In partnership with popular drone maker DJI, SkyPixel has announced the winners of its ninth annual Photo and Video Contest.
Leveraging the large online community of SkyPixel users who share and celebrate their aerial photography and videography, this year’s SkyPixel competition received over 130,000 submissions, more than double last year’s total. The contest welcomes entries from many community members, including professionals, enthusiasts, and newcomers.
The photo categories were judged by an expert panel, including World Press Photo judge and Senior Editor Wen Huang, Assistant Photography Chief Editor at National Geographic Anne Farrar, Nan Li, the Photo Director of Southern Weekly, and Daniel Kordan, a renowned landscape photographer.
This year’s top honors go to Daolai, who used a DJI Mavic 3 Pro at 3x zoom to capture a scenic, snowy morning in the Ulan Butung Grasslands of Mongolia. The prize-winning photo shows herders surrounding a yurt as they prepare for an event.
“I was drawn to the storytelling of this image. Such a beautiful wispy landscape has a lovely painterly look, very soft and almost feels like powder,” says judge Anna Farrar. “A beautiful aerial landscape that doesn’t rely on graphic quality alone and tells a community story.”
Daolai has won a Hasselblad X2D 100C for their impressive feat.
Top 10 Photo Winners
There are also top 10 winners for both photo and video categories, with the top photographers winning a DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo, a trophy, and an award certificate, with a total value of $2,999.
Alongside the grand prize photo and the top 10 photos, a handful of “Nominated Photos” have also been selected. They’re seen below.
The winning videos from the 9th Annual SkyPixel Photo and Video Contest are available on the contest’s website.
Image credits: Photos courtesy of the SkyPixel Photo and Video Contest. The individual photographers are credited in the accompanying image captions.