Skypixel announces winners of $130k Aerial Photo and Video contest

24 March 2022

Online drone community SkyPixel has announced the winners of the SkyPixel seventh Anniversary Aerial Photo & Video Contest.

Co-organised with drone manufacturer DJI, this year’s contest attracted nearly 30,000 submissions from professional photographers, videographers, aerial enthusiasts and content creators from 124 countries and regions. More than $100,000 USD ($130,000 AUD) in cash and prizes was up for grabs.

For its seventh edition, the competition offered 10 categories, six for video (Nature, City, FPV, Travel, Sport and Showreel) and four for stills (Portrait, Architecture, Nature, and Sport), with a grand prize for each.

This year’s Grand Prize winner across the four photo categories was Zhu Jianxin, who framed up the otherworldly sight of a frozen lake after a heavy snow fell in the Taklamakan Desert, in Southwestern Xinjiang in Northwest China.

With a simple change in perspective, several cracks on a frozen lake magically come together into a portrait of an elegant orchid.

Grand Prize Winner, Zhu Jianxin. Taken on DJI Mavic 2 Pro in Xinjiang, China. f/6 at 1/240s, ISO 100. (Image credit: 朱建新 / Skypixel)

Jianxin said: “I am amazed by how a drone changes my perspective and helps me capture the beauty of our world.”

Judge Stephen Foster commented on the work: “The real art in photography is to capture a photograph people have to analyze longer than a few seconds to see what the picture really shows.”

The Video Category Grand Prize winner was awarded to Wenrui Ye, who explored urban villages in China from the perspective of a dancer. You can see the video here.

“Urban villages show a unique way of urban inclusion,” said Wenrui.

“I revisited Guangzhou, a city where I have lived for nearly thirty years, and explored it with my interpretations, memories, and a brand-new perspective. The dramatic contrast between the city and the villages looked almost surreal, and I can’t help thinking about the countless possibilities of Guangzhou in the future.”

Yann Arthus-Bertrand, member of the Judging Panel of this year’s contest, commented the video as a “short movie, nicely done, with a real story and a great image technique and usage of light”.

Besides the Grand Prizes, DJI and SkyPixel announced winners of the new Mavic 3 Limited Award, for entries captured on DJI's latest consumer drone, along with the first, second, and third places in all 10 photo and video categories.

The Mavic 3 Limited award was awarded to Tension Vision, for their image depicting the China Animation Museum in Xuzhao, China, surrounded by fog.

Shot on DJI Mavic 3 in Zhejiang, China by Tension Vision. f/3 at 1/600s, ISO 100. (Image credit: Tension Vision / Skypixel)

You can see the other category winners, runners-up, and third place finalists below.

Winners

Scream by Никита Духник (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia). Shot on DJI Mavic Pro. f/2.3 at 1/1000s, ISO 100 (Image credit: Никита Духник / Skypixel)

Perfect chaos by Sara Zanini (location unknown). Shot on DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Settings unknown. (Image credit: Sarazanini / Skypixel)

Collecting Bang Grass by binhd7 (Vietnam). Shot on DJI Mavic 2 Pro. f/5.3 at 1/40s, ISO 100 (Image credit: binhd7 / Skypixel).

Shadow basketball II by Ekaterina Polischuk (Ukraine). Shot on DJI Mavic 2 Pro. f/3 at 1/1000s, ISO 100. (Image credit: Ekaterina Polischuk / Skypixel)

Runners-up

The source of landscape by Mark's Horizon (Tibet). Shot on DJI Air 2S. f/3 at 1/2500s, ISO 100 (Image credit: Mark's horizon / Skypixel)

Age of Stone by I don't want to take this name (Qintai Art Museum, China). Shot on DJI Mavic 2 Pro. f/5.7 at 1/200s, ISO 100. (Image credit: Age of Stone / Skypixel)

Ice and fire by Walker (Shenyang, China). Shot on DJI Air 2S. f/3 at 1/640s, ISO 100. (Image credit: Walker / Skypixel)

Tillage, by Empty Mountain Bird (Guizhou, China). Shot on DJI Mavic 2 Pro. f/6.3 at 1/120s, ISO 100. (Image credit: Empty mountain bird / Skypixel)

3rd place

Mars by Lou (location unknown). Shot on the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. f/4 at 1/60s, ISO 100. (Image credit: Lou / Skypixel)

Jin Ruyi lying on the East Lake by Goericgo (Hubei, China). Shot in DJI Mavic Air 2. f/3 at 1/320s, ISO 100. (Image credit: Goericgo / Skypixel)

Compete for the top by AndyAndy (Shanghai, China). Shot on DJI Mavic 2 Zoom. f/3.9 at 1/1000s, ISO 100. (Image credit: AndyAndy / Skypixel)

Alien Planet Vacations by Flamboyant Little Strong. Shot on DJI Mavic 2 Pro. f/5.3 at 1/200s, ISO 100. (Image credit: Alien Planet Vacations / Skypixel)

Submissions were judged by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Alex Mellis, Pieter de Vries, Stefan Foster, Karim Iliya, and Yunshan Yu.

The grand prize winners in the photo and video category each received a DJI coupon valued at 7,500 USD ($10,000 AUD) to be used for any DJI product. Prizes in other award categories included a DJI Mavic 3, DJI Air 2S Fly More Combo, DJI RS 2 Pro Combo, DJI Action 2 Dual-Screen Combo, and other DJI products.

You can view all the submissions in the contest on the Skypixel website.