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Capturing glorious images of the cosmos is no mean feat; not only do photographers need to have the technical know-how to focus on celestial objects, but they also have to contend with light pollution.

That makes the incredible entries into the 2014 International Earth and Sky Photo Contest all the more impressive as they showcase the wonders of the night sky.

From a magnificent view of the Milky Way rising above a volcano in the southern Indian Ocean, to the enchanting glow of the zodiacal light over the coast of Oregon, the winners of the fifth annual Earth and Sky Photo Contest highlight the natural beauty of the universe above our heads.

Scroll down for a video slideshow of all the winners and other notable entries

The first prize in the Against the Lights category (and the overall contest winner) went to Giorgia Hofer of Italy for her photo 'Light in the Sky' taken on 1 January 2014 from Cibiana Pass in the Dolomites (Alps), northern Italy. It shows part of the Big Dipper (the prominent part of the Ursa Major constellation) between rays of light

Organised since 2009 by the international programme The World at Night, the contest is a collaboration with the science-education group at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory and Global Astronomy Month, a programme of Astronomers Without Borders.

The contest entries are so-called 'nightscape' images - photographs showing the night sky and the terrestrial landscape - with special attention to astronomical perspectives and celestial phenomena.

This is also known as landscape astrophotography and is sometimes referred to as The World at Night-style photography.

The contest was open to anyone of any age, anywhere in the world, and to both professional and amateur or hobby photographers.

'This competition encourages photographers with imagination to push their cameras to their technical limits and to produce eye-catching images that appear perfectly natural and are aesthetically pleasing,' said British-Australian astronomer and judge David Malin.

'Hundreds of nightscape photographers from across the world rose to the challenge, and the panel of nine judges was ultimately faced with finding the best from almost 800 images.'

'We are pleased to see contributions this year from new countries in which night-sky photography is emerging, as well as nightscape images taken in the countries and areas less exposed to landscape astrophotographers,' added Babak Tafreshi, The World at Night director and co-founder of the contest.

The first prize in the Beauty of the Night Sky category went to Luc Perrot from Réunion Island of France (southern Indian Ocean), for his image 'Over the Top' captured on 28 February 2014. In the image a volcano in the Reunion Island peaks out of a sea of clouds and rests under stars

The second place winner in the Beauty category was Ben Coffman of Portland, U.S. for his photo 'False Dusk and Falls at Oregon Coast', taken in February 2014 from Hug Point at the Pacific Ocean coastline in northern Oregon. It shows a waterfall with zodiacal light (dust from the atmosphere) in the background

The 10 winners of the fifth Earth and Sky Photo Contest are from Australia, Austria, China, Egypt, France (Réunion Island), Iran, Italy, New Zealand, Romania and the United States.

The annual contest follows the theme of 'Dark Skies Importance' to publicise efforts on preserving the night sky as part of our natural heritage.

The submitted photos were judged in two categories: 'Beauty of the Night Sky' and 'Against the Lights.'

The winners in the second category are eye-catching views of night-time illuminations that, while they are striking and beautiful at first glance, also deliver a message about an nature is often obstructed by light pollution.

'Reflected Aurora' by Alex Conu of Romania was the second place winner in the Lights category. Taken on 15 March 2014 from Lofoten Islands in northern Norway the image shows the Aurora Borealis (or Northern Lights) reflected in the water of a scenic fishing village after a few stormy days

The third place winner in the Beauty category was 'Kirkjufell Nights' by Nicholas Roemmelt of Austria for his capture of aurora over Kirkjufell waterfalls in Iceland in a moonlit night of March 2014. In the image the aurora can be seen 'sweeping' around the pole

Contest judge and National Geographic photographer James Richardson said:  'These images capture the great ambiguity we feel about the night and night lighting.

'They are at once beautiful and beautifully composed.

Today most city skies are virtually devoid of stars, and the photos in the 'Against the Lights' category illustrate how starry skies are vanishing because of excessive artificial lighting that scatters into the sky instead of illuminating the ground.

'Both contest categories provide a visual awareness of the disappearing starry night sky and hopefully an understanding as to its cause,' said contest co-founder Connie Walker, associate scientist and education specialist at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.

'The added hope is that the photos will provide an incentive to be more actively involved in reasonable light pollution solutions and therefore dark skies preservation.'

For photographers hoping to get involved with the next contest the sixth International Earth & Sky Photo Contest will be announced in late February 2015 on The World at Night's website.

Contest submission begins every year in March and ends on Earth Day on 22 April as part of Global Astronomy Month.

Third place in the Lights category went to 'Unlimited Sky' by Majid Ghohroodi of Iran, a February 2014 image from Maranjab Salt Lake near the city of Kashan. 'The winter starry sky (with constellation Orion in the middle) is merged into light domes of three major cities in this panorama' said the photographer

'Little Explorer' by Ibrahim Elawadi of Egypt took fourth place in the Beauty category. It was captured in November 2013 from desert near Fayoum, about 62 miles (100 kilometres) south of Cairo. 'This visualises the story of building the future by placing a passion in the young minds to explore the universe,' he said