The results are in: Italian filmmaker Denis Barbas has been crowned the winner of the 2024 AirVuz Drone Video of the Year for his aerial video, Why I Travel the World with a Drone – A Cinematic Short Film. The competition was hosted by AirVuz, which is a top platform for drone content creators. Unsurprisingly, it saw some of the best drone pilots and filmmakers in the world vying for the prestigious title.

AirVuz is a massive online drone community primarily pegged around posting drone footage. AirVuz is also the team behind Drone TV, which is found on free ad-supported television (FAST) and digital signage channels/ platforms.

Here’s a look at the winners and runners-up in the 2024 AirVuz Drone Video of the Year contest:

The winning drone video by Denis Barbas

Barbas’ winning film is less than three minutes long. But it packs in a long, taking viewers on an aerial tour of some of the world’s most awe-inspiring locations. From the jagged peaks of Italy’s Dolomite Mountains to the fiery eruption of Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano, the video captures the raw power and beauty of nature in a way that only drones can. Other striking landscapes in the film include Madeira, Portugal, and Svalbard, Norway, showcasing a dynamic mix of terrains and climates, all brought to life through Barbas’ expert cinematography.

Wathc it here:

As the Grand Prize Winner, Barbas was awarded a DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo with DJI RC, which is valued at $2,999. The prize was given by contest sponsor DJI SkyPixel, which actually runs its own drone photo and video contest every year.

Follow Denis on Instagram and YouTube.

Meet the runners-up and other finalists

While Barbas took the top prize, three other standout creators were named runners-up:

• Bashir Abu Shakra (The War – My Transformation Journey)
• Luca Putzer (K2 Base Camp Trek | Cinematic)
• T-christ-T (Mount-Qomolangma (Everest))

Their films showcased a mix of adventure, emotion, and technical excellence — whether capturing towering Himalayan peaks or telling deeply personal stories through aerial cinematography. Each of these talented filmmakers was awarded a DJI Avata 2 Fly-More Combo, also provided by DJI SkyPixel.

Beyond the winners, eight finalists were selected from the impressive pool of 2024 nominees:

• be_mesmerized
• Arnaud Lesueur
• FADAH_FPV
• Feeling Drone – Guillermo García
• Makhorov
• Migo-Studios
• PANVELVET
• ShaggyFPV

These finalists received either drone gear from DJI SkyPixel or cash prizes from AirVuz as recognition for their outstanding work. Their entries spanned genres, from FPV showreels to cinematic nature documentaries, highlighting the diverse storytelling power of drone videography.

Trend’s from the AirVuz 2024 Drone Video of the Year contest

This year’s contest drew an elite judging panel featuring directors, drone pilots, social media influencers, and industry experts.

AirVuz President and CEO Mike Israel saiid choosing a winner wasn’t easy given the high caliber of submissions:

“Picking the winning videos for 2024 was no easy task for our judges given the strength of the field,” he said in a prepared statement. “We are tremendously thankful that the AirVuz creator community continues to produce some of the world’s highest-quality drone videos, and extend our congratulations to this past year’s Winner, Runners-Up, Finalists, and Nominees.”

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