There’s something straight-up humbling about seeing the world from above. Roads turn into veins. Rivers look like brushstrokes. Fields become abstract art. That’s the magic packed into Above the World: 24 Award-Winning Aerial Photos from the reFocus Photographer of the Year—a collection that proves perspective can change everything.
The reFocus Photographer of the Year Awards have become a serious benchmark for contemporary photography, and the 2025 aerial winners didn’t just raise the bar—they flew past it. These images strip landscapes of their everyday familiarity and rebuild them as graphic, almost surreal compositions. Shot from drones, aircraft, and elevated vantage points, each frame feels both distant and deeply intimate at the same time.
Stealing the spotlight this year was Marie Juliette Aziz, crowned Photographer of the Year for the aerial series Above the Horizon. Captured across Vietnam, the collection turns rice fields, coastlines, and winding waterways into stunning visual patterns. From the sky, nature reveals a rhythm you’d never notice on foot—geometry, repetition, and color aligning like a perfectly designed canvas.
What makes these aerial photos hit hard isn’t just technical skill. It’s intention. Every shot feels deliberate, patient, and emotionally grounded. There’s balance between scale and detail, between chaos and order. Some images feel calm and meditative, others bo ld and dramatic—but all of them invite you to pause and look longer.
Together, these 24 award-winning aerial photos remind us why aerial photography matters. It doesn’t just show us where we live—it shows us how the world breathes when we step back far enough to really see it.
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#1. Photographer of the Year: "Above the Horizon" by Marie Juliette Aziz
"This a collection of photos taken with aerial perspectives from Vietnam. Each photo captures the beauty and intricacy of landscapes and patterns, inviting viewers to experience the world through a fresh and elevated lens."
#2. Silver: "Golden Dragon of the River" by Eric Lee Chin Chuan
#3. Silver: "Bonsai" by Mark Gray
"An abstract aerial photo of a mine in the goldfields region of Western Australia."
#4. Bronze: "Giants amongst the clouds" by Wesley Campbell
"Aerial photo taken in New Mexico. A service drone approaches a wind power generator soaring above the clouds. The photo reminds me of the majesty in our ability to conquer great technological feats. From the wind turbine to the inspection drone, it sometimes feels like we live in another world."
#5. Bronze: "Breach" by Jarrod Saw
"Where silence ends and thunder begins. A single moment frozen in flight."
Honorable Mentions
#6. "The Lone Horseman" by Dennis Schmelz
"A lone rider stands atop a rocky outcropping in the heart of Cappadocia. One of the highlights of Dennis Schmelz’ winter trip to Cappadocia. Using his drone, Dennis managed to find a unique and breathtaking perspective that has never been captured before in this often-photographed landscape."
#7. "Lofoten Sunrise" by Stefan Liebermann
"The Lofoten Islands in Northern Norway have unique landscapes. The whole scenery can be captured from the air. Here you can see a wonderful sunrise over the picturesque fishing villages of Hamnoy, Sakrisoy and Reine. The sun creates a spectacular rainbow in the perfect spot."
#8. "Earth’s Veins" by Marco Di Marco
"Rivers of lava surge through the night, illuminating the landscape with molten rocks. Each pulse of magma marks the fierce beginning of a new eruption at Svartsengi, a raw expression of the Earth’s restless energy beneath Iceland’s surface."
#9. "Hong Kong from Above" by Derry Ainsworth
"Unique aerial perspectives of Hong Kong. Showcasing the grand spectacle of life in the city – from above."
#10. "Spirits of the Sea" by Cody Roberts
"This series explores the biggest waves in the Pacific Ocean during the most powerful swells to reach Hawaiʻi in decades. Venturing into the sky enabled me to capture the raw intensity of these historic phenomena, and the spiritual echoes they left behind from waves the size of five-story buildings."
#11. "After the meal" by Pål Hermansen
"Polar bear realxing after a heavy meal. Walrus is a very rare prey for the bears. Because of climate change and lack of ice, polar bears face difficulties with hunting. Telephoto drone."
#12. "What the fire left behind" by Edward J Felton
"After a raging factory fire all that was left were the burnt remains of the vehicles parked upon the flat roof."
#13. "Morning Serenity" by Kenneth Childress
"Aerial View of Mesas near Hanksville, UT in the early morning light."
#14. "Edge of Two Worlds" by Eric Lee Chin Chuan
#15. "Autumn Road" by Stefan Liebermann
"Minimalistic road in the near of Ilmenau, Thuringia during autumn."
#16. "Nature’s Lines and Patterns" by Kenneth Childress
"This aerial view of the details at the base of Factory Butte near Hanksville, UT show the intricate nature of the patterns formed by nature over many years."
Nominees
#17. "Primordial" by Mark Gray
"An abstract aerial photo of a mine in the remote goldfields region of Western Australia."
#18. "Goods In Transit" by Ricky Beron
"Tariffs are "an act of war." – Warren Buffett."
#19. "Rivers of Life" by Randall (Randy) Hanna
"Rivers flowing from a glacier in the Highlands of Iceland."
#20. "The Eye of Pele" by Aaron Lynton
"A molten lava river flows down the steep slopes of Mauna Loa during the historic eruption of 2022."
#21. "Fabric" by Mark Gray
"An abstract aerial photo captured over a colourful braided river on the South Island of New Zealand."
#22. "One Shark" by Ricky Beron
"An empty beach in Bimini, Bahamas. A shark appears, swimming, looking for prey."
#23. "Queens Neighborhood" by Ricky Beron
"Image taken from a commercial flight, seated on the back of the aircraft."
#24. "Photography of Overhead Liner’s Symmetry" by Yevhen Kostiuk
"P.O.O.L.S. – Photography of Overhead Liner’s Symmetry – offers a rare top-down view of cruise ships, highlighting their symmetry, clean geometry, and tiny bow pools. It’s not glossy marketing, but a visual study of design, structure, and detail often missed by passengers."
In Summary
What is the reFocus Photographer of the Year Awards?
- An international photography competition celebrating excellence across genres, including aerial, landscape, and fine art photography.
Who won Aerial Photographer of the Year in 2025?
- Marie Juliette Aziz won for Above the Horizon, an aerial photography series captured in Vietnam.
What makes aerial photography unique?
- It reveals patterns, scale, and geometry invisible from the ground, transforming real landscapes into abstract visual stories.
Where were the winning aerial photos taken?
- Many of the top images, including the winning series, were photographed across Vietnam using elevated and aerial perspectives.
Why are aerial photos popular in photography awards?
- Because they combine technical precision with powerful storytelling, offering a fresh way to see the world from above.
