An image of geese flying over the snow-capped center of Norway won first prize in an international competition recognizing photographers’ use of drone technology.
The 2021 Drone Awards crowned winners in eight categories from tens of thousands of aerial images submitted by photographers from 102 countries around the world.
In addition to aerial images of wildlife, the awards recognized photos taken using drone technology in categories such as weddings, nature, urban, sports and abstract.
The winning images will be featured in an exhibition staged at the Siena Awards visual arts festival in Siena, Italy, starting at the end of next month.
photo of the year
The image of Norwegian ornithologist and photographer Terje Kolaas captured thousands of short-billed geese flying in spring over the snow-capped grounds of central Norway. Geese, traveling to their breeding grounds on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, arrive earlier each year in what could be the result of climate change.
The animals follow a familiar path, making it possible to configure the drone’s image.
Sports photo of the year
Phil De Glanville
)Australian photographer Phil De Glanville took this image of surfer Ollie Henry riding a big wave off the southwest coast of Western Australia.
The wedding photo of the year
Original Matteo
)Italian photographer Matteo Original captures a cloudy sunset above a bride and groom on the Tuscan coast.
Urban photo of the year
Sergei Poletayev
)Russian photographer Sergei Poletaev’s image shows a 500-year-old monastery near Moscow in the foreground, with steam coming from power station cooling towers towering far behind.
Animal photo of the year
Qasim Al Farsi
)This aerial photo of a green turtle returning to the water after laying eggs on the coast of Oman, was taken by local photographer Qasim Al Faris between Ras Al Jinz and Rashad Turtle Reserve.
Photo of people of the year
Trung Pham Huy
)Vietnamese photographer Trung Pham Huy’s winter image captured a fisherman starting his work day traveling through the mangrove forest of Tam Giang Lagoon.
Nature photo of the year
Martin Sanchez
)American photographer Martin Sanchez captured a view of an erupting volcano in Iceland, giving a view of the interior of the crater.
Abstract photo of the year
Gheorghe Popa
)Romanian photographer Gheorghe Popa shows small canals filled with poison. The abstract patterns are created after chemical waste from copper and gold mining has entered the stream.
