'Straight out of a fairyland' — winner of the 11th DJI and SkyPixel photo and video contest stunned judges with 'unique and otherworldly landscape' to bag the grand prize in the $200,000 pot, and it was captured with a Mavic 3 Pro

The world's leading drone photography contest never fails to amaze

News By Timothy Coleman published 1 May 2026

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Want a glimpse of the world's best aerial photography? DJI and SkyPixel's annual photo and video contest is the place to go, and this year's winners have just been announced after the early contenders were teased a couple of months ago.

The stunning winning photos and videos of the 11th edition of the contest were selected from over 95,000 entries and 96 countries and regions — and drone pilot Filip Hrebenda scooped the grand prize in the contest's $200,000 pot with his aerial image The Gate (see below).

Contest judge Zhu Jiong described the scene as "straight out of a fairyland — layered mountains wrapped in mist.

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"The image feels calm on the outside, yet somehow breathtaking."

I must admit I haven't seen such a composition before, so it is a unique and fresh shotDaniel Kordan, contest judge

Four judges praised the grand prize winner, saying: "The location and conditions feel rare, especially with the fog and elevation, making the scene stand out."

Judge Daniel Kordan goes on to say: "I must admit I haven't seen such a composition before, so it is a unique and fresh shot."

The remote aerial scene was taken in Buskerud, Norway, with the DJI Mavic 3 Pro — a pro triple camera drone which we gave a five-star rating, and which has since been updated with the Mavic 4 Pro. We rank the Pro series as the best camera drones for consumers.

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