The International Aerial Photographer of the Year has announced the winners of its first-ever competition, showcasing the best aerial photography from around the world. Both professional and amateur photographers were invited to capture stunning, high-altitude views using drones with high-resolution sensors or more traditional methods like planes, helicopters, and balloons.
One of the standout images is titled “Flamingos and Pelicans” by the Third Place Winner. The photograph beautifully captures pelicans wading through a sea of flamingos, offering a unique perspective on wildlife behavior.
The contest highlights a growing trend in aerial photography, offering fresh and exciting views that are often hidden from our everyday line of sight. By looking down from above, these images reveal novel perspectives, which can be both intriguing and mysterious.
After years of overseeing the International Landscape Photographer of the Year awards, organizers Peter Eastway and David Evans saw a rise in breathtaking aerial images and decided to create a dedicated competition for this art form. This inaugural edition received over 1,500 entries from photographers around the globe, showcasing everything from wildlife to fairytale landscapes.
Explore more and take a break from your routine with a vacation at MWR LIFE. Imagine enjoying the serene beauty of flamingos and pelicans up close.
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To make the Top 101 and get published in the upcoming book, entrants needed a minimum score of 86.67, as judged by a panel of experts.
The 2025 overall winner is Joanna Steidle, a drone pilot and artist from the Hamptons, Long Island, New York. Her winning work features a series of dramatic ocean wildlife photographs.
Steidle finds inspiration in aerial photography:
“With such a flat landscape around me, I’m drawn to top-down shots. This approach fits perfectly with my passion for marine life.”
The Gateway, Overall Winner, Atlantic Ocean, Southampton, New York
This aerial drone photo centers on a spinner shark as it creates a gateway into a school of menhaden fish in the Atlantic Ocean.
Concerto, Overall Winner. Southampton, New York
A drone image of a small ‘fever’ of cownose rays finds them stirring up sand along their travels in Southampton, New York.
Photographers Of The Year Aerial Photography Contest
Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano haunts the viewer as it cools. The cracking pattern of the lava formed a skull, creating an eerie natural illusion for a few moments.
Desert Playa, Third Place, Photographer Of The Year
Photograph Of The Year Winners
Anti=crepuscular rays at Cono de Arita, First Place, Photograph Of The Year, La Puna, Argentina
Anti crepuscular rays at Cono de Arita in La Puna, Argentina create an atmospheric optical phenomenon that appears as beams of light converging towards a point opposite the sun in the sky.
Tree Of Ice, Second Place, Photograph Of The Year, Northeast Greenland National Park, Greenland, Denmark
An aerial perspective of glacial calving reveals an unexpected organic pattern in the water in Greenland’s Northeast Greenland National Park.
The Bråsvellbreen Glacier, Third Place, Aerial Photograph Of The Year, Austfonna Ice Cap in Svalbard, Norway
An aerial view of the Bråsvellbreen Glacier, part of the Austfonna Ice Cap in Svalbard, Norway, stretches like a thinning plate of mint candy. Early melting and powerful waterfalls reveal the urgent reality of climate change.
Category Awards Winners Aerial Photography Contest
The Tempest, Winner, Black and White Award, Salt lake, Goldfields region of Western Australia
Relax after the Meal, Winner, Drone Award. Svalbard, Norway
A polar bear on Svalbard takes some time to digest after feasting on a walrus carcass. Thanks to the drone with a telephoto lens, this rare scene could be captured without any disturbance.
Alumina Mine, Winner, Abstract Award, Collie, Western Australia
An aerial view creates a galactic-like vision of alumina mine tailings dam near Collie, Western Australia.
Above the Ice, Winner, Chairman’s Award, Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon, southern Iceland
Two seals lounge peacefully on a drifting slab of ice in Iceland’s Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon.
101 Winners Aerial Photography Contest
Above Lake Magadi, Finalist, International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
Above Lake Magadi, flamingos glide over the vibrant, abstract swirls formed by algae and salt in Kenya’s Rift Valley.
Rice workers, Finalist, International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs.
Rice workers form a line in a picturesque display as they carry their crop from a large drying field in Bangladesh.
Elephants of the Flood Plains, Finalist, International Aerial Photographer of the Year – Top 101 Photographs
A herd of elephants cross the Busanga plains in Kafue National Park, Zambia.
Travellers Crossing, Finalist, International Aerial Photographer of the Year – Top 101 Photographs
A busy waterway is filled with boats and their passengers during the morning commute as they try to pass on a river in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Soda Swirl, Finalist, International Aerial Photographer of the Year – Top 101 Photographs
A squadron of flamingos fly over Lake Magadi, one of Kenya’s soda lakes. A swirl of sodium floating on the surface is shaped by the wind, creating patterns that only mother nature can craft.
The Beach, Finalist, International Aerial Photographer of the Year – Top 101 Photographs.
The Collective uses aerial images to create fictional yet plausible scenes of excess, reflecting on humanity’s impact and urging a shift toward sustainability and environmental awareness.
Rising, Finalist, International Aerial Photographer of the Year – Top 101 Photographs.
A flock of flamingos rise from the surface of Lake Logipi, Northern Frontier District, Kenya.
Pink Landscape, Finalist, Mont Saint Michel, France
France’s iconic Mont Saint Michel France appears as if in a dream in the pink light of morning,
Carpet, Finalist, International Aerial Photographer of the Year – Top 101 Photographs.
Workers harvesting grass in central Vietnam look as if they’re gliding across a a soft verdant carpet.
All the winning photos and photographers as well as the top scoring 101 photos appearing in the book of the International Aerial Photography Contest 2025 can be seen here.