The winning entries in this year’s Drone Photo Awards deliver an outstanding assortment of aerial images, from the overall winning shot, catching a school of salmon forming the shape of a heart, to a special category focusing on the profound ways COVID-19 has transformed our cities.
Here we showcase a selection of the shots that will be on display in the Siena Photo Awards in Italy from October 24 to November 29.
Love Heart of Nature
In winter, a shark is inside a salmon school when, chasing the baitfish, the shape became a heart shape. Photograph: Jim Picôt
Alien Structure on Earth
Sometimes we need to change the perspective to feel the strength of the structure stronger than we've ever thought. The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers, are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur. Photograph: Tomasz Kowalski
Leftover
A scene from Shanghai, China. Photograph: Attila Balogh
Where Herons Live
Many think that herons make nests in reeds or in a swamp. In fact, they nest in the tops of huge trees and with a drone it is sometimes possible to see them. Photograph: Dmitrii Viliunov
Homecoming
A buffalo herd is passing a lake before moving to its shelter where the herd will retreat to rest. Photograph: Mehmet Aslan
Ring of Crocodiles
This image was taken in Bangladesh. Photograph: Adnan Asif
On the Sea
An aerial view of swimmers, where the sea becomes the place to take refuge, between the blue carpet and the white foam of the waves. Photograph: Roberto Corinaldesi
Frozen Land
With temperatures of minus 30°C, winters in the Eurasian steppe can be brutal. But life doesn't stop, and local people move from one village to another with a sledge, crossing icy rivers and lakes. Photograph: Alessandra Meniconzi
2,000,001
Two million Hongkongers took to the streets on 16 June 2019, calling on the government to withdraw the controversial extradition bill. The night before the historic march that nearly one-third of the population took part, protestor Leung Ling Kit ended his life after hanging a banner of the people's demands in the city centre. Photograph: Tugo Cheng
Mountains of Salt
An aerial picture taken on a saltern near a small town on central Vietnam’s coast. Photograph: Igor Altuna
Women Sorting Dry Red Chillies
Women collecting red chilies under the sun for more than 10 hours a day for little pay, employed in one of the many factories that specialise in drying chilies. Photograph: Md Tanveer Hassan Rohan
Waterlilies harvesting season
Women harvest waterlilies in Vietnam. Photograph: Trung Pham Huy
Gray Whale Plays Pushing Tourists
At the end of the gray whale season, I was told about a gray whale that, for the last three years, used to play with the boats, pushing them gently. So we went back the year after and incredibly the gray whale appeared and this shot is the result. Photograph: Joseph Cheires
Phoenix Rising
The phoenix rising is a symbol of re-emergence from the ashes of fire. This is symbolized through the beginnings of an actual regeneration process at the industrial mining site of Lake Owens. After a destructive past and the creation of the most toxic dustbowl in America, migratory birds are returning, and life is beginning anew. Photograph: Paul Hoelen
Largest Congregation
More than 600,000 devotees participated in South Asia's largest Eid-ul-Fitr congregation. The prayers began at 8:30 am with devotees coming from different parts of the region. Eid-ul-Fitr is a Muslim festival of happiness celebrated all over the world. Photograph: Azim Khan Ronnie
Black Flag
Thousands of Israelis maintain social distancing due to Covid-19 restrictions while protesting against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Rabin Square on April 19, 2020. Photograph: Tomer Appelbaum
The Lockdown
The busiest highway in Dubai, shot with no cars present during the lockdown for the disinfection of the municipality. A moment to remember. Photograph: Bachir Moukarzel
Tropical Bride
I used the flowers and the leaves leftover from the decoration of a wedding, to make something creative. Photograph: Mohamed Azmeel
Dubai Marina
“It is extraordinarily interesting to see the architectural designs of the buildings, the streets, and the pier of Dubai Marina that contrast with the ocean water.” Photograph: Carmine Chiriacò
Swirl
An abstract shot of a Pink lake chemical reaction in Western Australia. Photograph: Boyan Ortse
Munk's Mobula Rays Schooling
Though from a boat it was hard to appreciate just how enormous this shoal was, the drone revealed a mass of thousands of Munk's Mobula rays (also called Munk's pygmy devil rays), all swimming in the same circular direction. Photograph: Mark Carwardine
Lovers on the Field
We were looking for some abstraction. We had a boat, a drone and.... a lot of time. A strong wind created a beautiful storm in the field. Perfect weather conditions showed me "the eye of the tiger" or "deer eye" through the couple in the kayak. A wonderful combination: beautiful lovers, fantastic nature, strong wind, and this perspective. Photograph: Krzysztof Krawczyk
