Featured Photo: “Circle Of Life” Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. A tiger shark carries a Green Turtle in its jaws, revealing a rarely witnessed moment of predation. Predator and prey meet at the surface, exposing the raw tension and ecological reality that sustains ocean balance
Without wings, we humans usually experience the world from the ground. But anyone who has looked down from an airplane or a skyscraper knows how dramatically the familiar can change when viewed from above.
The second annual Aerial Photographer of the Year Awards evokes the sensation of flight through spectacular images of Earth captured from high above. Azim Khan Ronnie received the competition’s top honor for a portfolio photographed with DJI Mavic 4 Pro and DJI Mavic 3 Classic drones.
“Thousands of Migratory Birds Feeding”
For several months each year, large numbers of Siberian gulls migrate to locations across India, including Yamuna Ghat in Delhi. They begin arriving in November and depart in mid-March, feeding throughout the morning. Credit: Azim Khan Ronnie / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award
“From above, everyday scenes reveal patterns, geometry, textures, and relationships that are often invisible from the ground,” Khan said. “Aerial photography allows me to tell stories about people, nature, and the environment from a perspective that inspires curiosity and deepens our understanding of the world.”
Vitaly Golovatyuk won first place for Aerial Photograph of the Year, the award for a single image, with a photograph made at Elk Park near Dongtai City in China’s Zhejiang Province. “After spending several days exploring the area at sunrise and sunset, I photographed this bird on a tiny lake surrounded by red grass,” Golovatyuk said. “The clarity of the sky’s reflection creates a striking illusion, as though the bird were suspended weightlessly in the air.”
“Birdie in the Sky”
A bird rests on the surface of a tiny, crystal-clear lake that mirrors the sky and is encircled by red grass near Dongtai. Credit: Vitaly Golovatyuk / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award
“Complete Rainbow”
While photographing the remarkable waters off Sardinia’s northeastern coast, I was suddenly caught in a rain shower at sunset—and then the magic unfolded before my disbelieving eyes. Credit: Paolo Lazzarotti / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
“Golden Gate Framed”
At dawn, the Golden Gate Bridge is framed by its own iconic steelwork and suspension cables against San Francisco Bay. Credit: Marcin Zajac / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
“Thunder of Hooves”
At sunset in Cappadocia, Yilki horses surge across a dust-filled plateau. Raised by villagers and released to roam freely, they embody resilience and tradition, flowing like a river of fire beneath the fading Anatolian sky. Credit: Kah-Wai Lin / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
“Southern Right Whale”
Humpback whales often pass my home during winter, but I rarely encounter southern right whales. This mother and calf came close to Budgewoi Beach in New South Wales and rested in the shallows behind the surf break for half a day. Credit: Neil Vincent / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
“Steam Eruption”
An active volcanic crater erupts in Iceland as a sudden downpour strikes the intense heat, generating billowing steam that engulfs the crater. Credit: Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
“Oryx Walking on Dune”
Photographed from a helicopter over Namibia’s Namib Desert in the late afternoon, the setting sun bathes the dunes in gold and carves striking lines of shadow across the sand. A solitary oryx crosses the ridge, trailed by its shadow and footprints. Credit: Zhengze Xu / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
“Tumbling White Horse”
I was riding in northeastern Italy and photographing a magnificent white horse when it suddenly rolled over to scratch its back, sending dust into the air. I froze the powerful moment forever. Credit: Fabio Pappalettera / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs ©Fabio Pappalettera
“The Eye of the Apennines”
The Sirente crater is a secluded lake in Abruzzo—pristine, mysterious, and surrounded by intriguing theories about its origins. It may have been formed by a meteorite impact; if confirmed, this image would depict Italy’s only impact-crater lake. Credit: Valeria Castiello / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
“Family Outing”
At dawn, a herd of elephants sets out across the Serengeti in search of breakfast. The photograph was made from a hot-air balloon drifting above the herd. Credit: Sapna Reddy / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
“Dawn Net”
Bali’s rice terraces cascade down the hillsides in vivid green steps, shaped by centuries of carefully managed irrigation. Four women and a dog move in a line through the paddies, tending the young rice plants. Credit: Chin Leong Teo / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
“Grand Prismatic Spring”
My wife and I recently found an aviation company near Yellowstone willing to fly us over Grand Prismatic Spring in a Cessna 172. Photographing from the plane was challenging, but the effort was entirely worthwhile—a true bucket-list image. Credit: Wayne Montag / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
“Frozen Haulout”
Seals rest on a frozen lagoon in Iceland, gathered around a narrow seam of open water that gives them passage between the ice and the sea below. Credit: Marco Di Marco / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs
“Olympus”
Wild Horse Butte rises from Utah’s high desert. Credit: David Soldano / 2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Award – Top 101 Photographs