The 2014 CWAS "David Malin Awards" announcement

[iceman]

Received from John Sarkissian today:

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The Central West Astronomical Society is proud to announce the 2014 CWAS Astrophotography Awards judged by Dr David Malin - the "David Malin Awards".

Entry submissions will be accepted from Tuesday, 1 April 2014, and will close at mid-night on Sunday, 1 June 2014 (AEST).

The theme for this year's Open Themed Section is "The Moon". We are seeking innovative and imaginative images of the Moon itself, in any of its phases and guises. The images can be either wide-field or high-resolution. The intention is to encourage people with vision, imagination and creativity to capture the wonder and awe that our nearest celestial neighbour inspires in the minds and hearts of people the world over.

A new category has been added this year to the Animated sequences. We also encourage entrants to consider entering the 2014 Australian Gemini Astronomy Contest.

For more information on the competition, the conditions of entry and to access the submissions page, see the following web site:

http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/astrofest/DMA/

The 2014 CWAS "David Malin Awards" are proudly supported by CSIRO's Astronomy and Space Sciences, Canon Australia and the Powerhouse Museum.

Canon Australia continues to support the awards with the major prize this year being the Canon EOS 5D Mark III with 24-70mm f/2.8L lens.

Attached also is a PDF version of the announcement.

Regards, John Sarkissian
2014 CWAS "David Malin Awards"
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The attached PDF has a few more details, as you'd also find on the Website.

[iceman]

Entries for the CWAS David Malin Awards open tonight at midnight!

[iceman]

Just a few days left to get your entries in for the DM Awards!

(I submitted mine this morning :P)

[anthony.tony]

Things Are Pretty Quite In This Thread - Reguard's Tony

[Astroman]

I entered for the first time this year... Not expecting much but fun to try.

[iceman]

Everyone waits anxiously for the next few weeks now :)

[anthony.tony]

Hello All I attended the Parkes CWAS meeting last Night - John Sarkissian Told us The David Malin Awards has Had over 207 Image Entries This Year .Thats a Great Effort from All The People Involved -A little bit back on the Entry numbers from Last Year .Buit still a Good Effort - Reguards's Tony.

[Astroman]

Great to hear.

[Peter Ward]

I entered something a little different this year.... fingers crossed !

[rat156]

Got all excited today, I received emails from JS and the CWAS...

Just to say that they had received all the entries and they are currently being judged.

Waiting with bated breath.

Cheers
Stuart

[Astroman]

Yep I got 3 emails today.. only sent 1 image in though :/

[h0ughy]

i only got two, what makes you so special:P

[Paul Haese]

I got three too. I doubt there is anything to read into it.

[Astroman]

One more than you, makes me so special :D

Unless it's a South Aussie thing, since Paul got three too. ;P

[Paul Haese]

Yeah we're special mate. Real special. :P

[Astroman]

Looks like emails are going out now for those that have been short listed.

[Peter Ward]

For something a little different, I took-on the task of trying to condense about 1.5Tb ( yes, Terabytes) of solar data into a short animation.....processing literally took many weeks...but it seems my....possibly insane :)...effort was worth it!

Got a gong email from CWAS. Very much looking forward to seeing the usual suspects, plus I'm sure some new faces, at the awards dinner in Parkes next month.

[h0ughy]

ah i wondered why i heard nothing, now i know - congrats

[iceman]

Congrats Peter. Was that in the scientific category?

[Peter Ward]

Thanks Mike, yes that's what I entered...but one version was a bit long..hence I wouldn't be surprised if the committee bumped it over to the aesthetic group....BTW, Getting a handle on digital video editing nearly drove me spare..stills are much more forgiving.



Ta Dave... Your mega effort posted earlier gave me some serious motivation! ....I am surprised it was not also mentioned in the dispatches.

[Paul Haese]

Usual suspect attending. Picked up three gongs. One in DSO, one is Solar system wide section and one in animation.

[RB]

Well done guys, congrats.

