The contest is now closed and all images have been forwarded to Doug George at Diffraction Limited. Doug will surely have a lot of trouble deciding on the best image! At Imagetech-Ontario we would like to congratulate all the participants. Every image we received was simply spectacular.

We expect to hear who the grand prize winner is shortly.

Received a message from Doug George last night. Looks like it is going to be a real dog fight to pick the winner. Some interesting comments from Doug, in no specific order were....

• Pierre's image is stunning color-wise. He used an h-alpha filter for the red channel.
• Matt Thomas' image is extremely well done technically. It's a challenging object and I love looking through the rich textures of the image.
• Horsehead is lovely, unfortunately monochrome.
• IC 5070 is very nice.
• IC1805 is beautiful.
• Remi's image is technically very well done, and is also visually impressive.

What are the objectives of this contest?

1. To have some fun and to share our processing experiences so we can all get better at our craft.

2. To help the astrophotographer understand the picture processing capabilities of MaxIm DL.

3. To create a knowledge database to help us all use Maxim DL and its family of associated products to overcome our most common image processing issues such as:

• How do we reduce star bloat while improving roundness,
• How can we smooth the background while improving the sharpness of the foreground;
• How can we get rid of those annoying black rings around stars;
• How do we improve the fullness of Galactic arms (Co-added and blurred luminescence frames); and,
• More!

4. To spread the word and to demonstrate the power of the MaxIm DL and its family of products.

5. To introduce you to Imagetech-Ontario.com

How will the contest work?

Participants are to send to Imagetech-Ontario an electronic copy of their image. The president of Diffraction Limited (Mr. Doug George) will be the judge and he will select the top 10 best pictures for display on both the Diffraction Limited and Imagetech-Ontario web sites. Then, within two weeks of the top 10 posting, the list will be reduced to the 5 finalists. The following week Mr. Doug George will declare a winner. If you would like to suggest a winner please send your comments to contestsuggestion@Imagetech-Ontario.com and we will make your point of view known.

Imagetech-Ontario will enlarge the winning image to look something like:

The winning enlargement Photo-Print size is dependent on the number of camera pixels.
The contest enlargement is expected to be at least 16 x24.
The winner will be consulted as to their preferred mounting (frame or lamination.)

When does the contest start and close?

All images must be submitted and received no later than 16:00 EST December 15, 2005. The contest starts on October 1, 2005.

With the image please include:

• the name of the target
• when and where the image was taken
• equipment used (telescope, mount, camera, etc.)
• total exposure time (L, R, G, B)
• what image processing steps were taken to produce the final image

Images can be submitted by:

• E-mail to

contest@imagetech-ontario.com
(Please be sure to put in the subject line the word “contest”.)

• By post to:

Imagetech-Ontario
2826 Goodin Road, RR #2
Spencerville, Ontario Canada
K0E 1X0 (Don’t forget to include a disc with your image on it)

• By FTP transfer to:

  ftp.imagetech-ontario.com (If you wish to submit by FTP please call Imagetech-Ontario, toll free at 1-888-658-3443, for the password. Participants outside of North America should call 1- 613 - 658 – 3443.

Is there a cost to participate?

No. However, you will have to send a photo or an electronic copy of your image and associated details to us, at your expense, via E-mail, Post, or FTP transfer.

Will my image be used for any other purpose other than this contest?

Not without your written permission. Please see “Coming Soon” on the Imagetech-Ontario web site for further details.

What are the contest rules?

You must use Maxim DL to capture and/or process your image. You must submit an electronic image by the contest closing date and time. In addition, the proposed winner must submit a FITS file(s) to Diffraction Limited/Imagetech-Ontario so the use of Maxim DL can be verified. Details that must accompany your image are:

• name of target
• when and where the image was taken
• equipment used (telescope, mount, camera, etc.)
• total exposure time (L, R, G, B)
• what image processing steps were taken to produce the final image

How will the contest be judged?

Mr. Doug George (President of Diffraction Limited) will select the winner. His decision is final.

Doug, as a minimum, will be considering:

• Overall composition and picture esthetics;
• Uniqueness of the image;
• Image focus;
• Star field quality;
• Image depth (is the image flat or does it give a 3D impression);
• Color composition (not necessarily to established norms);
• Tonal quality (backgrounds, middle and foregrounds);
• The innovative use of Maxim; and
• Others

What will not be judged?

• The telescope, the telescope size, the digital capture equipment;
• Output image size

What will happen after the contest has concluded?

• A “how did they do it” page will be created and posted.
• A knowledge database of how to overcome the most common capturing and processing issues using Maxim DL and it associated products, will be posted on the Imagetech-Ontario web site.
• Should any contest participants wish to have their image enlarged, framed or mounted Imagetech-Ontario will offer, only to contest participants, a 15% discount. See the Imagetech-Ontario web site for pricing details.
  

Good Luck to all !!!!