Can’t afford the DJI Inspire? Win one in this aerial video contest

By Hillary K. Grigonis Published June 5, 2017

Drone enthusiasts could win a $15,000 prize package in Skypixel’s first contest of the year. Submissions for the 2017 SkyPixel Video Contest opened on Friday and continue through August 2.

The worldwide contest, run in conjunction with DJI, is looking for aerial videos between 30 seconds and five minutes long in three categories: Nature, city, and sports. Entries will be vying for one grand prize package, which includes a DJI Inspire 2 Premium combo, a Nikon D750 body, a 24-70mm VR 2.8mm lens, a Suunto Spartan Ultra Copper Special Edition HR Watch, LaCie d2 Thunderbolt 3 Hard Drive, Oakley Latch Prism Sunglasses and a Tourism Australia travel package.

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Along with the grand prize, category winners will also take home prize packages, ranging from a DJI Phantom 4 Pro and Nikon D500 to the new DJI Spark. Videos with the most public votes will receive the Winner’s Choice package, which includes the DJI Osmo Mobile.

SkyPixel is an online community for sharing aerial photos and videos, launched in 2014 with support from DJI. While DJI is hosting the contest, entries can be shot from “any type of aerial platform,” according to the contest rules. Additional sponsors include Nikon, Adidas, and Raffles City.

Winners will be announced on August 31, with the top videos being chosen from a panel of judges with some serious videography experience, from Phil Pastuhov, the aerial director of photography for The Lord of The Rings trilogy, and Ryan Hosking, the youngest feature film Aerial Director of Photography for titles like The Revenant and American Sniper, to Time Multimedia Editor Josh Raab and Conde Nast Traveler Digital Director Brad Rickman. Additional judges include Ning Hao, Filipe DeAndrade, Robin Mahieux, David Etienne, and Andy Best.

Entries are submitted on the SkyPixel platform and are due by August 2. The video contest is one of several hosted by SkyPixel throughout the year. Last year, the aerial photography contest was the largest of its type in the world.

Hillary K. Grigonis

Former Contributor

Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…

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