Los Angeles, CA—A popular online community for aerial photography and videography, SkyPixel and DJI today revealed that the 8th Annual SkyPixel Photo & Video Contest features a new emphasis on storytelling. Moreover, it will offer a larger prize pool than ever before.
Running from November 9, 2022 to January 30, 2023, this year’s SkyPixel contest calls on photo and video creators to inspire the aerial photography community by telling “The Story Behind” their aerial and handheld images. To drive creators to participate, the total prize value increased to $143,000.
“The SkyPixel Annual Photo & Video Contest has always been more than a competition. It is a celebration of stories that made the work possible. These stories tell the creative, daring spirit that made image capturing what it is today—whether from the ground with a traditional camera or in the air with a camera drone,” the companies announced.
SkyPixel and DJI 8th Photo & Video Contest
DJI products have long been in at the forefront of the aerial imagery explosion. Curious pilots attached action cameras to the original Phantom 1. This inspired engineers to build a three-axis gimbal camera for all future drones. Cinematographers made more dynamic scenes, forming the basis for the Ronin series of professional camera stabilizers. Families and everyday adventurers shared their world on the go, manifesting the Osmo Pocket, Action and Mobile devices. 
Now, with the creative imaging community growing wider to realize more perspectives, DJI and SkyPixel want the world to see the aerial stories that this technology can capture. And get inspired to capture their own images .
The Story Behind
In this year’s contest, DJI and SkyPixel are putting the art of storytelling at the center of every image. With “The Story Behind” as its central theme, participants will convey a message and meaning in their video or photo submissions.
There are 10 categories to choose from, each eliciting different types of stories that participants can elaborate through visual storytelling. There is no restriction on the type or brand of drones used. Further, participants can submit as many photos or videos as they wish.
A judging panel of industry professional will assess the submissions. What’s more, judges include Claudio Miranda, Academy Award-winning cinematographer; Anne Farrar, assistant managing editor of Photography for National Geographic magazine; Phil Pastihov. director of Cinematography for films such as The Lord of the Rings; Hasselblad Master Benjamin Everett; Air Pixels founder Tobias Hägg; photographer George Steinmetz; director of Photography Toby Strong; cinematographer Yu Jingping; and photographer Wang Ning. 
In addition, this year, SkyPixel and DJI will give away more than 42 awards with a total value of almost $143,000. This is the highest value in contest history. For the grand winners awarded Best Work, one video and one photo participant will each receive the all-new Hasselblad 907X Anniversary Edition Kit, along with a trophy and award certificate. Prizes in other categories include a DJI Mavic 3, Osmo Action 3 and $13,700 in DJI credit.
SkyPixel Video Contest
The video contest consists of six categories:
- Nature Category – A Force of Nature
- City Category – Urban Inspiration
- Travel Category – Destination: Beautiful
- Sports Category – More Than a Game
- Story Category – Worth a Thousand Words
- Vertical Category – From a Different Perspective
All videos submitted must not exceed five minutes in length. The entry must contain at least 30 seconds of footage shot by DJI products.
SkyPixel Photo Contest
The photo contest consists of four categories:
- Nature Category – A Force of Nature
- Architecture Category – Beauty in Design
- Portrait Category – Portrait in the Sky
- Sports Category – More Than a Game
Entrants must shoot all photos on a drone. Each image must be at least 3MB with a resolution of at least 300 dpi. They should also retain EXIF data
DJI and SkyPixel will reveal the winners in both contests on March 3, 2023. For complete contest rules and guidelines, visit here.
