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Drones

Skypixel's awe-inspiring top drone photos of the year

By Rich Haridy
March 25, 2019
Skypixel's awe-inspiring top drone photos of the year
Another Nominated Entry prize winner, several skiers walk the summit of Mont Blanc before skiing down the north face
Another Nominated Entry prize winner, several skiers walk the summit of Mont Blanc before skiing down the north face
View 26 Images
The grand prize winning photograph - the famous monastery of Mont Saint Michel during a foggy morning
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The grand prize winning photograph - the famous monastery of Mont Saint Michel during a foggy morning
A People's Choice award winner titled Until Unknown
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A People's Choice award winner titled Until Unknown
A Nominated Entry prize winner, the aerial shot shows off the architecture of the National Library of Kosovo
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A Nominated Entry prize winner, the aerial shot shows off the architecture of the National Library of Kosovo
Another Nominated Entry prize winner, several skiers walk the summit of Mont Blanc before skiing down the north face
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Another Nominated Entry prize winner, several skiers walk the summit of Mont Blanc before skiing down the north face
Second Place in the Architecture category. Sunrise in Bagan, Myanmar
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Second Place in the Architecture category. Sunrise in Bagan, Myanmar
First Place winner in the Architecture category. An incredible 360 degree panorama of rooftops in Hong Kong
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First Place winner in the Architecture category. An incredible 360 degree panorama of rooftops in Hong Kong
Third Place in the Fun category. The petal-like patterns created by geese during feeding time
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Third Place in the Fun category. The petal-like patterns created by geese during feeding time
Second Place in the Fun category. Workers carrying salt to the warehouse in the Hon Khoi salt field in Vietnam
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Second Place in the Fun category. Workers carrying salt to the warehouse in the Hon Khoi salt field in Vietnam
First Place in the Fun category. Women washing flowers before taking them to market in the waters of the Mekong Delta
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First Place in the Fun category. Women washing flowers before taking them to market in the waters of the Mekong Delta
Third Place in the Nature category. This image was taken by a DJI P4P in Utah
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Third Place in the Nature category. This image was taken by a DJI P4P in Utah
Second Place in the Nature category. Snow in the Taklimakan Desert
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Second Place in the Nature category. Snow in the Taklimakan Desert 
First Place in the Nature category. Hungry Hippos
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First Place in the Nature category. Hungry Hippos
A People's Choice winner - Landwasserviadukt in Switzerland
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A People's Choice winner - Landwasserviadukt in Switzerland
A People's Choice winner. A monumental statue in Kiev, Ukraine, peeks through the clouds
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A People's Choice winner. A monumental statue in Kiev, Ukraine, peeks through the clouds
A People's Choice winner. The Colosseum in Rome
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A People's Choice winner. The Colosseum in Rome
A People's Choice winner. Low-level aerial view of the Stein Eriksen Residences at Deer Valley Resort
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A People's Choice winner. Low-level aerial view of the Stein Eriksen Residences at Deer Valley Resort
A People's Choice winner. Birds and trees in Huanglongtan
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A People's Choice winner. Birds and trees in Huanglongtan
A People's Choice winner. A mountain road in Slovakia. This is two photos, one shot in summer and the other winter
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A People's Choice winner. A mountain road in Slovakia. This is two photos, one shot in summer and the other winter
A People's Choice winner. The well-kept football field on the island of Lofoten
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A People's Choice winner. The well-kept football field on the island of Lofoten
A Nominated Entry winner. Sunrise on the Nuvolau group in the dolomites
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A Nominated Entry winner. Sunrise on the Nuvolau group in the dolomites
A Nominated Entry winner. A wedding picture titled Two
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A Nominated Entry winner. A wedding picture titled Two
A Nominated Entry winner. Watersports in the harbor outside Auckland, New Zealand
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A Nominated Entry winner. Watersports in the harbor outside Auckland, New Zealand
Third Place in the Sport category. Estonian hammer throw champion Kati Ojaloo
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Third Place in the Sport category. Estonian hammer throw champion  Kati Ojaloo
Second Place in the Sport category. Ski shadows in Austria
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Second Place in the Sport category. Ski shadows in Austria
First Place in the Sport category. Running through sand dunes in Phan Rang, Vietnam
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First Place in the Sport category. Running through sand dunes in Phan Rang, Vietnam
Third Place in the Architecture category. Macau's Grand Lisboa Hotel
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Third Place in the Architecture category. Macau's Grand Lisboa Hotel
View gallery - 26 images

Skypixel's 2018 Aerial Storytelling Contest winners have just been revealed offering an incredible array of spectacular drone videos and photographs. The overall grand prize this year went to a truly stunning shot of French island monastery, Mont Saint Michel, shrouded in the wisps of an early morning fog.

This massively impressive annual contest is run by Skypixel, a large online community for aerial photographers and videographers, in conjunction with DJI. This year the contest, for the first time, combined its video and photography awards into the one, single event.

The grand prize for video aerial photography went to Australian filmmaker Ain Raadik. The amazing three-minute video offers a compilation of Raadik's recent work and travels spanning Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Ain Raadik - Adventure Show Reel

"For me drones are an incredible film making tool that help me to further share the ideologies behind my work through new and unique perspectives," says Raadik. "Instead of staying put in one place, my life stories are being told through accumulating explorations of new places with my Inspire 2. Passions for film making, testing physical limits and exploring new locations are all heavily influential factors behind my work. And I hope everyone would find their own passion in life and stick to it."

The grand prize winning photograph - the famous monastery of Mont Saint Michel during a foggy morning
The grand prize winning photograph - the famous monastery of Mont Saint Michel during a foggy morning

Deryk Baumgartner's grand prize winning photograph is another fantastic example of how drone photography has allowed artists the ability to catch fleeting moments from perspectives that would have been impossible just a few short years ago. Baumgartner, using a Mavic Pro, explains how the winning image was captured after a morning spent battling the conditions.

"I was sitting on a rock fighting with stubborn wind and thick rain for the whole morning," says Baumgartner. "The sun came up when I was just about to stand up and go home. This photo tells a simple story of you and me. Stick to it for a little longer in life when you are just about to fold, the silver lining would often unveil itself."

A People's Choice winner. A mountain road in Slovakia. This is two photos, one shot in summer and the other winter
A People's Choice winner. A mountain road in Slovakia. This is two photos, one shot in summer and the other winter

Alongside these two grand prize winners, the contest awarded a top three in Nature, Fun, Sport and Architecture categories as well as five other general winners and a People's Choice prize.

Take a look through our gallery to check out all the extraordinary shots from this year's contest.

Source: Skypixel

View gallery - 26 images

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DronesAwardsVideoCompetitionPhotographyDJI InnovationsDrone photographydrones
3 comments
Rich Haridy
Rich Haridy
Rich has written for a number of online and print publications over the last decade while also acting as film critic for several radio broadcasters and podcasts. His interests focus on psychedelic science, new media, and science oddities. Rich completed his Masters degree in the Arts back in 2013 before joining New Atlas in 2016.

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3 comments
guzmanchinky
Those are stellar. I have a small DJI, but I'm just not that good at using it. And I always seem to get a headache looking down at a screen to see what it sees.
Signguy
Perspectives hard to get unless you were in a plane; excellent!
ljaques
Many of the drone photo contests had become extremely boring, but this one had some truly gorgeous and compelling shots. I can't believe that hippo pic even got in there, and feel that the stunning Utah scene was head and shoulders above the rest in that category. The People's Choices were spot-on.