10 Best Photos from the Drone Photo Awards Winners

The 2021 Drone Photo Awards, an international aerial photography competition, has announced its winners. In November, the winning works will be exhibited at the Siena Awards Festival, which takes place annually in Italy.

This year, the competition was divided into 10 categories: City, Wildlife, Sports, People, Nature, Abstract, Wedding, Series, a separate video category, and the grand prize—Photo of the Year.





The awards website states that Norwegian photographer Terje Kolaas won the Grand Prix and the title of Photographer of the Year. His photograph, titled "Pink-Billed Geese Welcome Winter," won the top award and was selected from tens of thousands of submissions from photographers in 102 countries.



Terje Kolos. Short-billed Bean Geese Welcome Winter

Thousands of short-billed bean geese roosting in central Norway. They fly through the region in the spring on their way to their breeding grounds on the Arctic island of Svalbard. Perhaps due to climate change, birds are appearing in Norway earlier and earlier—even though it's spring in the photo, the snow, which bean geese don't usually encounter, hasn't melted yet.

Matteo Originale. Towards Eternity with You

The photographer noticed unusual clouds at sunset and decided to direct the newlyweds toward them.



Paolo Crocetta. Kaleidoscope

The author's photo was inspired by the colorful patterns of the Navajo people.



Alexander Vlasyuk. Beach Season

The photo was taken in February 2021 at the Kapshagay Reservoir near Almaty. According to the author, the temperature that day was -10 degrees Celsius, which is quite warm for this time of year and region, so he decided to open the beach season without waiting for summer.



Zhu Wujiang. An Endless Sea of ​​Love

A traditional location for newlywed photos is a well-tended garden in bloom.



Pierluigi Orler. Follow Me

Two athletes ride along a fresh ski track left by a snowmobile. Photo taken in the German town of Bernau.



Phil de Glanville. Gold at the End of the Rainbow

Surfer Ollie Henry walks away from a massive wave on the southwest coast of Australia.



Qasim al-Farsi. Back to Adventure

A green turtle returns to the sea after laying eggs. Photo taken off the coast of Oman.



Sergey Poletaev. A Metaphorical Statement about the City and Winter

The Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery in Dzerzhinsky, Moscow Region. In the background is a large power plant, the smoke from its chimneys especially thick due to the severe frost.



Gheorghe Popa. The Poisoned River

The abstract pattern on the river was created by chemical waste generated during copper and gold mining in the Western Romanian Mountains.