The results of the SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo & Video Contest have been announced. Phenomenal footage of Alaska's snow-capped peaks by Luke Bredar won the video Grand Prize, while a more poetic snowy scene in Mongolia by Tao Lai (道来) earned the still photography prize.
You can see the video – which won Bredar a DJI Inspire 3 – below, and beneath it is the stunning still photography prize-winner:
The winning still scene shows Ulanbutong, Keshiketeng Banner, Chifeng City in Inner Mongolia, as herdsmen gather around their yurts and make preparations for an upcoming event. It seems to evoke a traditional Chinese ink painting.
"The DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone happens to be excellent for shooting this kind of subject," notes photographer Tao Lai.
"I flew the drone from a distance in order not to disturb the subject. I used the 3x zoom, which is equivalent to a 70mm focal length. The depth of field has a certain amount of compression, making the picture layers closer. The 48 million pixels ensure the width and quality of the picture, which is enough to express and record the entire scene."
This win earned Tao a Hasselblad X2D 100C medium format camera, as well as a contract and trophy.
As well as the two overall winners, there are ten category winners and three people's choice winners. One of these is the amazing tree formation above, by Isabella Tabacchi, that shows grooves, plants and rivers creating the shape of a tree in the highlands of Iceland.
Another that caught my eye was Muhammad Amdadhossain's boat image, caught in Dhaka, Bangladesh: Sadarghat boatmen rest in their boats. The boats are not just a livelihood but also their home, representing a familial bond, deep connection to the river, and unwavering commitment to their profession.
You can see all the videos, and the other winning entries, on the SkyPixel winners page, as well as finding out how to join and enter your own work for the monthly and annual competitions.
Something to take note of – a lot of the winning photos were in portrait or square format. So while out-and-out manipulation might not be encouraged, cropping away from the standard image frame is clearly a wise route for drone creators looking at next year's prizes.
Check our guides to the best DJI drones and the best camera drones, as well as our look at the best Hasselblad cameras.
