Drones

Gallery: SkyPixel's jaw-dropping drone photos of the year

Gallery: SkyPixel's jaw-dropping drone photos of the year
An Intha fisherman goes to work in Myanmar. This drone shot won first prize in the Professional's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
An Intha fisherman goes to work in Myanmar. This drone shot won first prize in the Professional's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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This aerial shot of a dancer in China took out first prize in the Enthusiast's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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This aerial shot of a dancer in China took out first prize in the Enthusiast's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
This intriguing drone shot of a cyclist took second place in the Enthusiast's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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This intriguing drone shot of a cyclist took second place in the Enthusiast's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Farmers raise ducks in Vietnam. This drone shot claimed third prize in the Enthusiast's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Farmers raise ducks in Vietnam. This drone shot claimed third prize in the Enthusiast's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Fields of olive trees in Spain. This drone shot claimed second prize in the Enthusiast's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Fields of olive trees in Spain. This drone shot claimed second prize in the Enthusiast's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Lobster breeding farm in Vietnam. This drone shot claimed first prize in the Enthusiast's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Lobster breeding farm in Vietnam. This drone shot claimed first prize in the Enthusiast's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Third place in Professional's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Third place in Professional's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Basketball court in Auckland, New Zealand. This drone shot claimed first prize in the Professional's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Basketball court in Auckland, New Zealand. This drone shot claimed first prize in the Professional's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Seagulls swarm around a fishing boat. This drone shot won second prize in the Professional's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Seagulls swarm around a fishing boat. This drone shot won second prize in the Professional's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Iceland. One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Iceland. One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Santa Maddalena village in front of the Geisler or Odle Dolomites Group, Italy. This drone shot won third prize in the Professional's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Santa Maddalena village in front of the Geisler or Odle Dolomites Group, Italy. This drone shot won third prize in the Professional's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
A diver leaps into China's Yellow River. This drone shot claimed second prize in the Professional's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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A diver leaps into China's Yellow River. This drone shot claimed second prize in the Professional's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Pasta just hanging around in China. This aerial shot took out third prize in the Enthusiast's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Pasta just hanging around in China. This aerial shot took out third prize in the Enthusiast's Portrait category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
A polar bear skips between icebergs in the Arctic circle. This incredible drone won the Grand Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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A polar bear skips between icebergs in the Arctic circle. This incredible drone won the Grand Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
An Intha fisherman goes to work in Myanmar. This drone shot won first prize in the Professional's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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An Intha fisherman goes to work in Myanmar. This drone shot won first prize in the Professional's Landscape category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Camels across the sand. One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Camels across the sand. One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Utah Coral sand dunes. One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Utah Coral sand dunes. One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
An Icelandic river delta from 1,500 feet. One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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An Icelandic river delta from 1,500 feet. One of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Shot with a DJI Spark, this image was one of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Shot with a DJI Spark, this  image was one of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Shot with a DJI Spark, this image was one of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Shot with a DJI Spark, this  image was one of the shortlisted nominated entries SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
A stack of shared bicycles. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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A stack of shared bicycles. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
This shot titled "White Wonderland" made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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This shot titled "White Wonderland" made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Guangdong's largest Hakka Wai Long House, a unique Chinese residential structure built in the 1600s. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Guangdong's largest Hakka Wai Long House, a unique Chinese residential structure built in the 1600s. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
The jetliner home of electrical engineer Bruce Campbell in the forest of Oregon. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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The jetliner home of electrical engineer Bruce Campbell in the forest of Oregon. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Coastline in Barcelona. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Coastline in Barcelona. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Off the coast of southern China. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Off the coast of southern China. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Indonesia's Mount Bromo. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Indonesia's Mount Bromo. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Sunrise in the Chinese city of Dongguan. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Sunrise in the Chinese city of Dongguan. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Selfie captured by a Phantom 4. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Selfie captured by a Phantom 4. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
Snow-capped mountains in Tibet, captured with a Phantom 4. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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Snow-capped mountains in Tibet, captured with a Phantom 4. This drone shot made the top ten of the Popular Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
This drone shot claimed third place in the Professional "Story" category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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This drone shot claimed third place in the Professional "Story" category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
This image of a Chinese village claimed second place in the Professional "Story" category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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This image of a Chinese village claimed second place in the Professional "Story" category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
"Land of the Earth." This image claimed first prize in the Professional "Story" category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
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"Land of the Earth." This image claimed first prize in the Professional "Story" category of SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
View gallery - 36 images

Like competitor Dronestagram, SkyPixel is a platform dedicated to drone photography, and like Dronestagram, SkyPixel holds an annual photo contest that brings out the very best imagery from this emerging art form. Here is the class of 2017, in all its high-flying glory.

SkyPixel received more than 44,000 submissions from 141 countries for its 2017 Photo Contest, which it runs in collaboration with drone-making giant DJI. These submissions were sorted into Professional and Enthusiast groups, and awarded prizes across categories of Landscape, Portrait and Story, along with nine additional "Nominated Entries" and ten "Popular Prizes," the platform's ten most liked photos of the year.

The winners were adjudged by a panel of photography professionals, including multimedia editor at Time, Josh Raab. Showing the majestic beauty of Iceland, mountaintops in China and fields of olive trees in Spain, every one of the shortlisted images is spectacular in its own way. But none astound like the Grand Prize winner, a shot of a polar bear skipping between icebergs in the Arctic circle.

A polar bear skips between icebergs in the Arctic circle. This incredible drone won the Grand Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest
A polar bear skips between icebergs in the Arctic circle. This incredible drone won the Grand Prize in SkyPixel's 2017 Photo Contest

"There are images that might impress you with their technical mastery, and then there are images that make you feel something," said Jarrad Seng, a SkyPixel judge, photographer, filmmaker and creative director based in Australia. "This photograph floored me. It's especially poignant given the climate crisis our world is facing right now."

The man behind the lens, French photographer Florian Ledoux, caught the leaping polar bear with his Phantom 4 Pro, and has earned US$15,000 worth of prizes for his troubles, including a shiny new DJI Inspire 2.

"I have witnessed incredible moments and scenes of the wild but I can guarantee you that this, by far, is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," he said. "I hope that future generations will still be able to witness the beauty and grandeur of the Arctic wildlife the same way we do today."

Check out the rest of this stunning photo collection.

Source: SkyPixel

View gallery - 36 images
1 comment
1 comment
msisrael
There is a similar contest - this one for drone videos not photos - from the AirVuz drone video sharing website. Here is a link to the winners:
https://www.airvuz.com/category/2017-drone-video-awards-winners?id=HydNbRhrM