, as my location had sporadic cell coverage. The alert was one I never expected—and will never forget! A fellow Sony Alpha photographer, who was in Nepal at the time, messaged me: “Get as far north as you can by sunset, it’s going down tonight!” A historic geomagnetic storm, possibly peaking at G5, was predicted.

I immediately drove home to grab my Atlas pack full of cold weather gear. My gut told me to head to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. Shortly into the drive, I learned the CLNP Rim Road was completely closed due to 7 feet of recent snowfall. Fortunately, I was prepared for deep snow conditions and pressed on.

Confident and armed with snowshoes, I settled on a spot along the South Rim, east of the Crater Lake Lodge, which was closed due to the extreme snow levels. My image, “Carpe Diem,” reflects the magnificent display of geomagnetic energy that weekend, set against the iconic and unforgettable alpine landscape.
Credit: Adrian Cormie / Northern Lights Photographer of the Year Daniel Zafra Portill

“This year, as we reach the solar maximum of the current solar cycle, the Northern and Southern Lights have been more active than ever, illuminating skies in unexpected places where they’ve rarely—if ever—been photographed,” Capture the Atlas shared. “Some examples of these unique locations include images from Arizona, California, Spain, the Chilean Patagonia, Namibia, Madeira Island, and locations as far South as Tenerife at 28º North Latitude.”

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a rainbow aurora arches over the horizon above cliffs
“Auroras en el Infierno,” Asturias, Spain
Witnessing the Northern Lights with such intensity in Asturias was a dream come true. Alerts on social media and mobile apps indicated something big was about to happen. The solar storm hit on the second night, and the aurora display was truly mesmerizing.

While I have yet to see the extremely powerful auroras like those in Iceland, I am determined to fulfill that dream someday!
Credit: Edén Sánchez / Northern Lights Photographer of the Year Daniel Zafra Portill

a green aurora streaks across the sky as mist settles on the water and rocks
“In the Rays of the Solar Wind,” Rybachy Peninsula, Russia
Captured at the northern edge of the Kola Peninsula, this photo showcases the Rybachy Peninsula’s unique beauty. The Northern Lights provided a stunning backdrop to the landscape, illuminating the stones with a captivating light. The image was created using three exposures to highlight the sky, the scene, and the foreground.
Credit: Sergey Korolev / Northern Lights Photographer of the Year Daniel Zafra Portill
a desert area with a bright red aurora. The first image captures Credit: Josh Beames / Northern Lights Photographer of the Year Daniel Zafra Portill

a purple laser of the aurora appears to be shooting out of a plateau'd rock. the scenes creates a perfect reflection in water in the foreground
“Devil’s Lights,” Wyoming, USA
On May 10, 2024, the aurora forecast promised an extraordinary display, prompting me to travel to Devils Tower, Wyoming, to witness the event. The solar storm exceeded expectations, reaching a historic KP9, with auroras visible globally. As the vibrant lights enchanted the sky above, my father underwent emergency surgery two thousand miles away in Maine. It was a surreal night—mesmerized by the celestial beauty overhead, yet consumed by concern for my dad.

The aurora provided a strange sense of solace amid the chaos, anchoring me in the present as I captured this remarkable phenomenon. Thankfully, my father, a photographer with over five decades of experience who introduced me to this art, survived the surgery and recovered after spending several days in the ICU. Although he missed this particular display, six months later, on October 10, we experienced an even more intense solar storm together as a family—a memory I will always cherish.
Credit: Forest Barkdoll-Weil / Northern Lights Photographer of the Year Daniel Zafra Portill

a red aurora above a lake filled with leaf-less trees
“Lake Toolondo Aurora,” Lake Toolondo, Australia
In the early hours of the morning, Lake Toolondo was turned into a spectacular light display. A massive solar storm lit up the sky with red, orange, and pink hues dancing above the serene waters. The colors reflected off the lake, creating an almost surreal mirror-like effect.

The leafless trees along the lake’s edge cast shadows against the night sky as the aurora shimmered and rippled, transforming the entire scene into something out of a dream. It was a moment that felt truly magical. I remained at the location for the rest of the night, capturing multiple images and a timelapse until the break of dawn.
Credit: Baillie Farley / Northern Lights Photographer of the Year Daniel Zafra Portill

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