Extraordinary Winners of the 2015 Drone Aerial Photography Contest

For the second year in a row, Dronestagram and National Geographic teamed up for the 2015 Drone Aerial Photography Contest. More than 5,000 entries were submitted from people around the globe, by both professional photographers and amateur drone enthusiasts. The winners were recently announced, and their images are awe-inspiring depictions of life captured from above.

Drone photography showcases the beauty and, often, the quirkiness of our world. This vantage point also reveals things that we'd never see while standing on the ground, and the winning images capture: the tops of buildings peeking out of densely-foggy skies; a massive castle that now appears completely dwarfed; and vibrant, multi-colored fields that seem like an abstract painting. We now know what it looks like when people snorkel with sharks, and how excitedly terrifying it must be to free-dive into crystal clear waters.

Sponsors–including National Geographic, Kodak, Parrot, and Go Pro–awarded amazing prizes to the photos seen below, and the category winners will all have their work published in the French edition of National Geographic magazine.

Above photo: 1st Prize Winner – Category Places: Above the mist by Ricardo Matiello

1st Prize Winner – Category Nature: Snorkeling with sharks by Tahitiflyshoot

2nd Prize Winner – Category Places: Mont-Saint-Michel, by Wanaiifilms

2nd Prize Winner – Category Nature: La Jolla by kdilliard

3rd Prize Winner – Category Places: Tulip fileds by [email protected]

3rd Prize Winner – Category Nature: Lost island, Tahaa, French Polynesia, by Marama Photo Video

1st Prize Winner – Category Dronies: Where's Wally, Limassol Carnaval, Cyprus by FlyovermediaCy

2nd Prize Winner – Popular Prizes (most liked picture): Plovidv by night, Bulgaria by Ice Fire

3rd Prize Winner – Popular Prizes (most liked picture): Glorieto Rodolfo Sanchez Taboada, Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico by Wootsor

Dronestagram: Website
National Geographic: Website

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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