Drone Photo Awards 2020 Contest

A drone is no longer seen as an exotic and expensive piece of technology like it was 10 or so years ago. In fact, nowadays you can probably snag one for as little as $100. And as they become more and more financially available to photographers worldwide, we’re seeing more and more impressive drone footage every year. And if you’re not convinced, just take a look at the winning submissions from this year’s Drone Photo Awards!

The photographers competed in 9 different photo categories – Urban, Wildlife, Sport, People, Nature, Abstract, Life Under COVID-19, Wedding, and Series – as well as two video categories. This year the Photo of the Year winner was Australian photographer Jim Picôt with his photo titled “Love Heart of Nature”, depicting a shark inside a school of salmon shaped like a heart. Check out Jim’s winning photo as well as the winners of other categories in the gallery below!

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#1 Photo Of The Year: Love Heart Of Nature

In winter, a shark is inside a salmon school when, chasing the baitfish, the shape becomes a heart shape.

#2 Nature Category Winner: Gray Whale Plays Pushing Tourists

At the end of the gray whale season, I was told about a gray whale that, for the last 3 years, used to play with the boats, pushing them gently. So we went back the year after and, incredibly, the gray whale appeared and this shot is the result.

#3 People Category Highly Commended: Cross The Field

A girl, her mother, and their herd of cows walking across the pasture return home after a day of labor.

#4 Nature Category Runner-Up: Flamingos At Lake Logipi

The early morning sun lights a scene of flamingos gathered at the edge of Lake Logipi, next to an interesting fan-like geological formation.

#5 Wildlife Category Winner: Where Herons Live

Many think that herons make nests in reeds or in a swamp. In fact, they nest in the tops of huge trees and with a drone, it is sometimes possible to see them.

#6 “Life Under COVID-19” Winner: Black Flag

Thousands of Israelis maintain social distancing due to Covid-19 restrictions while protesting against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Rabin Square on 19 April 2020.

#7 Urban Category Highly Commended: Sunrise On The Top

At 4:30 in the morning, mysteriously shrouded in clouds, this is what the second-tallest building in Shanghai looks like.

#8 “Life Under COVID-19” Highly Commended: The Lockdown

The busiest highway in Dubai, shot with no cars present during the lockdown for the disinfection of the municipality. A moment to remember.

#9 Urban Category Winner: Alien Structure On Earth

Sometimes we need to change the perspective to feel the strength of the structure more strongly than we’ve ever thought. The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers, are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur.

#10 People Category Winner: Frozen Land

With temperatures of minus 30°C, winters in the Eurasian steppe can be brutal. But life doesn’t stop, and local people move from one village to another with a sledge, crossing icy rivers and lakes.