Slideshow: Winners of the 2022 Siena Drone Photo Awards

Winners of the 2022 Siena Drone Photo Awards

Winners and finalists for the Drone portion of the Siena Awards were recently announced. ‘Big Bang,’ created by French photographer Armand Sarlangue, which depicts a secondary fissure erupting near the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland, was declared the Overall Winner.

The side attraction of a major volcanic eruption was declared the overall winning image.

Thousands of images were submitted by 2,624 participants from 116 countries across nine categories. Winning and finalist images will be displayed at the ‘Above Us Only Sky’ exhibition during the Awards events taking place from October 1st through November 20th at the Museum of Natural History ‘Accademia dei Fisiocritici’ in Siena, Italy.

‘The Arctic is more than a passion in my heart. It’s a commitment in its own right, a lifestyle choice that has become a polar obsession. The sea without ice sounds to my ears like music devoided of melody. This is how deep is my obsession,’ photographer Florian Ledoux tells DPReview of his winning image in the Wildlife category.

There is also a separate exhibition dedicated to the work of Danish Siddiqui, a reporter killed in the line of duty last year in Afghanistan. All winning images and videos can be viewed in the Drone Photo Awards Gallery. Entries for the 2023 competition will start being accepted on January 5th.

Winner, Urban: ‘Perfect Chaos’ by Sara Zanini

Description: Aerial view of Gangi, a village immersed in the Sicilian countryside in the province of Palermo. The image was shot on an early summer morning. The orange houses’ rooftops give movement to the image, while the mountain peaks rise in the background.

Winner, Urban: ‘Rooftops of Kartoffelraekkerne Neighborhood’ by Serhiy Vovk

Description: Rooftops of Kartoffelraekkerne neighborhood, in Oesterbro. The neighborhood was built in the late 1800s for the working class families. Today, it is one of the most sought for in Copenhagen.

Winner, People: ‘Collecting Bang Grass’ by Huu Binh Nguyen

Description: A man harvesting Bang grass (Lepironia articulata). Bang grass is the material to produce straws replacing plastic ones to protect our environment. Most of the land in this area is full of alum so that people can not plant any crop plants besides Bang grass.

Winner, Wildlife: ‘Solidarity’ by Mehdi Mohebipour

Description: Flamingos sleep together at night for greater security and stay close together during the day, thus protecting each other. In this crowd of bodies the colorful nuances of the plumage and the reflections of the light stand out.

Winner, Sport: ‘Sup Festival’ by Sergey Anufriev

Description: The annual SUP (Stand Up Paddle) festival in St. Petersburg is supported by the Fontanka newspaper. Several thousand people from several countries take part in the festival. Their paddle boards seem to be trapped in a colorful traffic jam.

Winner, Nature: ‘Fertility’ by Christian Trustrup

Description: A hidden gem, far into the Icelandic Highlands. The photographer sent his drone up, and immediately saw this composition. He decided to call it Fertility, because of its colorful and flourishing aspect, with plenty of water and green grass.

Winner, Wedding: ‘Space Invaders’ by The Wild Strawberry

Description: Constance and Christopher had planned a moon and stars inspired wedding theme. Constance’s unusual dress is laying flat around her and takes the form of a full moon: she looks like she is floating in the space. Christopher, instead, looks like he is resting on a vintage solar panel. The couple took advantage of the wedding venue to play around with the viewers’ imagination.

Winner, Wildlife: ‘Learning Life’ by Florian Ledoux

Description: A young polar bear, a yearling, is playing in the water testing the fresh ice and jumping back and forth in the water with his sibling, while their mother is resting nearby. This image is the result of 5 months in the field, living with and near the bears in a remote camp on the east coast of Svalbard.

Winner, Abstract: ‘Colorful Badlands’ by David Swindler

Description: Multi-colored badlands as seen from an aerial perspective. The many erosion channels added lots of interest to the shot, reminding of human cerebral convolutions and sulci or of the bark of a thousand-year-old tree.

Winner, Nature: ‘Ground Vein’ by Xiaoying Shi

Description: Capitol Reef National Park, located in south-central Utah, has many sandstones and boulders. Its colorful geological formations are surprisingly amazing. The earth, looking like roots, guides the viewer’s gaze towards the rocky peak.

Winner, Wedding: ‘Toscana dall’Alto’ by Simone Olivari

Description: Top view of the reception of a wedding in Villa di Liliano, in the municipality of Reggello, a typical convivial moment from an unusual and curious perspective. From above the newlywed’s table and the guests’ one look like an upside-down exclamation point, surrounded by sparkling lights and vegetation.

Winner, Sport: ‘Once Upon a Wave’ by Phil De Glanville

Description: Surfer Chris Ross charges down a monstrous wave as it begins to barrel above him. The ocean seems to swallow the athlete, who looks like a small yellow dot in the blue immensity of the wave. Shot at a surf break called The Right in Western Australia.

Winner, Abstract: ‘Dumbleyung 1’ by Tony Hewitt

Description: Salt loving algae bring color to a remote and extremely saline lake in the South West region of Western Australia, while evaporation has broken the lake into a myriad of ponds and islands.

Winner, Sport: ‘Windsurfers of Zlatni Rat’ by Julien Duval

Description: Aerial view of windsurfers on the golden horn of Brac Island in Croatia. Every year in July, this beach hosts a windsurfer festival and hundreds of athletes are competing next to this iconic beach.