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. ‘Mongolian Yurt’ by Daolai, Annual Best Photo | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest 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. ‘A Bold Bare-Chested Ride’ by Parker | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest ‘A Symphony in Snow’ by Guofu | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest ‘Bird’s Eye View on Iceland’ by Pawel Zygmunt | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest ‘Eye In the Lake’ by Ekrem Sahin | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest ‘Hot Air Balloon Floating Over Trees in Winter’ by Jonas Hoffmann | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest
‘Hunting Together’ by Pham Huy Trung | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest ‘Motion and Stillness’ by Patrick Wong | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest ‘Silence’ by Nguyen Khanh Vu Khoa | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest ‘Fatigue Sleep’ by Amdad Hossain | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest ‘Tree of Life’ by Isabella Tabacchi | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest Alongside the grand prize photo and the top 10 photos, a handful of “Nominated Photos” have also been selected. They’re seen below. ‘Abyss’ by Dylan de Haas | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest
‘Back Home’ by Jeremiasz Gadek | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest ‘Mining Farm’ by Xuhaha | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest ‘Pioneering New Realms’ by David | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest ‘City Spider Man’ by Qihui Chen | SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo and Video Contest 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.
