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DJI’s annual photo and video contest is back for another year, but this SkyPixel 2025 contest has a special sort of milestone. This is the 10th year of the massive online aerial art contest, which is put on by SkyPixel, the online drone community affiliated with drone maker DJI.
The contest constantly evolves to embrace the trends in drone technology, and this year is no different. In fact, this year expands beyond drones. In a nod to DJI’s handheld “Osmo” line of cameras, this year’s contest includes the first-ever “Handheld” category.
Of course, the contest still largely centers around drones. And for folks who enter, there’s a total prize package worth more than $170,000 up for grabs.
Image courtesy of SkyPixel
How to enter the SkyPixel 2025 Photo and Video contest
The entry window is open now, and it closes on Feb. 10, 2025. Now in past years, entrants had to upload their photos to the SkyPixel website. But for the first time, contestants can also submit their entries via all DJI social media channels.
In a departure from the many categories of past year, SkyPixel got more streamlined as it entered double digits. This year’s contest has been simplified to just three separate categories: Aerial Photography, Aerial Videography and Handheld Videography. Here are some specific details on each category:
Aerial Photography
DJI recommends a shot “overlooking the world, framing moments of eternity. Whether awe-inspiring nature or grand architecture, energetic sporting moments or portraits brimming with emotion – all show the charm of the art of photography.”
Entries must be shot on aerial photography equipment and entered as a single work with a single image of no less than 3MB and a resolution of no less than 300dpi.
Aerial Videography
DJI recommends videos where you “soar through the skies and capture the magnificent beauty of the earth. From natural wonders to urban jungles within cities, from impassioned sporting events to tranquil or colorful getaways – push the limits and let your creativity shine.”
With this category, DJI requires you use actual DJI products to shoot. More specifically, entries must be no longer than 5 minutes in length. At least 30 seconds of footage must have been shot on DJI drones. According to DJI, DJI FPV, DJI Neo, as well as the Inspire, Mavic, Air, Mini, Avata and Phantom series are all eligible.
Handheld Videography
With these entries, DJI wants you to “hold the camera and record the most intimate moments of life. Whether it’s the pulse of the city, the serenity of nature, the speed and passion of the sports field, the excitement and experience of travel, you are free to interpret the spirit of the footage and tell your unique story.”
As is the case with the Aerial Videography category, DJI requires you use actual DJI products to shoot. And again, entries must be no longer than 5 minutes in length. At least 30 seconds of footage must have been shot on any of the following DJI products: Ronin Stabilizer, Ronin Cinema Cameras, Osmo Action, Osmo Pocket or Osmo Mobile series.
Maximize your odds of winning the SkyPixel 2025 Photo and Video contest
Winning the SkyPixel 2025 Photo and Video contest is no easy feat. For starters, brace yourself for extreme competition. Over the course of its past nine years, DJI says its SkyPixel contest has received a combined 400,000+ submissions from around the globe.
That said, there are some ways you can boost your odds of winning.
Embrace the theme: This year’s theme is “Explore Without Limits.” Rather than uploading a generic beach, try to tie it into the theme — even if it is a generic beach. Of course, be creative and try to snap a photo that leans into the ‘exploration’ or ‘no limits’ vibes.
Enter early: While there is the big, overall prize, there are also smaller prizes along the way. Each month will feature “Popularity Awards.” DJI says the winners here are those that “recognizing content that explores “explore new trends or innovate art.”
Play to the judges: I’ll clue you in to who they are, so you can tailor your submissions to their interests. The photography judges are Anne Farrar (Assistant Managing Editor-Photography at National Geographic Magazine), Weimin Chu (landscape photographer), Daniel Kordan (landscape photographer) and Luke Stackpoole (travel and adventure photographer).
The video judges are: Claudio Miranda (Academy Award-winning cinematographer known for projects including Life of Pi, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Top Gun: Maverick), Chenyu Jin (Director of Photography known for Blossoms Shanghai and Like A Rolling Stone), Tianhong Pan (founder of MediaStorm) and Sam Newton (travel filmmaker).
SkyPixel will announce the awards on March 27, 2026. So what’s up for grabs? This year, three Grand Winners (that’s one from each of the categories) will win the best prize package. But that’s not all. DJI plans to give away more than 80 prizes over the course of the competition.
Here’s what’s in those prize packages:
Photo Grand Winner prize: A Hasselblad X2D 100C, XCD 3.5-4.5/35-75mm, and an XCD F4/45P (worth over $14,000)
Video Grand Winner prize: A DJI Inspire 3 drone, a DL 18 mm F2.8, PROSSD 1TB, and two TB51 Batteries (worth over $20,000)
Handheld Grand Winner prize: A DJI Ronin 4D-8K cinema camera, DJI Transmission, and two TB50 batteries (worth over $15,000)
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