:thumbsup:

[Peter Ward]

Well Done and congrats! ( had a hunch you'd be there :) )

[Larryp]

Congratulations, Peter and Paul :thumbsup:

[gregbradley]

Congrats Peter, Paul (and where's Mary?).

Well deserved.

Greg.

[Astroman]

I got a gong too, I guess for Solar System widefield, only one I entered. I'll be attending also.

[E_ri_k]

Got one too, for DSO :) Attended last year, was a good trip, looking forward to it again.
Erik

[iceman]

Look forward to seeing you guys there.

[Astroman]

Looks like the shortlist has been put onto a website for us all to look at...

http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/astrofest/DMA/2014_shortlist/

[iceman]

Some great stuff as usual.

[rat156]

Well, that's probably the last Malin Awards I'll enter.

Clearly, Narrowband DSO imaging is out of fashion and when that's pretty much what you're restricted to from the 'burbs doesn't give you much of a look in.

Nice photos though, congrats to everyone who got a mention.

Cheers
Stuart

[RB]

Some amazing shots.

:thumbsup:

[Paul Haese]

Hmmm I don't think so. Several times NB images have won the DSO section over the years. Martin has won on both occasions. I have an entrant for next year already with my IC2944 image, which I will tweak a little at the time just to suit David's tastes. Keep persisting. Go mega too Stuart that seems to be a pet like.

[Bassnut]

Yes, I think thats true, David has oft mentioned hes not keen on "unnatural" . NB is not cool and Starless NB would be a crime ;). Thats all fine though, NP, its his sand box, its what he likes that counts. Its harder to do magic RGB in the burbs, thats true, but thats life!. "arty" is not what the DM awards are about. NB carefully done to look natural does get a look in.

Also, the bulk of entrys these days are noticeably more "accessible" . DSLRs images and videos abound, and thats a good thing, its more inclusive.

The entries this year are all very high quality, its not the quality that is an issue for the likes of me and you, its Davids personal taste and the shift to more mainstream appeal that makes it tough for us.

[RB]

yeah but they do get honorable mentions.

:P

[Bassnut]

I did get an "inovation"award for one, but I suspect thats a one off, by definition ;).

[strongmanmike]

Some really nice looking shots in that bunch (and as usual a couple of repeat images and wha tha?'s too :lol:)...The one single judge David has his preferences but there are also many contradictions too, can't read him but some guys seem to get it right every year though :rolleyes: :whistle:...secret herbs and spices I recon ;) well done :thumbsup:

Congratulations to all and good luck in Parks..and just for fun, I'm tipping Marcus Davis Trifid shot to be up there :thumbsup:

Mike

[marc4darkskies]

But ... your tips are always wrong Mike! :sadeyes::(:sadeyes::(

Good luck to all the finalists! :) :thumbsup:

[strongmanmike]

So by the law of averages... I'm due to get it right :D

[Adelastro1]

Paul Haese just messaged me to say that he won the overall winner! Well done Paul!

[Astroman]

A big congratulations to Paul. Also a very big congratulations to all finalist. I was happy to be one of them this year. Taking home my first HM. It was a great day, met many very talented photographers. Look forward to seeing the pics in print tomorrow out at the dish.

[cazza132]

Congratulations Paul! Well done and thoroughly deserved. Make sure you drink lots of beer to savor the moment!!! Lots of time go into these shots. And for f sake, make sure everyone around you has a few for you too! Awesome shot that I would dream of getting close to some day! :)

[RB]

Congratulations Paul, well done, well deserved.
And congrats to all who got awards too.

RB

[StephenM]

Congratulations for winning the big one Paul! A great achievement. It was another great collection of shortlisted images, so well done to all the finalists.

Does anyone have any information on the individual category winners?

Cheers,
Stephen

[gregbradley]

Congrats Paul, a beautiful image.

I saw it posted on abc.com.au:

http://www.abc.net.au/science/photos/2014/07/20/4046410.htm

Congrats to the other winners as well!

Greg.

[RickS]

Congrats Paul! And to all who submitted...

