Young photographer Tom Rae tramped over snow and ice, camping overnight in the Southern Alps, to get one of the winning shots of the Milky Way Photographer of the Year competition.

The competition, run by Capture the Atlas, selected 25 photos from over 6,500 submitted from around the world.

His “Night at the Remarkables” shot shows the Milky Way arched over The Remarkables in the Southern Alps, while the lights of Queenstown glow far below.

“I thought, ‘Hey, why not climb to the top of The Remarkables ski field in Queenstown and spend the night up there, have a wild adventure, and be able to have a look down and see an element of civilisation in amongst all of this vastness in the night sky,” Rae says.

His shot was among five other winning images from New Zealand photographers taken in different iconic locations.