Los Angeles, CA—SkyPixel, a popular aerial photography/videography community, revealed the winners of its 2018 Aerial Storytelling Contest. The competition is co-organized with DJI. The aerial storytelling contest attracted more than 30,000 submissions. Professional photographers, videographers, aerial enthusiasts as well as content creators from 141 countries entered.
Every year, SkyPixel organizes aerial photo and video contests to call on creators around the world to share their artwork and stories captured from above. This contest marked the inaugural celebration for both photographers and videographers to come together in a single event.
The video category grand prize winner is Ain Raadik. He shared a collection of adventures from his travels across New Zealand and Japan, as well as around his home in Australia.
“For me, drones are an incredible filmmaking tool that help me to further share the ideologies behind my work through new and unique perspectives,” said Raadik.
“Instead of staying put in one place, my life stories are being told through accumulating explorations of new places with my Inspire 2. Passions for filmmaking, testing physical limits and exploring new locations are all heavily influential factors behind my work. Moreover, I hope everyone would find their own passion in life and stick to it.”
Aerial Storytelling Contest Photo Category
Furthermore, the grand prize winner in the photo category is Deryk Baumgartner. He used his Mavic Pro to capture a sunbathed monastery rising out of the fog, framed by the ribbons of water on Mont Saint Michel in northern France.
“I was sitting on a rock fighting with stubborn wind and thick rain for the whole morning. The sun came up when I was just about to stand up and go home,” Baumgartner said. “This photo tells a simple story of you and me. Stick to it for a little longer in life; when you are just about to fold, the silver lining would often unveil itself.”
In addition to the two grand prize winners, there were also first, second and third prizes in the travel, sports, urban life, nature and creativity categories. From a football match on Lofoten islands to morning prayer in Bagan and traffic in Bangkok, the winning submissions captured amazing stories in different parts of the globe.
The judging panel for this year’s contest included a jury of award-winning directors, photographers and influencers. Among them were Toby Strong, a documentary photographer who has won Emmy and BAFTA awards; and Ben Nott, one of Australia’s most prestigious DP and an ACS member.
SkyPixel
The platform has more than six million registered users and hosts thousands of aerial images and videos uploaded daily. SkyPixel also promotes the growth of the aerial community with an educational section. The section featuring key experts of aerial imaging who provide tips on producing the best aerial photography.
