The 2017 SkyPixel Photo Contest Drew Over 44,000 Submissions From 141 Countries

SkyPixel has announced the winners of its 2017 Photo Story Contest. The contest, which ran from October to December 2017, received over 44,000 submissions from participants in 141 countries, across the categories of Landscape, Portrait and Story.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Florian Ledoux, a photographer from France, who used his Phantom 4 Pro to capture a remarkable moment of a polar bear jumping across ice floes in Nunavut, Canada, in his entry, "Above The Polar Bear".

"I have witnessed incredible moments and scenes of the wild but I can guarantee you that this, by far, is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," he said, "I hope that future generations will still be able to witness the beauty and grandeur of the Arctic wildlife the same way we do today."

"There are images that might impress you with their technical mastery, and then there are images that make you feel something," said Jarrad Seng, a SkyPixel judge, photographer, filmmaker and creative director based in Australia. "This photograph floored me. It's especially poignant given the climate crisis our world is facing right now." As the Grand Prize winner, Ledoux has won prizes amounting to $15,095 USD, which includes a DJI Inspire 2 in addition to other products from SkyPixel sponsors.

In addition to the Grand Prize, each main category also consists of a First, Second and Third Prize from both the professional and enthusiast groups. The winning entries captured a diverse range of perspectives, from profiling a girl dancing in a 190-year old building in Shanghai, to capturing a striking image depicting environmental impact in the world today. To view the top winning entries, please visit www.skypixel.com/events/photocontest2017.

"The SkyPixel Photo Contest of 2017 is now the world's largest aerial photography contest, breaking the record it created in 2016," said Danny Zheng, Vice President of Marketing at DJI. "SkyPixel was initially established to provide a platform for aerial photographers to share their creativity and unique perspectives of the world. Today, it has evolved to a global platform where we are able to document remarkable moments from once inaccessible areas of the world for future generations to witness and appreciate."

The 2017 Photo Contest awarded nine additional entries as "Nominated Entries" as well as highlighted the top ten most liked photos as recipients of the "Popular Prize".

All winning entries were selected by an esteemed panel of judges consisting of professional photographers, filmmakers and creative directors, including Josh Raab, Multimedia Editor at TIME and professor at the International Center of Photography, Pat Kay, award-winning photographer and content creator, and Chris McLennan, international landscape and wildlife photographer.

All winning entries of the 2017 Photo Story Contest can be viewed here. Please note that all winning entries can be used in media articles as long as they are credited to SkyPixel and their respective photographers.

(Image provided with SkyPixel news release)

FMI: www.skypixel.com