The world looks different when viewed from the sky, and the 11th SkyPixel Aerial Photography Contest proves it in jaw-dropping style. DJI has officially announced the winners of its 2025 SkyPixel photo and video competition, turning the spotlight on creators who know how to make altitude look like art. Running from November 27, 2025, to March 10, 2026, the contest featured 53 awards and nearly $200,000 in prizes. Huge energy, serious talent, and next-level visuals.
This year’s competition drew almost 95,000 submissions from 96 countries and regions, underscoring just how massive the drone photography scene has become. From icy mountains to surreal coastlines, city geometry to wild nature, these images transform familiar places into cinematic masterpieces.
The standout winner of the Annual Best Photo was Filip Hrebenda for The Gate. Captured in northern Norway during autumn 2025, the image shows a fog-filled landscape at sunrise, where valleys disappear under clouds and rugged terrain quietly emerges. It feels mysterious, calm, and unreal all at once.
The 25 winning images featured in this collection celebrate imagination, precision, and timing. Every frame tells a story from a perspective most people never get to see. These aren’t just drone shots, they’re visual adventures.
SkyPixel continues to prove that aerial photography is no longer niche. It’s global, bold, and changing the way we see our planet.
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1. Annual Best Photo Winner: "The Gate" by Filip Hrebenda
"Captured in the far north of Norway during the autumn of 2025, this photograph was taken in a remote and extremely difficult-to-reach location. At sunrise, the landscape was covered by dense fog that filled the valleys and concealed the dramatic terrain."
Annual Best Top 10 Winners
2. "Folding Fan" by Boring filming
"The building, with its giant spiral structure unfolding like a folding fan, weaves geometric components into a tapestry of order. Tiny workers cling to its steel skeleton, and modern architecture collides with traditional imagery in the interplay of light and shadow, creating a breathtakingly poetic interplay of time and space."
3. "Yggdrasil" by Matteo S
"The tree of life, made of living stone, sinks its roots into the depths of the earth from which it draws its power and life energy, building a golden crown of rock and fire."
4. "Folding City" by Ray Wu
"From a vertical perspective, the densely packed buildings resemble a folded space from a science fiction film, presenting a visually compressed tension and abstract geometric texture. This is a unique slice left by the process of modern urbanization, showcasing the wonderful harmony between the vitality of humankind growing infinitely in limited space and complex order."
5. "The Jurassic Coast" by Daniele Ceravolo
6. "Carpet Fields" by F. Dilek Yurdakul
"Carpet Fields in Döşemealtı Antalya 2023. After the carpets are woven, they are kept under the sun in these fields until their colors reach the desired tone. During the day, the workers regularly turn their carpets inside out."
7. "A world of Shape and Colors" by Alexandre Brisson
“A World of Shape and Colors” explores the Earth as an abstract canvas seen from above. Through aerial perspectives captured across continents, landscapes dissolve into flowing lines, fractured textures, and striking contrasts of light and pigment.
8. "Yellow Stories from Lisbon" by Artur Carvalho
"From above, it feels like a living mosaic. Each person resting in their own yellow frame, different poses, different energies, one beautiful pattern. Simple. Graphic. Unexpected. Thanks for all my friends in the picture."
9. "Smoking Skull" by Daniel
"At dawn in August 2021, as the eruption of Fagradalsfjall faded into silence, molten lava traced an unexpected shape on the volcanic surface. Seen from above, glowing fissures and cooling rock formed a haunting skull-like figure—an ephemeral reminder of nature’s raw power and its indifference to meaning. In this final moment of activity, fire, smoke, and solidifying earth converged into a fleeting symbol of both creation and decay."
10. "At the rink" by Kateryna Polishchuk
"Shadows dancing at the skating rink in the central square of the city on a sunny winter day"
11. "A Human Eye" by Dennis Schmelz
"Like a numan eye, the lagoon watcnes pack. A man pathing in the dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses becomes part of the landscape, a fleeting moment of calm inside a living oasis of sand."
Nominated Entries
12. "Dandelion" by Yevhen
"Tree and wooden fence on the snow – loking like dandelion drawing from above."
13. "Poseidon eye" by Monsieur Chocolatine
"Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo is a small volcanic islet off the coast of São Miguel in the Azores, famous for its circular lagoon and crystal-clear waters. Accessible by boat in summer, it is a natural gem shaped by ancient eruptions and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean."
14. "Where the Sky Touches the Earth" by Shanth
"A fleeting moment where light, land, and weather align in perfect harmony. As storm clouds part, a radiant rainbow arcs across the rugged terrain, bridging mountains and water in a quiet spectacle of balance. Captured from above, this frame reveals nature’s rare geometry—raw, dramatic, and timeless—reminding us that the most powerful beauty often appears only for a moment."
15. "Swim" by Karahan
"Organized under the leadership of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, the 3rd National Open Water Swimming Races were a great success with the participation of 343 athletes. Swimmers of all ages, from 11 to over 65, competed fiercely on the 2600-meter course stretching from Gölcük to Derince."
16. "Okavango Delta" by Sollylevi
People’s Choice Winners
17. "Flower Carpet" by C—Li
"The cherry blossoms covering the mountain form a pink velvet carpet, and the clouds and mist give it a soft-focus filter."
18. "Wangfeng" by Hangzai
19. "Kaneko Akikawa Makikageki" by Ten Bo
Social Media Selection Awards
20. "Gate to the North" by Filip Hrebenda
21. "The Lone Horseman" by Dennis Schmelz
22. "Stellar Pirates" by Shane B Battigan
23. "Mothers never leave" by F. Dilek Yurdakul
24. "Frozen Currents" by Jabi Sanz
25. "The Ruby Mountains" by William Frohne
FAQs:
What is the SkyPixel Aerial Photography Contest?
The SkyPixel Contest is DJI’s annual global competition celebrating drone and aerial photography. It honors creators using drones and gimbals to capture stunning photos and videos from unique perspectives worldwide.
How many entries were submitted in the 11th contest?
The 11th SkyPixel competition received nearly 95,000 submissions from 96 countries and regions, highlighting the growing popularity of aerial photography and worldwide creative participation.
Who won the Annual Best Photo award?
Filip Hrebenda won the Annual Best Photo award for The Gate, an atmospheric sunrise image captured in remote northern Norway with valleys hidden beneath thick fog.
Why are aerial photography contests popular?
Aerial contests are popular because they reveal landscapes, cities, and nature from dramatic angles impossible to see from the ground, creating fresh and powerful visual storytelling.
What makes these winning images special?
These images combine timing, composition, technology, and creativity. They turn everyday scenes into extraordinary art, offering viewers a new way to experience the beauty of Earth.
