SkyPixel, one of the world’s most popular aerial photography communities, today announced the winners of the 8th annual SkyPixel Photo & Video Contest. Co-organized with DJI, this year’s competition attracted over 65,000 submissions – a 120% increase from last year.
The contest welcomed creations from across the community, which includes professional photographers, aerial enthusiasts, and many new talents, all inspiring each other to share their visual and personal stories all captured from the best DJI drones.
This year’s video judging panel, which includes award-winning cinematographers and directors of photography, chose Bashir Abu Shakra’s video, “Why I Travel the World Alone,” as the 2023 Grand Prize winner.
Above: Bashir Abu Shakra’s video, “Why I Travel the World Alone.”
This autobiographical short film captures a mixture of sweeping mountaintop landscapes with Shakra’s childhood family recordings to share his personal journey, complete with every struggle and dream that he turned into reality.
This year’s photo judging panel, chose Khánh Phan’s photo, Floral Dress” for the stills Grand Prize. This bird’s-eye portrait reveals two women wading in a pond as they collect a harvest of water lilies, whose white and magenta blooms create a floating floral dress. Judge Anne Farrar notes: “A near-perfect color scheme with lovely waves of flowers moving across the frame, this beautiful image is so well-composed and balanced, it brings a sense of beauty and calmness.”
DJI SkyPixel 2023 Grand Price winner- Photo, Floral Dress by Khánh Phan (Image credit: DJI)
Captured in her hometown of Long An, Vietnam, Khán Phan wanted to share a time-honored tradition of her ancestors. “They have worked as water lily pickers for many years, having learned the craft from their mothers and grandmothers. I believe these women are most beautiful when working because labor creates value and happiness. They also let me express my mission to create what is hard to imagine, and I am truly grateful to them.”
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With the distinction of Annual Best Work prizes, Bashir Abu Shakra and Khánh Phan will each receive over $15K (approximately £12,500 / AU$22,225) in prizes that include a Hasselblad 907X Anniversary Edition Kit, and a trophy.
Other notable entries:
Harvesting grass, SkyPixel top 10 photo (Image credit: DJI)
SkyPixel top 10 photo (Image credit: DJI)
SkyPixel top 10 photo (Image credit: DJI)
(Image credit: SkyPixel)
The SkyPixel team is hopeful that these prizes will continue to encourage the winners to pursue their passion into a growing hobby or burgeoning career, and in turn, inspire the communities around them.
In addition to the Annual Best Works, the SkyPixel contest also awarded winners in the following categories.
To view all the photos and videos of these winners you can visit the official SkyPixel website . Taking a look at these amazing images and videos really does make you want to take flight with your drone and explore the world around you.
If this article has been of interest why not take a look at the best camera drones on the market or if you want something a little different why not take a look at the best underwater drones, and if you want to give your loved one the gift of flight without spending too much money to get them started the best budget drones are a good place to start.
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For nearly two decades Sebastian's work has been published internationally. Originally specializing in Equestrianism, his visuals have been used by the leading names in the equestrian industry such as The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), The Jockey Club, Horse & Hound, and many more for various advertising campaigns, books, and pre/post-event highlights.
He is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, holds a Foundation Degree in Equitation Science, and is a Master of Arts in Publishing. He is a member of Nikon NPS and has been a Nikon user since the film days using a Nikon F5 and saw the digital transition with Nikon's D series cameras and is still to this day the youngest member to be elected into BEWA, The British Equestrian Writers' Association.
He is familiar with and shows great interest in street, medium, and large format photography with products by Leica, Phase One, Hasselblad, Alpa, and Sinar. Sebastian has also used many cinema cameras from the likes of Sony, RED, ARRI, and everything in between. He now spends his spare time using his trusted Leica M-E or Leica M2 shooting Street photography or general life as he sees it, usually in Black and White.
