Drone Photo Awards 2026

Drone Photo Awards 2026 is now open for entries, with a deadline set for June 15, 2026. Organized under the Siena Awards, the contest focuses on aerial photography and video made from above, whether captured by drone, aircraft, helicopter, balloon, blimp, kite, parachute, or other aerial means. For photographers browsing the best photography challenges online, this call stands out for combining an international awards structure with exhibition and festival visibility in Siena.

The competition includes nine categories across single images, video, and series. The first image is free to submit, making it possible to approach the contest as a free photography contest, while additional images, series, and videos carry entry fees. The highest-scoring image receives the title Drone Photographer of the Year, and winners are connected to the Siena Awards Festival through the awards ceremony and the “Above Us Only Sky” exhibition.

The award-winning images are scheduled to be exhibited in Siena during the festival period, with the “Above Us Only Sky” show taking place from October 11 to November 29, 2026, at the Siena Natural History Museum. For photographers working with aerial perspectives, this contest offers a clearly defined route from submission to jury review, online publication, public exhibition, and festival presentation.

Prizes

The Drone Photo Awards combines trophies, exhibition opportunities, publication, press visibility, and, for the top winner, equipment and accommodation support. The prizes are attached to several levels of recognition, from the overall winner to commended works.

• Drone Photographer of the Year: The participant with the highest-scoring image receives:
  • €500 worth of photography equipment.
  • Pangea Prize crystal trophy.
  • A fixed €400 contribution toward accommodation for two overnight stays in Siena during the Awards Ceremony weekend.
  • The winner is also a special guest at the ceremony, appears on stage, has the awarded work shown in the “Above Us Only Sky” exhibition, receives international press and online media visibility, and is published in the online gallery.
• Drone Category Winner: Each category winner receives:
  • The Pangea Prize crystal trophy.
  • Invited as a special guest to the ceremony.
  • The awarded work included in the exhibition.
  • Promoted through international press and online media.
  • Published in the online gallery.
• Drone Runner Up:
  • The Pangea Prize crystal trophy.
  • Ceremony recognition.
  • Exhibition inclusion.
  • Media promotion.
  • Online gallery publication.
• Drone Highly Commended:
  • Crystal of Honor trophy.
  • Ceremony recognition.
  • Exhibition inclusion.
  • Media promotion.
  • Online gallery publication.
• Drone Commended:
  • Parchment.
  • Recognition as special guests at the ceremony.
  • Exhibition inclusion.
  • Media promotion.
  • Online gallery publication.

The award-winning work is connected to a public exhibition opportunity in Siena, while selected works also benefit from online gallery publication and festival-related visibility.

Categories or Themes

The contest is structured around nine categories, with separate formats for single images, video, and series. Its subject matter is centered on aerial viewpoints, making it especially relevant for photographers looking at drone photo awards and broader aerial image opportunities.

• Wedding: Aerial images featuring people and activities connected to wedding or engagement ceremonies, celebrations, or traditions.
• Nature: Environmental and landscape photography captured from the sky, with an emphasis on natural scenes seen through the photographer’s eye.
• People: Aerial images of a person or group of people that capture the personality of the subject.
• Urban: Aerial work featuring cities and built environments, including architecture, bridges, buildings, cityscapes, historic structures, industrial buildings, interiors, and related subjects.
• Animals: Aerial photography of animal life. The rules state that unethical treatment of animals is not allowed.
• Abstract: Aerial images that are not immediately associated with recognizable real-world objects.
• Sport: Sports photography from above, from formal events to personal fitness.
• Video Open: Moving-image work based on seeing the world from a new angle and exploring different perspectives.
• Series: A set of 5 to 9 images connected by a common theme and edited in a consistent style.

Dates and Entry Fees

Entry fees are structured as follows:

• 1 image: free to enter
• 3 images, including the free image: €30
• Each additional image: €10
• Series: €35
• Videos: €35

The total number of entries may be distributed freely across the different categories.

How to Enter

Entrants complete the online submission form and provide the details of the entry before being redirected to the upload page. Submitted photographs must not include signatures or watermarks. The contest allows entrants to edit a submission up to the deadline, including replacing or removing images, rearranging them, and updating captions, descriptions, or the submission statement. The first image makes the contest a free to enter photo awards opportunity, although paid options apply to larger submissions, series, and videos.

About the Jury

All entries are reviewed and pre-screened by editors and an international group of industry professionals before the screened entries are reviewed by the international jury. The jury selects the winners, and its decisions are final.

The listed jury members for the edition include Amanda Canning, Ryan Koopmans, Mélissa Jollivet, Marchis Cornelia, Ken Geiger, Sebi Berens, Elio Lello Piazza, Sergio Pitamitz, Guo Jing, Sanjoy Ghosh, Luca Bracali, Florian Ledoux, Susanna Scafuri, Olly Puglisi, Joshua Paul Gilbert, Paul Prescott, Chris Castor, Elena Buenrostro, Ishveena Singh, Phaedra Brown, Sally French, Roie Galitz, Tommy Clarke, Federica Quaglia, Evan Anderman, Miles Morgan, Mads Peter Iversen, and Emanuela Ascoli.

Why Enter Drone Photo Awards?

The contest gives aerial photographers and filmmakers a defined platform within the Siena Awards ecosystem, with jury review, category recognition, online gallery publication, exhibition in Siena, and a public awards ceremony. For Deartline readers comparing photography contests, the key facts are clear: the call is international in scope, has a free first-image entry route, and connects selected work to both digital and physical presentation.

Its structure is also practical for artists working in different formats. A photographer may submit a single aerial image, a coherent series of 5 to 9 works, or a video. The categories range from nature and urban scenes to people, animals, sport, weddings, and abstraction, which gives the competition a broad editorial field while remaining tied to the aerial viewpoint. For creators searching for aerial photography contests, the Drone Photo Awards 2026 offers a focused submission path with clearly stated dates, costs, and outcomes.

Rules and Copyright

This section about the rules and image rights of the Drone Photo Awards has been generated automatically. If you are interested in participating in this contest we suggest you review the complete rules provided by the contest.

Rules

The contest requires entrants to accept the Terms and Conditions when registering and submitting work. Entrants must be the sole copyright owners and creators of submitted photographs, must have the right to enter the work, and must ensure that the submitted image does not infringe copyright, trademark, contract rights, intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or publicity rights. Where people are depicted, the entrant confirms that permission has been granted as required.

AI-generated or AI-enhanced images are not allowed. The rules prohibit the use of AI image generation software for creating or enhancing submitted images, including adding AI-generated elements to camera-made images or extending images with generative fill tools. Files for upload must be JPGs in sRGB or Adobe98 colour space, 8-bit, with the longest dimension not exceeding 1920 pixels at 72dpi. Watermarks, copyright units, logos, and borders are not allowed. Finalists must be able to provide a high-resolution digital file of at least 8 MB, with a minimum pixel size of 2400px by 3600px at 300dpi.

Copyright and Image Usage

Photographers retain full copyright and ownership of their submitted images. Entrants grant the organizers free use of entered images for promotional purposes connected to the contest and the Siena Awards Festival, including catalogues, calendars, videos, websites, official merchandising, social media, exhibitions, posters, annual publications, and related materials. The rules state that images are not used for purposes other than promotion of the Drone Photo Awards and connected initiatives, and that credit is provided when images are used.

Winning photographs may be included in future traveling group gallery exhibitions, screenings, and projections at arts institutions and festivals worldwide. By entering, photographers also agree to be included in the annual publication showcasing the full collection of winning images.

For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.