Our Attractive World From Above: 18 Winners Of International Aerial Photographer Of The Year

Winner International Aerial Photographer of the Year (folio)

Azim Khan Ronnie (Bangladesh/France) received the 2026 award for a portfolio together with not less than 4 pictures. Judges praised his cohesive storytelling throughout assorted scenes: a serene rower on Lake Zurich (Switzerland), the dynamic human–chook interactions at Yamuna Ghat (Delhi, India), the daring geometry of crimson chilies drying in Bogura (Bangladesh) and the non secular Rakher Upobash ritual in Dhaka (Bangladesh).

Winner — Aerial Photograph of the Year (single picture)

Vitaly Golovatyuk (Russia), a photographer and cinematographer, received Aerial Photograph of the Year for a picture (above) shot at Elk Park close to Dongtai City, Zhejiang Province, China. The {photograph} includes a lone chook resting on a superbly nonetheless lake surrounded by vivid crimson vegetation, the water reflecting the sky and creating an phantasm of suspended area.

The prime 101 aerial pictures from the 2026 competitors are printed within the annual awards book obtainable on-line and as a hardcover print version.

Overall Winners Aerial Photographer Of The Year

For a couple of months of the yr, a lot of Siberian seagulls migrate to varied areas of India. Yamuna Ghat in Delhi is amongst them. The birds begin arriving in November and transfer out in mid-March. The exercise continues all morning.

Thousands of vibrant crimson chili peppers are harvested within the scorching solar earlier than being sorted for supply to spice firms within the Sariakandi, Bogura, Bangladesh. More than 2,000 folks work on some 100 chili farms in Bogura.

A lone fisherman casts a radiant yellow web that blooms throughout the water like liquid daylight.

From above, the sweeping strains wrap round his small boat, turning a easy act right into a second of quiet poetry.

Bali’s rice terraces cascade down the hillsides in vivid inexperienced steps, formed by centuries of cautious irrigation, providing a surprising distinction to a busy freeway.

Flooding on account of heavy rains of the Sossusvlei Desert in Namibia generated magical tree patterns.

Aerial Photograph Of The Year

At sundown in Cappadocia, central Turkey, Yilki horses thunder throughout the dusty plateau. Raised by villagers and launched to roam free, they embody resilience and custom, shifting like a river of fireside beneath the fading Anatolian sky.

A gathering of Warkaris, a Hindu non secular group, throughout Maharashtra’s Wari pilgrimage in India kinds a round sample across the central palkhi, or chair, carrying sacred padukas, conventional Indian footwear.

Dressed in white, devotees sit in rows, creating a strong visible of unity of devotion and concord.

Aerial Photographer Above Mountains, Snow, Water

The sharp, steep and layered hills within the Badlands of Utah seem like a dreamy environmental creation by the late Christo.

These ‘Emerald Waves at Dusk’ have been captured above the rolling hills of San Jose, California, at golden hour. The picture reveals the Diablo Range at its greenest after winter rains, highlighting easy contours and flowing patterns.

Winter within the Bavarian countryside close to Lake Ammer frames the onion-domed roof of a church that’s attribute of southern Germany. “My intention was to capture this church, which stood on a street, with nothing to disturb the composition, all white in a graphic style,” mentioned Aleksandra Wilk.

From above the Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Punnamada Lake, India, three snake boats – every with 100 to 120 rowers – glide in excellent rhythm. Oars strike in unison, turning human effort into sample – the place custom, teamwork, and movement merge right into a single, highly effective movement.

Top 101 Aerial Photographer

The Golden Gate Bridge is framed by its personal iconic metal and suspension cables because it spans San Francisco Bay at daybreak.

From above, Lake Magadi in Kenya is otherworldly, its vivid colours forming a pure canvas as flamingos glide throughout the floor. Their flight stirs smooth waves that ripple into patterns, making a sort of dwelling, organic calligraphy.

In this aerial panorama of Iceland, a mild rainbow arcs throughout the sky, casting smooth hues over darkish slopes and deep-blue waters. A lone highway winds towards distant shores in excellent, breathless concord.

A polar bear balances on the sting of an iceberg in East Greenland, utilizing the peak to scan the ocean ice and take a look at the wind. The scene displays a panorama that by no means stays nonetheless, the place ice fractures, drifts and reforms round it.

Trailed by its shadow and footprints, an Oryx antelope ambles on the dunes in Namibia’s Namib Desert. Shot from a helicopter, it was late afternoon and the sundown superbly illuminated the dunes with golden colour and superb shadow strains.

The photographer was driving in northeast Italy and catching some stills of a beautiful white horse, when it immediately rolled over to scratch its again, elevating the mud—and the epic second was frozen without end.

Like a squadron of planes, a whole bunch of birds are poised over Kenya’s Lake Magadi on this helicopter photograph.

Aerial pictures transforms acquainted locations into summary patterns, dramatic vistas and contemporary tales. The 2026 winners showcase technical ability, robust composition and the distinctive visible narratives made doable by elevated viewpoints.

All the successful pictures of the International Aerial Photographer Of The Year could be seen here.

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