More than halfway through its run, DJI says its flagship SkyPixel competition is already breaking records. The company and its creative platform SkyPixel have crossed 45,000 global submissions for the 11th annual SkyPixel Photo & Video Contest, signaling just how mainstream — and competitive — aerial storytelling has become. And this year, it’s not just enthusiasts showing up. Emmy-winning filmmakers and world-renowned directors are now battling it out for bragging rights and a prize pool worth more than $200,000.
That mix of grassroots creativity and high-end professionalism is exactly what DJI says it hoped to spark when SkyPixel first launched over a decade ago. What began as a home for dramatic “look-how-high-I-flew” drone shots has steadily evolved into something bigger: a global stage for visual storytelling that blends technology, emotion, and perspective.
Over the past 11 years, the SkyPixel contest has quietly transformed into an incubator for emerging photographers and filmmakers. Early editions leaned heavily on sweeping landscapes and postcard-perfect aerial views. Today’s submissions, however, reflect a much broader creative shift — toward narratives about urban life, climate, isolation, and how humans fit into the natural world.
That evolution closely tracks DJI’s own expansion beyond drones. Many of this year’s entries combine aerial footage with stabilized ground shots, wearable POV cameras, and even immersive 360-degree visuals. Creators are no longer thinking in silos. They’re stitching together perspectives from the sky down to eye level, building stories that feel more cinematic and more personal.
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Under the theme “Frame Your World,” photographers have been encouraged to observe rather than just capture — and it shows.
One standout image depicts children studying on the frozen surface of Lake Çıldır in Turkey, where warm human moments clash beautifully with a brutal winter setting. Judges praised the emotional contrast and the way the photo turns nature into an unlikely classroom.
Other notable entries transport viewers to Iceland, where alien-looking terrain, glacial rivers, and volcanic sand become abstract works of art when seen from above. Several judges emphasized that the strongest aerial photos weren’t about altitude or spectacle, but about timing — waiting for light, weather, and geometry to align just right.
On the video side, the contest increasingly resembles a short-film festival rather than a drone reel showcase.
One widely praised submission imagines Iceland’s highlands from a puffin’s point of view, blending childhood wonder with cinematic wilderness exploration. Another entry serves as a masterclass in modern drone cinematography, meticulously constructed frame by frame using multiple DJI platforms to reveal what judges called the planet’s “raw poetry.”
There’s also a strong experimental streak this year. An “Earth Art” film documents a massive installation inside a restored mining pit, using aerial motion to tell a story about damage and renewal. Another submission from an Emmy-winning filmmaker weaves chaos and calm together, combining gimbal-stabilized ground footage with aerial shots to create a striking sense of depth.
DJI and SkyPixel will award three Grand Prizes, along with more than 50 additional awards. Top winners can take home premium gear — including flagship drones, cinema cameras, and medium-format photography systems — plus a direct SkyPixel Creator Contract.
Beyond the top honors, there are Top 10 and People’s Choice awards, along with participation rewards in the form of DJI store credits. Creators can submit unlimited entries across multiple categories, either directly through SkyPixel or via social media by tagging DJI’s official accounts and using the contest hashtags.
Submissions close on March 10, 2026, with winners announced on April 27, 2026. If the first 45,000 entries are any indication, DJI’s SkyPixel contest is less about flying drones and more about where visual storytelling goes next.
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