[strongmanmike]

Well done everyone and congrats Paul (and Phil :eyepop:). Paul you will never be able to complain about DM's judging again now ;). Hope you all had a great night :thumbsup: ..shame the awards ceremony isn't held somewhere a little more prestigious though? The little hotel/motel in Parks is quaint though I guess but be nice to see it at the Dish maybe?

Mike

[multiweb]

And no less than M42. Congrats. Nailed it. :thumbsup:

[DJT]

Congratulations Paul. Great result. Solar system widefield as well!

[Amaranthus]

Well done Paul, amazing Solar shot.

[jase]

Well deserved Paul. A top shelf, ripper M42 image. I can hear the words "respect the light" echo around the ceremony with this image. Kudos for continuing to put mega into mega data. Clearly it has its rewards, literally. Again well done mate. :thumbsup:

[h0ughy]

Congratulations Paul, well done

[Rob_K]

Some photos from Parkes:
- Paul Haese with loot ;) ;
- Category winners with overall winner Paul Haese: David Malin in blue shirt;
- All winners that were in attendance on the night;
- Opening of the exhibition at The Dish on Sunday morning;
- Paul Haese at the exhibition, beside his category & overall winner (M42);
- Andrew Wall at the exhibition, beside his winning entry (setting eclipsed Sun).

Cheers -

[pfitzgerald]

Well done Paul - a truly worthy winning entry.

Paul

[Rob_K]

I should add my thanks to CWAS for putting on a great weekend, with a special thanks to John Sarkissian for the amazing effort he put into organising and co-ordinating events.

My first time at the awards, having been otherwise involved for previous wins. It was great to catch up with so many people I only knew through the pages of IIS & other 'fora' (!!??), and hooking up with a few familiar faces. Congratulations to all the winners, some absolutely incredible images (and animations) there. :)

Cheers -

[Martin Pugh]

Well done and congratulations to Paul, the other category winners, HMs and all finalists.

cheers
Martin

[iceman]

Well done to all the finalists and award winners.
Was a great weekend away, enjoyed catching up with some familiar and new faces, unfortunately too briefly!

[Paul Haese]

Thanks everyone for the comments. It has been a busy few days since the award night. We are staying in Mildura and will travel home today.

I want to also congratulate all the other winners of the awards. There were some really impressive submissions this year.

I would like to thank CWAS and in particular John Sarkissan for organising the competition and for all the hard work that this entails.

I would also like to thank Canon for the cool prizes and their continued support of the competition.

Thanks should also go to CSIRO and the Parkes facility for hosting the exhibition.

Thanks once again for the well wishes and I look forward to seeing the exhibition again next year.

[Peter Ward]

Congrats to Paul. His determination and effort in working toward gaining the coveted overall trophy has been admirable.

This years comp, once again showcased some very impressive imagery, and while there a few who put the CWAS/Malins down as being a quaint contest in the outback, the resulting exhibition and roadshow, according to Canon Australia, has more attendees than *all* other photographic exhibitions in the country combined.

It was great to see new contestants as well as many familiar faces at Parkes.

Congrats also to CWAS/Canon and particularly John Sarkissian for his decade worth of effort that has made this Australia's premiere Astrophotographic event.

[strongmanmike]

Well that's a little pathetic, I was not putting the CWAS/Malins down at all I was in fact suggesting that it deserves a better venue exactly because it is a highly regarded event and I am well aware of the exhibitions travels across the country.

Don't put untrue words in my mouth based on your personal feelings and interpretations.

Mike

[Peter Ward]

Mike..it's a long bow to think I was concerned about or was even referring your comments.

I've had discussions with people well outside the sphere of influence of
1x M. Sidonio about the Malins for some time.. (before, during and after the awards night, which I've attended every year since it started)...re: how they rate on a larger stage......so it's not always about you.

