Will Godward, First Light Over the Painted Hills (PEOPLE WILDERNESS 2025)

Captured from the remote Painted Hills of Anna Creek Station, this image reveals the Milky Way rising over one of Australia’s most inaccessible landscapes — a place reachable only by air. Standing atop the fragile ridgelines of this ancient desert, I was surrounded by complete silence and isolation, perhaps the first person ever to photograph the Milky Way above this extraordinary terrain. The soft glow of distant starlight paints the arid contours in surreal colour, connecting Earth’s oldest landscape with the heart of our galaxy.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.