Top 20 Prize-Winning Submissions from the International Aerial Photographer of the Year Contest

The International Aerial Photographer of the Year competition has revealed the winners of its first-ever photo contest, receiving more than 1,500 submissions from both professional and amateur photographers across the globe. The contest emphasizes the rapid growth of aerial photography, showcasing extraordinary and stunning viewpoints from the sky. Joanna Steidle from the United States received the grand prize as the International Aerial Photographer of the Year for her collection highlighting marine life near Southampton, NY. Her standout photograph “Diving” depicts a humpback whale plunging beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. Ignacio Palacios from Australia was honored with the International Aerial Photograph of the Year for his image, “Cono de Arita,” taken in La Puna, Argentina. Additional categories acknowledged the innovative skills of photographers from around the world, such as Daniel Viñé Garcia’s “Smoking Skull,” Colin Leonhardt’s “Desert Whirlpool,” and others. These accolades celebrate the craft of aerial photography, whether achieved through contemporary drones or traditional techniques like aircraft and balloons, providing a novel and occasionally ambiguous viewpoint of the landscape below.