DJI’s annual photograph and video contest is again for an additional 12 months, however this SkyPixel 2025 contest has a particular form of milestone. That is the tenth 12 months of the huge on-line aerial artwork contest, which is placed on by SkyPixel, the net drone group affiliated with drone maker DJI.
The competition always evolves to embrace the tendencies in drone know-how, and this 12 months is not any completely different. Actually, this 12 months expands past drones. In a nod to DJI’s handheld “Osmo” line of cameras, this 12 months’s contest consists of the first-ever “Handheld” class.
In fact, the competition nonetheless largely facilities round drones. And for people who enter, there’s a complete prize package deal price greater than $170,000 up for grabs.
Find out how to enter the SkyPixel 2025 Photograph and Video contest
The entry window is open now, and it closes on Feb. 10, 2025. Now in previous years, entrants needed to add their images to the SkyPixel web site. However for the primary time, contestants can even submit their entries through all DJI social media channels.
In a departure from the various classes of previous 12 months, SkyPixel received extra streamlined because it entered double digits. This 12 months’s contest has been simplified to only three separate classes: Aerial Images, Aerial Videography and Handheld Videography. Listed below are some particular particulars on every class:
Aerial Images
DJI recommends a shot “overlooking the world, framing moments of eternity. Whether or not awe-inspiring nature or grand structure, energetic sporting moments or portraits brimming with emotion – all present the appeal of the artwork of pictures.”
Entries have to be shot on aerial pictures tools and entered as a single work with a single picture of at least 3MB and a decision of at least 300dpi.
Aerial Videography
DJI recommends movies the place you “soar by means of the skies and seize the magnificent fantastic thing about the earth. From pure wonders to city jungles inside cities, from impassioned sporting occasions to tranquil or colourful getaways – push the boundaries and let your creativity shine.”
With this class, DJI requires you employ precise DJI merchandise to shoot. Extra particularly, entries have to be now not than 5 minutes in size. Not less than 30 seconds of footage should have been shot on DJI drones. Based on DJI, DJI FPV, DJI Neo, in addition to the Encourage, Mavic, Air, Mini, Avata and Phantom sequence are all eligible.
Handheld Videography
With these entries, DJI desires you to “maintain the digital camera and file essentially the most intimate moments of life. Whether or not it’s the heart beat of the town, the serenity of nature, the pace and fervour of the sports activities discipline, the thrill and expertise of journey, you’re free to interpret the spirit of the footage and inform your distinctive story.”
As is the case with the Aerial Videography class, DJI requires you employ precise DJI merchandise to shoot. And once more, entries have to be now not than 5 minutes in size. Not less than 30 seconds of footage should have been shot on any of the next DJI merchandise: Ronin Stabilizer, Ronin Cinema Cameras, Osmo Motion, Osmo Pocket or Osmo Cellular sequence.
Maximize your odds of profitable the SkyPixel 2025 Photograph and Video contest
Successful the SkyPixel 2025 Photograph and Video contest is not any straightforward feat. For starters, brace your self for excessive competitors. Over the course of its previous 9 years, DJI says its SkyPixel contest has acquired a mixed 400,000+ submissions from across the globe.
That mentioned, there are some methods you possibly can increase your odds of profitable.
Embrace the theme: This 12 months’s theme is “Discover With out Limits.” Moderately than importing a generic seaside, attempt to tie it into the theme — even when it’s a generic seaside. In fact, be inventive and attempt to snap a photograph that leans into the ‘exploration’ or ‘no limits’ vibes.
Enter early: Whereas there may be the large, general prize, there are additionally smaller prizes alongside the way in which. Every month will function “Recognition Awards.” DJI says the winners listed below are those who “recognizing content material that explores “discover new tendencies or innovate artwork.”
Play to the judges: I’ll clue you in to who they’re, so you possibly can tailor your submissions to their pursuits. The pictures judges are Anne Farrar (Assistant Managing Editor-Images at Nationwide Geographic Journal), Weimin Chu (panorama photographer), Daniel Kordan (panorama photographer) and Luke Stackpoole (journey and journey photographer).
The video judges are: Claudio Miranda (Academy Award-winning cinematographer recognized for initiatives together with Lifetime of Pi, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Prime Gun: Maverick), Chenyu Jin (Director of Images recognized for Blossoms Shanghai and Like A Rolling Stone), Tianhong Pan (founding father of MediaStorm) and Sam Newton (journey filmmaker).
Get impressed: Use the previous winners to glean insights into what the judges like. I’ve shared one of the best drone images of 2023 and one of the best drone movies of 2023, highlighting the 2023 SkyPixel contest winners. And extra lately, I shared the finest drone images of 2024 and the finest drone movies of 2024, once more highlighting final 12 months’s SkyPixel winners.
What are the prizes?
SkyPixel will announce the awards on March 27, 2026. So what’s up for grabs? This 12 months, three Grand Winners (that’s one from every of the classes) will win one of the best prize package deal. However that’s not all. DJI plans to offer away greater than 80 prizes over the course of the competitors.
Right here’s what’s in these prize packages:
- Photograph Grand Winner prize: A Hasselblad X2D 100C, XCD 3.5-4.5/35-75mm, and an XCD F4/45P (price over $14,000)
- Video Grand Winner prize: A DJI Encourage 3 drone, a DL 18 mm F2.8, PROSSD 1TB, and two TB51 Batteries (price over $20,000)
- Handheld Grand Winner prize: A DJI Ronin 4D-8K cinema digital camera, DJI Transmission, and two TB50 batteries (price over $15,000)
Discover out concerning the different smaller prizes on the official SkyPixel web site.
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