The Royal Observatory just announced its Astronomy Photographer Of The Year 2013 winners. Australian photographer Mark Gee was chosen among a thousand amateur and professional photographers around the globe to win the top title. His work is part of an exhibition of the winning photographers, which opened on Sept. 19 at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. The Royal Observatory shared with us the winners and notable mentions of the competition. Their descriptions of the prizewinners can be found below the images.

A woman poses for her husband alongside a giant camera Thursday, November 7, 2013 outside the Historic Green County Courthouse in Monroe, Wis. Chicago photographer Dennis Manarchy created what's being called the world's largest camera. It's 35-feet long and 12-feet tall it's a working replica of a vintage accordion-style camera that produces 16- by 24-foot prints, the equivalent of a two-story building. The giant camera is on display in Monroe through November 17 because a Monroe company manufactured the specially-built trailer. Manarchy plans to tow the camera around the country to shoot photos of indigenous cultures. (Photo by Mark Hoffman)

“They’ve been obsessing me for years. I searched and found them in Benares, on the banks of the river Gange (India). They arrive here to get rid of everything and to wait for death. This existence can last for years, sometimes decades, almost a life. Opposite to mine, well organised and filled as a human life can be, to try in vain to push the limits of its end”. – Denis Rouvre. (Photo by Denis Rouvre)

“Julien Mauve is a Paris based professional web designer, front-end developer and content manager who loves innovation, experimentation and creation. Julien has taken up photography as a hobby. His collection Back to Childhood is all about bringing the long lost memories of early days into the adult life. How he came about that idea? Julien stumbled upon some of his old toys in his grandpa’s attic and felt a connection to every single one of them. Each toy brought back a fond memory”.

“Photographer Seth Casteel has definitely taken animal photography to new heights – or depths – with his hilarious photos of dogs chasing balls underwater. Casteel, who, naturally, has two dogs of his own (a mini Labradoodle and a Norwich terrier), said that he's drawn to underwater dog photography because the photos show a side of dogs that people may have never seen before”.

Photo: Seth Casteel Underwater Dog Pictures (Photo by Seth Casteel)

Photographer Tyler Shields had become comfortable, a feeling he found “terrible” as an artist. He wanted to do something challenging, something that pushed the human boundaries. So he spent a year documenting heights, fear, energy and falling – a series he calls “Suspense”. Photo: “Balloon”. (Photo by Tyler Shields)

A pool ingeniously filled with clear water in the middle of Lake Kerniki in Greece enabled this shot of feeding pelicans. (Photo by Bence Mate/Close Up Photographer of the Year 2020)

A selection of winning images from the Pink Lady food photographer of the year awards. Here: On the phone – Fishes of Hilsa by Azim Khan Ronnie. (Photo by Azim Khan Ronnie/Pink Lady Food Photographer Award 2020)