Astronomy Photographer of the Year is an annual astronomy photography competition which was first run in 2009 during the International Year of Astronomy. There are eight categories such as aurorae and galaxies plus two special prizes: the Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer and Robotic Scope Image of the Year. There are also additional prizes open for entrants aged under sixteen.
The contest is organised by the National Maritime Museum which also runs the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. It is sponsored by the BBC's Sky at Night programme and the Insight Investment subsidiary of the Bank of New York Mellon. This sponsorship is now reflected in the current name of the event: Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year.
There is a panel of judges. For 2016, these have been announced as Chris Lintott, Jon Culshaw, Marek Kukula and Wolfgang Tillmans.