The Fulldome Festival 2026 Fukuoka took place June 18 -19, just prior to the IPS 2026 Conference. It was held in the planetarium at the Fukuoka City Science Museum which opened in 2017. The planetarium has a 25 metre dome and seats 220. Their projection system is a Gemini Star Σ Fukuoka (Konica Minolta’s Infinium Σ optical projector + Media Globe Σ 8K digital projection). However, for the fulldome festival and conference, they had 10 x Sony GTZ380 projectors installed. The image looked fantastic with vibrant colour and great contrast.

The fulldome festival had a terrific range of content, covering astronomy, art, documentary and children’s films. It included 19 feature length films and 18 short films, in a truly international program representing 20 different countries. The award for Best Feature went to AMNH’s production Encounters in the Milky Way. While the award for Best Short film went to Melbourne Planetarium’s production She Whom the Moon Ruled.

Here is a list of all the winners:

= Feature Film Category =

Best Feature Film: Encounters in the Milky Way

Excellence Award: One Step Beyond – A Journey to Mars

Excellence Award: Edge of the Sky – Where clouds end, the Universe begins

Special Jury Award: The Frontiers of Infinity – From the Mind to the Universe

Audience Award: One Step Beyond – A Journey to Mars

Best Educational Film(IPS-Eugenides Award): INAZMA DELIVERY: Bytheway’s Earth Exploration?! – Close Encounters of the Aurora

Honorable Mentions: Orbital & I am Weigel

= Short Film Category =

Best Short Film: She Whom the Moon Ruled

Excellence Award: The Rift

Excellence Award: Alpes Azur Mercantour – International Dark Sky Reserve

Audience Award: The Rift

Honorable Mention: The Method of Moments & ALTARES de Memoria y Magia – ALTARS of Memory and Magic