Holiday Gems '26-27
Target 1 - Andromeda Galaxy
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From November 1st, 2026 – February 1st, 2027
From November 1st, 2026 – February 1st, 2027
Capture the Holiday's Deep Sky with DWARFLAB & DWARFVISION
As the holiday season approaches and winter constellations climb higher, it's time to gear up for our newest community event. After last year's deep-sky challenges were a massive success, we are officially launching the #HolidaySkyGems challenge across Reddit and DwarfVision!
The Challenge Goal:
The Challenge Goal:
The mission is ambitious: Capture 24 to 30 official challenge Deep Sky Objects (DSOs), including Wildcards (10 per month), using your DWARF II, D3, or mini.
PRIZES AWARDED EACH MONTH!
Post shots on DwarfLabsOfficial Reddit and add the Flair: "HolidayGems."
A big thank-you to DWARFLAB for sponsoring the sensational prizes!
EASY to Enter
EASY to Enter
Just Start Shooting: Grab your D2, D3, or mini and head outside.
Pick one or more objects from our TARGET LIST and start shooting!
Share the Magic: Post your RAW & PROCESSED images to the DwarfLabOfficial subreddit.
Use Flair to Win: You must use the flair: HolidayGems for your entry to be counted and tracked for the leaderboard.
PRIZES
3 Months of Prizes - sponsored by DWARFLAB - November, December, January
Each month presents a new opportunity to WIN, with exciting prizes available for SPEED and PROCESSING QUALITY:
First to Complete Every Target: The first participant to capture all targets in each monthly group (Nov, Dec, Jan) will earn a DWARFLAB Hoodie and a Cap!
Monthly Community Vote: The Reddit community will "UpVote" their favorite submissions. The winner with the most UpVotes by mid-month for that set (mid-Dec, mid-Jan, mid-Feb) will be awarded a DWARFLAB Hoodie and a Merch Pack!
Community Recognition: All winners and highlight shots will be featured in DwarfVision community posts and official newsletters.
The Grand Finale: OVERALL BEST
At the end of the holiday challenge season, we are crowning the ultimate DWARF-wranglers:
The Grand Sweep: Any participant who successfully completes ALL DSO captures before the challenge deadline will receive a DWARFLAB Mega Merch pack!
Best Deep-Sky Image (Jury Award): Chosen by DV and DWARFLAB, the winner receives a $100 voucher, a tripod, and a Merch Set from DWARFLAB, plus a 1-year PRO subscription from DV.
Highest-Scoring Single DSO: The highest-scoring single image based on the Reddit Community UpVotes wins a $50 voucher, a tripod from DWARFLAB, plus a 6-month PRO subscription from DV.
Highest Total DSO Score: The participant with the highest total score across the Reddit Community wins a $50 voucher, a tripod from DWARFLAB, plus a 6-month PRO subscription from DV.
Target 5 - Triangulumn Galaxy M33
The Official Rules
The Official Rules
To ensure every entry is valid for the leaderboard and prize consideration, please follow these steps:
TAG IT: All entries must be captured with a DWARF II, DWARF 3, or DWARF mini.
DATE IT: You'll need to display the date and time in your captures (RAW shots only).
The official start of entries is November 1st 2026
Pro-Tip: Use Stellar Studio's Watermark Tag Feature to easily tag this info directly on your RAW images.
POST IT: Share your shots in one of the DwarfLabOfficial reddit group.
FLAIR IT: Every single entry must use the FLAIR: HolidayGems to count!
Holiday Gems Official Targets
Holiday Gems Official Targets
About Raw Captures below:
These sections focus on planning and capturing each deep-sky object. You’ll find practical advice on DWARF SCOPE integration time, filter choices, and imaging strategies to produce the best possible raw data for processing.
About the Processed Results:
Our best post-processed shots, paired with articles from our Substack library on transforming your raw data into a polished final image leveraging my SIRIL-to-AFFINITY editing techniques, color enhancements, and best-practice software workflows.
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