In 2016, Skypixel, an aerial photography community, along with the Chinese tech company DJI, held a 2 month-long photography contest that captures the beauty of aerial images taken with the help of drones, and the results are breathtaking. The competition had over 27,000 entries from over 131 countries from all over the globe.
The judging panel consists of photojournalists from TIME Magazine and Condé Nast Traveler, as well as some award-winning professional photographers. The entries were sorted out as either “Professional” or “Enthusiast”, and had three categories each – “Beauty”, “360 Photos”, and “Drones in Use”, bringing a total of 6 categories. Each category awarded the first, second, and third placers, adding up to 18 winners, plus one grand prize “Photo of the Year” winner.
They also gave prizes to the most popular photos, based on the number of “likes” the photos received in SkyPixel.com
The “Photo of the Year” grand prize was awarded to Ge Zheng from the Fujian Province in China, for his Photograph titled “Fishermen close to the net”. “The Reflections, colors, and the unique aerial perspective create a startling composition from netting, poles, and water,” SkyPixel said, explaining why the photograph won.
Grand Prize: 2016 SkyPixel Photo of the Year
“Fishermen close the net” by Ge Zheng
Source: Ge Zheng, Skypixel
Professional: Beauty – First Prize
“Exploration” by Hanbing Wang
Source: Hanbing Wang, Skypixel
Professional: Beauty – Second Prize
“Spillway selfie” by dixonltd
Source: dixonltd, Skypixel
Professional: Beauty – Third Prize
“The Earth” by Heng Li
Source: Heng Li Skypixel
Professional: Drones in Use – First Prize
“A Happy Morning” by Roman Neimann
Source: Roman Neimann, Skypixel
Professional: Drones in Use – Second Prize
“Meet the Phantom” by HackerSundy
Source: HackerSundy, Skypixel
Professional: Drones in Use – Third Prize
“Drone in Use” by Norman Nollau
Source: Norman Nollau, Skypixel
Professional: 360 Photos – First Prize
“The Starry Night” by Jingwen Chen
Source: Jingwen Chen, Skypixel
Professional: 360 Photos – Second Prize
“Hidden lakes in 360°” by Paul Oostveen
Source: Paul Oostveen, Skypixel
Professional: 360 Photos – Third Prize
“Sunset in Danxia” by Shoushan
Source: Shoushan, Skypixel
Enthusiast: Beauty – First Prize
“Overbridge” by Chenghan
Source: Chenghan, Skypixel
Enthusiast: Beauty – Second Prize
“Green Waves” by Mauro Pagliai
Source: Mauro Pagliai, Skypixel
Enthusiast: Beauty – Third Prize
“Ice River” by Canloker
Source: Canloker, Skypixel
Enthusiast: Drones in Use – First Prize
“Despectus” by Fifa
Source: Fifa, Skypixel
Enthusiast: Drones in Use – Second Prize
“Inspire in Use” by lili cui
Source: lili cui, Skypixel
Enthusiast: Drones in Use – Third Prize
“The Phantom of the Earth” by Lingdamowang
Source: Lingdamowang, Skypixel
Enthusiast: 360 Photos – First Prize
“Flying Ink of Tianshan Mountain” by Wen Li
Source: Wen Li, Skypixel
Enthusiast: 360 Photos – Second Prize
“Sunset of Chengdu” by Jiuyao
Source: Jiuyao, Skypixel
Enthusiast: 360 Photos – Third Prize
“The Sea of Clouds in Laojunshan” by Chen Jun
Source: Chen Jun, Skypixel
Don’t you think these photos are beautiful? Who knew that such a breathtaking pieces of art could be taken by a drone that needs to controlled by a remote. Just goes to show that no matter what tools an artist works with, they will always come up with a beautiful masterpiece. We sure can’t wait for next year’s contest!
Article Sources:
