BEHOLD: The most amazing, award-winning drone photos in the world

Drones have changed the world of photography, empowering amateurs and lower-budget photographers to shoot from vantage points that were once only accessible to famous, well-funded shooters like George Steinmetz and Vincent Laforet.

Advertisement

The result is a proliferation of gorgeous aerial photos. For the third year in a row, Dronestagram has collected submissions to its annual contest. This year's winners were selected with the input of National Geographic photographer Patrick Witty.

Check them out below.

Advertisement

Third place, Nature | Piton de la Fournaise volcano on Réunion, Indian Ocean

3rd Prize Winner category Nature_Wildlife, Piton de la fournaise volcano by Jonathan Payet
Shot with a DJI Inspire 1 Jonathan Payet/Dronestagram

Second place, Nature | Sheep herd in Marpod, Romania

2nd Prize Winner category Nature_Wildlife, Swarm by Szabolcs Ignacz
Shot with a DJI Inspire 1 equipped with a Zenmuse X3 camera Zabolcs Ignacz/Dronestagram
Advertisement

First place, Nature | Kalbyris Forest, Denmark

kalbyris-forest-denmark drone photo
Shot with a DJI Phantom 3 Michael Bernholdt/Dronestagram

Third place, Sports & Adventure | Snowboarder in Cordova, Alaska

3rd Prize Winner category Spots_Adventure, Chugach Mountain Range, Alaska by High Angle Shot
Shot with a DJI Phantom 2 TJ Balon/Dronestagram
Advertisement

Second place, Sports & Adventure | Swimmers in Cúcuta, Colombia

2nd Prize Winner, category Sport_Adventure, Complejo Acuático Norte de Santander by losmanesdeldrone
Shot with a DJI Phantom 3 Advanced Juan Pablo Bayona/Dronestagram

First place, Sports & Adventure | Climber in Moab, Utah

1st Prize Winner category Sport Adventure, Moab by Maxseigal
Shot with a DJI Phantom 2, equipped with a GoPro HERO4 Max Seigal/Dronestagram
Advertisement

Third place, Travel | Playa de Amadores in Gran Canaria, Spain

3rd Prize Winner category Travel, Summer camp, Amadores, Gran Canaria, Spain by Karolis Janulis
Shot with a DJI Phantom 2 Karolis Janulis/Dronestagram

Second place, Travel | Camel tour in Cable Beach, Australia

2nd Prize Winner category Travel, Cable Beach by Todd Kennedy
Todd Kennedy/Dronestagram
Advertisement

First place, Travel | Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Assisi, Italy

1st Prize Winner category Travel, Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Umbria, Italy by fcatutto
Shot with a DJI Phantom 3 Pro Francisco Cattuto/Dronestagram
Photography Drone Travel
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.