The Winners of the 2018 Drone Awards Take Aerial Photography to Another Level
With all the controversy that goes along with drones and privacy, the organizers of Siena International Photography Awards created the Drone Awards contest to remind the public of the artistic value drones have in the photography world.
The first annual Drone Awards saw aerial photographers from 101 different countries, with submissions across six categories – abstract, nature, people, sport, wildlife, and urban. With over 4,400 submissions, the pressure was on for the expert jury to determine who would win the grand prize.
French photographer, Florian Ledoux, shined with his award-winning photo of a polar bear swimming through Northern Canadian waters. Not only did he clench the title of Drone Photographer of the Year 2018, but he’ll also receive the Pangea Prize Christal statuette and a nice 500 euros worth of photography equipment.
The winning photographs will be displayed in a group exhibition, Sky’s the Limit, in Siena, Italy from October 26, 2018 to December 2, 2018.
Here are the winning photographers in each category, plus the runners-up.
PHOTO OF THE YEAR
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
FLORIAN LEDOUX
France
“Above The Polar Bear”
© Florian Ledoux – Dear future generation, I hope we will still be able to see the Arctic wildlife as we do now. It is threatened as the environment is changing. I was able to witness many scenes of wildlife and I can guarantee you this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Incredible and unique shot above a polar bear in Nunavut, Baffin area during wildlife reportage in Nunavut and Greenland.
ABSTRACT
1ST PLACE, ABSTRACT
OVI D. POP
Romania
“Weather Snake”
© Ovi D. Pop
RUNNER UP, ABSTRACT
MARTIN MECNAROWSKI
Czech Republic
“Ice Magic”
© Martin Mecnarowski
NATURE
1ST PLACE, NATURE
GABRIEL SCANU
Australia
“Mada’in Saleh”
© Gabriel Scanu
RUNNER UP, NATURE
XIAOXIAO LIU
China
“Entrance to Hell”
© Xiaoxiao Liu
PEOPLE
1ST PLACE, PEOPLE
QINGHUA SHUI
China
“Pilgrimage of Millions of People”
© Qinghua Shui
RUNNER UP, PEOPLE
XIAOXIAO LIU
China
“Honors Day”
© Xiaoxiao Liu
SPORT
1ST PLACE, SPORT
VINCENT RIEMERSMA
Netherlands
“Skating Shadows”
© Vincent Riemersma
RUNNER UP, SPORT
LUIS ALONSO JIMENEZ SILVA
Costa Rica
“El Angel”
© Luis Alonso Jimenez Silva
WILDLIFE
1ST PLACE, WILDLIFE
ADAM BARKER
U.S.A.
“Blacktip Shark”
© Adam Barker
RUNNER UP, WILDLIFE
THOMAS VIJAYAN
Canada
“Big Shadow”
© Thomas Vijayan
RUNNER UP, WILDLIFE
DHRITIMAN MUKHERJEE
India
“Responsible Dady the Gharial with Babies”
© Dhritiman Mukherjee
URBAN
1ST PLACE, URBAN
FRANCESCO CATTUTO
Italy
“Assisi Over the Clouds”
© Francesco Cattuto
RUNNER UP, URBAN
BYRON DU BOIS
South Africa
“Big Shadow”
© Dhritiman Mukherjee
RUNNER UP, URBAN
GARY CUMMINS
Canada
“Ameneties”
© Gary Cummins
If these incredible photos took your breath away, luckily there are more. Head over to the Drone Awards winners page to see the Highly Commended Mentions and get inspired by these aerial shots. Also, it’s never too late to become a part of the drone community so don’t be afraid to get connected. You might even become a grand prize winner!
