I'm thrilled to say that I'm a Nominee, along with 5 others, for the Nature Category of the Drone Photo Awards 2025. I had two photographs where I had to provide RAW files, and one which made the final shortlist. I have therefore been invited to the Siena Awards weekend in the beautiful Tuscan city in Italy.
This means I am in contention for 1st place, runner up or being highly commended with the selected photograph, which I have been asked to keep confidential (for now) until the awards on the 27th September.
The selected photograph will also be exhibited in the Siena Natural History Museum from the 28th September to the 23rd November 2025.
The Drone Photo Awards is probably the biggest drone photography competition in the world, having been ran since 2018. It is international and is ran every year, with 9 Categories and an Overall Winner. Each winner & runner up receives the Pangea Prize, a prestigious award from the organisers.
The 'Nature' Nominees for the Drone Photo Awards 2025
The first thing to mention is that the Nature Category in this competition almost stands as the Landscape Category. It's highly competitive and receives entries from some of the biggest names in drone photography from around the world. For me to be included in the final six of this competition is such a humbling experience, and one that I am extremely proud of.
You can see the nominated photographers in the image shown to the left, each from a different country. No doubt their photographs are extremely impressive - I cannot wait to see what they are at the ceremony in Siena on the 27th September!
Good luck to all other entrants - and hopefully meet you in Siena!
Reviewing the 2024 Nature Drone Photo Awards Winners
When I was notified of making the list of Nominees, the first thing I did was go back to the gallery of the 2024 winners. I have to say, the quality of the photographs is superb.
The 2024 winner of the Drone Photo Awards Nature Category was Xiaoying Shi with their photograph "Ground Vein".
What a brilliant photograph! Xiaoying captured this over the otherworldly geological formations of Factory Butte in Utah. The photograph is a textural treat, with a wonderful edit emphasising the warm light and patterns in the geology. These textures lead up to the distant peak, providing striking leading lines. I particularly love the distant peaks on the horizon, covered in snow. This gives a further sense of scale, and intrigue.
The runner up for the 2024 Nature category was Miki Spitzer with the photograph titled "The Eye of the Dragon".
It's such a great title for this image, as at first glance it did look like an eye. Only upon further inspection do you realise it is a geothermal pool with intricate patterns in the surrounding area.
A very worthy runner-up.
I'll be sure to check back in here after the awards ceremony on Saturday the 27th September. Again, I am simply humbled to even be included in the Nominees, so anything would be a bonus.
I look forward to visiting the beautiful city of Siena and experiencing the photography weekend lined up for us all.
Good luck to all involved!
