PHLEARN MagazineThe Winners of the 2018 Drone Awards Take Aerial Photography to Another Level

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The Winners of the 2018 Drone Awards Take Aerial Photography to Another Level

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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”

Above The Polar Bear: aerial view of a polar bear leaping between ice floes over turquoise water

© 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”

Weather Snake: a winding road seen from above, with snowy forest on the left half and green summer forest on the right

© Ovi D. Pop

RUNNER UP, ABSTRACT

MARTIN MECNAROWSKI
Czech Republic
“Ice Magic”

Ice Magic: aerial view of blue ice covered in dark, star-shaped cracks around a central ring

© Martin Mecnarowski

NATURE

1ST PLACE, NATURE

GABRIEL SCANU
Australia
“Mada’in Saleh”

Mada'in Saleh: a tomb carved into a lone sandstone rock in a wide, hazy orange desert

© Gabriel Scanu

RUNNER UP, NATURE

XIAOXIAO LIU
China
“Entrance to Hell”

Entrance to Hell: glowing red lava pours into the sea and sends up a tall column of white steam

© Xiaoxiao Liu

PEOPLE

1ST PLACE, PEOPLE

QINGHUA SHUI
China
“Pilgrimage of Millions of People”

Pilgrimage of Millions of People: aerial view of a patchwork of hundreds of coloured square tents with crowds between them

© Qinghua Shui

RUNNER UP, PEOPLE

XIAOXIAO LIU
China
“Honors Day”

Honors Day: aerial view of students marching in tight formation around the bend of a green running track

© Xiaoxiao Liu

SPORT

1ST PLACE, SPORT

VINCENT RIEMERSMA
Netherlands
“Skating Shadows”

Skating Shadows: speed skaters on white ice seen from above, each casting a long shadow

© Vincent Riemersma

RUNNER UP, SPORT

LUIS ALONSO JIMENEZ SILVA
Costa Rica
“El Angel”

El Angel: black-and-white aerial view of a diver in mid-air with arms spread, just off a diving board over dark water

© Luis Alonso Jimenez Silva

WILDLIFE

1ST PLACE, WILDLIFE

ADAM BARKER
U.S.A.
“Blacktip Shark”

Blacktip Shark: aerial view of a single shark swimming through a huge school of fish that parts around it

© Adam Barker

RUNNER UP, WILDLIFE

THOMAS VIJAYAN
Canada
“Big Shadow”

Big Shadow: a giraffe seen from above on pale grassland, its long shadow showing its full shape

© Thomas Vijayan

RUNNER UP, WILDLIFE

DHRITIMAN MUKHERJEE
India
“Responsible Dady the Gharial with Babies”

Responsible Dady the Gharial with Babies: aerial view of a large gharial in green water surrounded by dozens of hatchlings

© Dhritiman Mukherjee

URBAN

1ST PLACE, URBAN

FRANCESCO CATTUTO
Italy
“Assisi Over the Clouds”

Assisi Over the Clouds: the basilica and hillside town of Assisi rise above a sea of fog

© Francesco Cattuto

RUNNER UP, URBAN

BYRON DU BOIS
South Africa
“Big Shadow”

Runner-up, Urban, by Byron du Bois: a huge cloud of black smoke rises from a fire in an industrial area of a city

© Dhritiman Mukherjee

RUNNER UP, URBAN

GARY CUMMINS
Canada
“Ameneties”

Ameneties: view straight down between tall apartment towers onto sports courts and gardens in the courtyard

© 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!

Emily Garces

Emily is a freelance content creator and photographer. Her passion is to simply create, whether it be through words or visuals. She mainly focuses her content on travel but through that, she fell in love with capturing the world one snap at a time so you will always see her with a camera. She was born and raised in New Jersey but considers herself a citizen of the world.

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