Content warning: One of the winning photos shows a mass grave in Ukraine. While no dead bodies are directly visible, the image may still be disturbing to some readers.
The Drone Photo Awards, a leading international competition celebrating aerial photography, has named Israeli photographer Gilad Topaz the grand prize winner for their image, Drifting in Space. Coincidentally, last year’s grand prize winner was also an Israeli photographer.
‘Drifting in Space’ by Gilad Topaz. This grand prize-winning photo was shot in the Baltic Sea in Sweden. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards
Topaz’s stunning winning photo shows Topaz and fellow adventurers floating in the frigid Baltic Sea in Sweden, donned in specialized orange suits to survive the harsh, surreal conditions.
The winning photo was selected from a pool of 4,000 entries submitted by over 2,000 photographers from 113 countries. Alongside Topaz’s grand prize winner, the jurors selected winners across multiple categories, including Abstract, Nature, People, Series, Sport, Urban, Wedding, and Wildlife. There is also a video category in the competition. All category winners are featured below, save for the People category winner, which is Topaz’s grand prize photo.
‘Tree of Life’ by Isabella Tabacchi — Abstract category winner. ‘An aerial view of nature’s artistry in Iceland’s highlands. Grooves, rivers, and vegetation converge to form a tree-like pattern, showcasing nature’s creativity as it paints an intricate artwork against the rugged Icelandic landscape,’ the Siena Awards explain. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards
‘Ground Vein’ by Xiaoying Shi — Nature category winner. ‘Fascinated by the unique and captivating geological formations of Factory Butte, Utah, Xiaoying had visited the site three times before. Upon acquiring a drone, he wasted no time and returned for another shoot. It wasn’t until the third day that he finally encountered the warm, low light he had been seeking, resulting in a stronger and more attractive texture effect,’ Siena Awards. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards
‘Bucha, City of Death’ by Carol Guzy — People category winner. This image shows corpses in body bags lined up in a mass grave in Bucha, Ukraine. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards
‘Red Planet Flamingos’ by Paul McKenzie. This is a single shot from McKenzie’s ‘Series’ category winning entries. The rest of his images are available here. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards
‘Minimalist Action’ by Alex Berasategi — Sport category winner. This aerial skateboarding image was captured in Berasategi’s hometown, Azpeitia, Spain, during a first-anniversary shoot at the local skate park. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards
‘Rocket’ by Yuriy Stolypin — Urban category winner. Stolypin captured this image in Saint Petersburg, Russia. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards
‘Love From Above’ by Joanna Zdancewicz. Wedding category winner. This charming photo shows newlyweds sharing a kiss inside a Volkswagen Beetle. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards
‘Ocean Clean Up’ by Toby Nicol — Wildlife category winner. This image, captured off the coast of Perth, Australia, shows a massive sperm whale stranded on the beach. After a four-day struggle, the whale succumbed and became food for animals, including the tiger shark shown here. | 2024 Siena Drone Photo Awards