So cheer up. Better luck next year :thumbsup:

P.S.
Reading your post just now... Why on earth would the Central West Astronomical Society....who started the whole affair....have the awards dinner anywhere else other than Parkes?? (as of last week there is nothing but a snack shop at the Dish)

[Rob_K]

Some more shots from the weekend:
- Awards dinner on Saturday night;
- The John Bolton Lecture on Saturday, by Prof Warren Crouch: "The AAO at 40";
- Daytime viewing at The Dish on Sunday, provided by CWAS volunteers;
- Earnest post-dinner dissection of results by the alpha-males of Australian astrophotography :P ;
- More post-dinner discussions;
- Exhibition viewing on Sunday (I think they're doing a critique of Houghy's sunspot shot!).

Results have been put up on-line here:
http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/astrofest/awards/

Cheers -

[strongmanmike]

Ah huh....yeeear right, what ever :rolleyes:

[strongmanmike]

Great shots Rob! :thumbsup:

[avandonk]

Well done Paul! I do not care about who is the most attractive Miss Universe. They are all beautiful.

Paul took the trouble to plan and produce a very good image. Then he ENTERED IT in the Malin Awards! The judges are of course all biased and tend to like an image with the extra bit!

Again well done Paul!

Bert

[multiweb]

Big baby. Hope you get some clear skies soon. How's the concrete curing? :)

[strongmanmike]

Huh? who? this little guy :question: :lol:

The concrete is curing ok...I think..better go check :)

[Phil Hart]

Congrats to all the winners and everybody who made the trip out to Parkes for the weekend. I'd like to echo Rob's comments below by way of thanking the organisers and encourage more people to make the trip out for this event next year and the opportunity to meet and catch up with photographers from around the country.

Parkes may not be the centre of the known universe (except perhaps during the Elvis festival :lol:), but for this Astrofest weekend each year it certainly is the centre of australian astrophotography and astronomy and is much more than just an awards ceremony. Through connections presumably via both John Sarkissian and David Malin, the calibre of presenters is hard to match. You get to hear from the people in the middle of Australian radio/visual/IR professional astronomy about their research projects and plans for our involvement in the mega scopes of the future, our impressive pedigree in designing and building instruments for them as well as human stories of the involvement of The Dish in the Apollo (and other great) projects including meeting people who operated the console during the first moon landing. There is nothing else like this event and I leave it humbled and inspired each time.



I'll also add my nod to Paul's great image. He has put a ton of work into his observatory, his gear and capturing mega data for this image. But that was just the start. The processing of this M42 image is superb and gob-smacked me when i first saw it. It would have been easy to make a meal of that much data but the result looks beautiful. I'd like to see the print backlit on an EL panel for maximum effect though!

Congrats to all the winners (with a nod to my ASV colleagues as well). Looking at the low-res images on the short-listed webpage did not prepare me for the quality that they display when you get up close to them. It's a very fine set of images.

I'll understand if I one day find my camera booby-trapped by Marcus or other egalitarian photographers seeking a more equitable distribution of prizes :-) (I'm not quite sure how I did it this time) but I look forward to being in Parkes again next year, prize or no prize(s)!

On weekends like this it feels great to be part of a very fine community of like-minded Australian astrophotographers.

cheers!
Phil

[Peter Ward]

Paul was grinning (deservedly) like the Cheshire cat.... and made me laugh when he pointed to me saying "You picked it!...saying the Oscar goes to...."

Need to keep quiet in future....plus orchestrate Sydney power blackouts around the new moon :lol:

[Astroman]

Well finally got home today after leaving Parkes at 4am this morning, got home at 4pm, not a bad little drive that.

This was my first time entering the awards and I would like to thank everyone involved with the awards, no only those who organised it, and ran it, but to those of you who had entered and made me feel welcome among the elite amateur astrophotography community. I was honoured to be a small part of it.

Thanks again everyone.

[Hans Tucker]

Have CWAS done away with the Junior [ Junior<16 yo & Junior<18 yo] category. I would have thought it be important to encourage younger Astrophotographers.

[Astroman]

No one had an image in that category.

[Astroman]

Can anyone get a transcript of what David had said about the photographs?

