DJI & SkyPixel Select Best Videos in 2017 Contest

The good thing about having your own social media platform is that your users do most of the marketing for you. Just as GoPro has encouraged its customers to effectively advertise products by posting their best videos, DJI’s Skypixel offers an equivalent for aerial photography.

Today, the platform has selected the winners of its 2017 aerial video contest. The best entries have been chosen from all over the world, from the Dolomites in Italy to Cape town and the Isle of Skye.

3,000 submissions were whittled down to 20 across 4 different categories: Nature, City, Sport and the People’s Choice.

The Grand Prize

The Grand Prize, selected from the winners of the three categories, went to xiaoxiao with the video ‘EPIC OF TANNA’. The video showcases breathtaking views of a volcano and the scenery in Tanna, an island in Vanuatu over the South Pacific Ocean.

The Grand Prize winner will receive a DJI Inspire 2 Premium Combo, Nikon D750 Body + 24-70 mm VR 2.8 Lens, Suunto Spartan Ultra Copper Special Edition (HR) Watch, LaCie d2 Thunderbolt 3 Hard Drive, an Oakley Latch Prizm Sunglasses and a Tourism Australia Travel Package.

“The amazing footage we’ve received throughout this contest reflects the growing interest around aerial videography and the creativity made possible with drone technology,” said Danny Zheng, DJI Vice President of Marketing.

“This new art form really allows us to gain new perspectives and discover places that are otherwise out of reach. We congratulate all the winners and participants for sharing their stories and allowing us to experience the extraordinary beauty of this world in an entirely new way.”

Read more: Winners of Dronestagram 2017 Photo Contest Revealed

The Best of The Rest

As well as the Grand Prize, each category also included a First, Second and Third Prize. The First Prize from the Nature category went to Vadim Sherbakov, whose work ‘Icarus’ captures spectacular views from the rocky cliffs of Isle of Skye to the mighty Dolomites in Italy.

In the City category, ‘The City of Cape Town’by Luke Bell, takes us on a captivating aerial tour around town, across beaches and into the mountains.

In the video ‘MMP3 – 2D RUN,’ Marin Kafedjiiski films a parkour artist leaping across rooftops, bridges and rivers in some of the most unexpected places. His stunning submission won over the judges in the Sport category.

Separately, the top ten most liked videos were recognized for their amazing work with the People’s Choice Award and various prizes from DJI, LaCie, Suunto and Oakley products.

Who Chose the Winners of the Skypixel 2017 Video Contest?

The winning videos, selected from 3,000 submissions, were chosen by a judging panel consisting of professional photographers, filmmakers and creative directors.

The lineup included Phil Pastuhov, an aerial director of photography whose credits include The Lord of the Rings, Godzilla and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Also on the panel was Filipe DeAndrade – 10-time Emmy winning Director of Photography – and Josh Raab, Multimedia Editor at TIME and professor at the International Center of Photography.