18 Breathtaking Shots from the Aerial Photography Awards Finalists (19 photos)

The annual Aerial Photography Awards 2020, a competition showcasing aerial photography, has concluded in France. This year, photographers from 65 countries participated. They presented their work to the jury, captured using drones, helicopters, kites, hot air balloons, and airplanes.





The aerial photography competition, organized by a French photographer who has worked for news agencies, brought together artists from 65 countries for the first time. Images were judged in 22 categories, including "Nature," "Art," "People," "Architecture," "Cityscapes," and many others.

According to the organizers' terms and conditions, the competition was open to photographs taken from above or with a drone, helicopter, hang glider, paraglider, kite, mast, hot air balloon, aircraft of all sizes, and other motorized or non-motorized devices.



The photo "Abstract Greece" by Belgian photographer Sebastien Nagy, winner of the 2020 Aerial Photography Awards.

The soft light of dawn greets the plumes of smoke from a motorboat, where local Vietnamese fishermen set out to catch anchovies with nets. Photo by Thien Nguyen, winner in the People category.



A merchant ship in the snow-covered Gulf of Finland was captured by Alexander Sukharev, who was named the winner in the Transportation category by the jury.



The world's largest photo frame, located in Dubai, submerged in clouds, is the winning image in the Constructions category. The photo was taken by Lebanese photographer Bachir Moukarzel.



Flamingos gracefully flit over the salty waters of two Kenyan lakes—Natron and Mecca—captured from a helicopter by Chinese photographer Hua Shang, winner of the Nature category.



The clean lines and deep colors of the tennis court and the impeccably executed movements of the athlete in "Ball Up" by Australian photographer Brad Walls captivated the judges of the 2020 Aerial Photography Awards in the Sports category.



Residents of the Bogura district of Bangladesh are trying to save crops damaged by floodwaters. Photographer Azim Khan Ronnie, who took the photo, won second place in the Editorial category.



A plane on fire – rescue workers practice in a simulated plane crash. British photographer Marc Le Cornu has won the Documentary category of the 2020 Aerial Photography Awards.



The crystal-clear blue of an Icelandic lake framed by chocolate-colored mountains captivated the jury, and Swiss photographer Sebastian Müller's image, "Skyggnisvatn," won the Nature category.



Rock formations in the red Tatacoa Desert, captured by Belgian photographer Johan Vandenhecke, won the Abstract category.



German photographer Joel Jochum captured energy company storage tanks at sunset and won the 2020 Aerial Photography Awards in the Industrial category.



A fisherman cast his net in a turquoise lagoon, and the waves accidentally created the silhouette of a sea queen. Vietnamese photographer Duy Sinh won in the Daily Life category with his photo "The Lady of Sea."



Sheep walk home from the pasture, a white dotted line across the red fallen leaves of a forest path. Turkish photographer Mehmet Aslan won in the Trees & Forests category with his image "Forest Path."



An icy lagoon, very similar to the Night King's crown from the legendary "Game of Thrones" saga, discovered by British photographer Kyle Vollaers, titled "Arctic Paradise," won in the Waterscapes category.



A view from the window of a Shanghai jet by Chinese photographer Yiran Ding was named the best photo in the Travel category.



On the brink: A child on the embankment reaches for a plastic bag that fell into the Amstel River. Canadian photographer Ryan Koopmans captured his winning shot in the Netherlands and won in the Other category.



The photograph "Spanish Rainbow" by Belgian photographer Sebastien Nagy won the Cityscapes category of the 2020 Aerial Photography Awards.



Echoes of War. Belgian photographer Reginald Van de Velde captured the wreckage of a British minesweeper that sank during World War I off the coast of France. The ship lay buried in the coastal sands for over a hundred years and only recently surfaced due to rapid coastal collapse. The photograph won the Abandoned Places category.