For the second year, the AirVūz Drone Video Awards celebrates the expertise and creativity of the top drone videographers from around the world. From over 30,000 videos uploaded to the platform, 18 were named winners and received prizes from a pool of over $10,000.
California-based drone pilot Mike Bishop won Drone Video of the Year for his incredible look at the animal kingdom in Namibia. The video, which also won the Drone for Good category, features a wide array of animals found on the Erindi game reserve. Hyenas, zebras, lions, and crocodiles are just some of the incredible members of the animal kingdom captured by Bishop, who expertly weaves his drone to get sweeping views of these animals in their environment.
For the other top award, FPV (First-Person Video) of the Year, we move to another part of the world with Saudi Arabia. Johnny Schaer—also known as JohnnyFPV—is a professional drone racing pilot who has competed in the Drone Racing League on ESPN. Here, he uses his skills to capture a unique look at Saudi Arabia’s desert environment and the country’s rich archeological heritage.
Travel is an overriding theme, with Iceland’s volcanic landscape featured in several winning videos. From Mexico and Guatemala to St. Petersburg, Russia, the locations featured demonstrate how the winning videographers use their drones to show the public new ways to view the planet. Aside from more traditional categories like People & Lifestyle and Countries & Regions, there are some whimsical winners. Chris Castor took home the win in the Dronie category, which goes to the best selfie with a drone, for his short shoot-em-up clip The Last Dronie. And the winner of Games of Drones—awarded to a video shot in a filming location for Game of Thrones—takes us on an epic adventure through an ice cave.
Check out more from the AirVūz Drone Video Awards by watching all the finalists.
Above video: Kingdom of the Wild by Mike Bishop. Drone Video of the Year
Get inspired by the winners of the 2018 AirVūz Drone Video Awards.
Saudi Arabia by Johnny FPV. FPV (First-Person View) Video of the Year
St. Petersburg, The City of White Knights by Timelab.Pro. Winner, Cities & Urban
Lands of the Maya – Guatemala and Mexico by videobros. Winner, People & Lifestyle
The Ice Cave by Snorrithor. Winner, Game of Drones
4K Icelandic Drone Adventure by Brendon Dixon. Winner, Countries & Regions
The Epic North — Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands by PilotViking. Winner, Nature & Landscape
The Last Dronie by Chris Castor. Winner, Dronie
24 HRS by Panvelvet. Winner, Originality
The Cold Edge of the World by Gab707. Winner, FPV Freestyle Technical
Envelopment by nurkfpv. Winner, Micro Drone Acro
Onnanocos x Micro Drone by KatsuFPV. Winner, Micro Drone Angle
Surfin USA by hoodblade. Winner, Tiny Whoop Acro
Lake Maria by BluJ. Winner, Tiny Whoop Angle
A New Perspective by JohnnyFPV. Winner, Extreme Sports
Showreel 2018 by aeroCircus. Winner, Showreel
Magic Iceland by David Aguilar. Winner, People’s Choice
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My Modern Met granted permission to use videos by AirVūz.
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