[Jen]

Congrats Paul :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :clap::clap:
fist punch that air buddy wooohooo awesome picture of M42 well deserved :)
PS: that is such a nerdy t-shirt hahaha
and to all the rest of the contenders congrats also
:clap::clap::clap:
:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:
where can I see all these pics and the results :question:

[Hans Tucker]

From Rob_K post.

http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/astrofest/awards/

[Jen]

Thanks Hans :thumbsup:

[Forgey]

Congrats to Paul and all the other winners.

[Astroman]

Some more URL's.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/winners-announced-at-csiros-astrofest-david-malin-space-photo-awards-in-parkes-nsw/story-fn5fsgyc-1226996304018

http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/photos-fnjwlcze-1226993336199?page=1

http://csirouniverseblog.com/2014/07/21/8-stunning-sky-shots-win-david-malin-awards-2014/

http://www.abc.net.au/science/photos/2014/07/20/4046410.htm

[Octane]

Well done, Paul. That is a truly sublime image.

Congratulations, to all the others for their wins and commendations. :)

I hope to be back in it next year; it is a great buzz. Even if you don't win, it's so nice being surrounded by like-minded souls. :)

H

[alexch]

Congratulations again, Paul! All the hard work in making mega-data collection possible and great processing paid off - the M42 image is truly superb and the main prize is very well deserved! And of course another round of congratulations for the Solar System category win!

I just got back home late last nigh - it was a great event again (thanks to everyone at CWAS, John Sarkissian and everyone who attended)!

Cheers,
Alex

[rogerg]

Congrats Paul on the win, well deserved, it is a great image of the Orion region :thumbsup:

[Paul Haese]

Thank you to everyone for your congratulations. It has been an awesome couple of days and certainly one of the highlights of my life.



Yes doing a set up for automation can be quite time consuming but once it is set up it usually works like clockwork. I have not had either of the systems finish properly for a while and that is comforting. After all I am entrusting a lot of expensive equipment to a programme and sensing technology to protect everything.

The image took nearly 5 days to process before I was happy with the result and even now there are things that still bother me about it.

I like the idea of it being back lit. I might investigate that as a possible display idea. The Mrs is already asking about having it specially printed in metallic look.

Like you I think the low res shortlisted page really don't do the images justice. There were lots of images that I thought looked truly spectacular in print. There was such a great collection of images and animations. I will definitely go to see the exhibition if it makes its way to Adelaide.




It was funny, as soon as I saw you on Saturday night it was like I could see the print of that comment you made right there before me. I must say I was grinning from ear to ear all that night and some of Sunday too.

Certainly unexpected to make the overall win, but that was my aim with this image. I saw a few presentations by David where he had stated that M42 was his favourite object in the sky. I took on board his comments about respecting the light (my image in 2011 was the subject of those comments; which funnily enough was M42 on that occasion too). And; I coloured the dust and gas to David's stated tastes. He had several times said he liked the dust of that region looking like a brownish colour and he said the edges of M42 itself should not have a harsh sharpened look to it. So I guess paying close attention to his comments paid off for me on this occasion.




I was stunned with the Solar System Wide Field win. I could have sworn that one of the eclipse shots were going to pick up the win.

My only point about mega data is that if one collects enough good data one does not need to use any noise control. If subs are long enough the data does not need stretching as much. It also means you can afford to throw away data that is not up to what you want. It means I can now be more selective with the data.

It's not only me doing this. Lots of well known imagers are doing this too. So I encourage anyone to take on this approach.

[CapturingTheNight]

Congratulations on your awards Paul. Certainly well deserved and it was great to finally meet you over the weekend.

My thanks must also go to the great work of the CWAS and John Sarkissian for putting on a great event. As Phil noted, the caliber of presenters that this event pulls makes the trip well worth it, not to mention being amongst so many of your peers. I would go even if I was not up for an award.

[Hagar]

Congratulations Paul. Looks like all those hard yards have paid off. The images you presented are really great images and deserving of the accolades even if someone is a bit put out.

[Paul Haese]

Really nice to meet you too Greg. Wish we had more time to talk.

[Paul Haese]

Thanks Doug. :thumbsup: