From sweeping shots of lava cutting across icy landscapes to sharks slicing through shoals of fish in milky blue seas, the inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year competition offers a fresh perspective of Earth from above, revealing landscapes and wildlife in ways we don't often see.
As the competition received a staggering 1,549 entries from around the globe, alongside their winners, the judges have curated the 'Top101 collection' to commend the impressive and varied imagery that had been submitted.
Here, we've selected a few of our favourite images from the competition.
International Aerial Photographer of the Year Winner of 2025
Joanna Steidle, a professional drone pilot and artist based in New York, won the Photographer of the Year category with her set of four images.
Aerial drone photo of a spinner shark creating a gateway into a school of menhaden fish in the Atlantic Ocean, Southampton, NY, USA. - Credit: Joanna Steidle / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the YearA small fever of cownose rays stirring up some sand on their travels. Southampton, NY, USA. - Credit: Joanna Steidle / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the YearA humpback whale diving back under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean after taking a breath of air. This was taken within 500ft of the coast in Southampton, NY, USA. - Credit: Joanna Steidle / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the YearA fever of cownose rays approaching a school of menhaden bait fish, taken just a few hundred feet from the coast of Southampton, NY, USA. - Joanna Steidle / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
More striking entries from the International Aerial Photographer of the Year competition
Elephants of the Flo - Murray Evans
Murray Evan's entry captures a herd of elephants making their way through the Busanga plains in Kafue National Park, Zambia. - Credit: Murray Evans / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Tajogaite Volcano - Javier Garcia
Garica's image showcases the devastation caused by the Tajogaite volcanic eruption on La Palma, Spain in September 2021. Lasting 85 days, the intense volcanic activity buried thousands of homes and destroyed 1,300 hectares of land resulting in significant habitat loss. It is predicted that around 90% of species in areas closest to the eruption suffered mortality or severe impact. - Credit: Javier Garcia / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Austfonna Ice Cap - Thomas Vijayan
Thomas Vijayan came third place in the Photograph of the Year category with his image 'Austfonna Ice Cap' – the Bråsvellbreen glacier, part of the Austfonna Ice Cap in Svalbard. Early melting and powerful waterfalls reveal the urgent reality of climate change. - Credit: Thomas Vijayan / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Flamingos over Lake Magadi - Belva Hayden
In the Top101, Belva Hayden's image shows flamingos flying over Lake Magadi. In the image you can see the vibrant, abstract swirls formed by algae and salt in Kenyas Rift Valley. - Credit: Belva Hayden / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Relax after the Meal - Pal Hermansen
Pal Hermansen's image of a polar bear on Svalbard after eating some of a walrus carcass was awarded The Drone Award. With the use of a drone with a telephoto lens, this rare scene could be captured without any disturbance. - Credit: Pal Hermansen / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Harrison's image shows the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf Marine Park in the Northern Territory, Australia, being shaped by huge tides ebbing and flooding across shallow muddy tidal flats. - Credit: Peter Harrison / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
The Chase - Craig Parry
Two bottlenose dolphins ride the nose of a humpback whale. Parry captured this image three nautical miles off the coast of Byron Bay under permit. NSW, Australia. - Credit: Craig Parry / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
This image by Taylor Duncan was taken at sunrise under overcast skies, the bentonite hills of Utah in the USA reveal a Martian-like landscape sculpted by time and water. - Credit: Taylor Duncan / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Above the Ice - Fabien Guittard
The Chairman's Choice was awarded to Fabien Guittard's 'Above the Ice', which shows two seals lounging on a drifting slab of ice in the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon in southern Iceland. - Credit: Fabien Guittard / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Ripples - Wayne Sorensen
Wayne Sorensen captures a group of flamingos taking off in the shallows of Lake Natron on the border of Tanzania and Kenya. - Credit: Wayne Sorensen / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Tree of Ice - Taylor Stone
Taylor Stone was awarded second place in the Photograph of the Year category. This aerial perspective of glacial calving reveals an unexpected organic pattern in the water. Northeast Greenland National Park. - Credit: Taylor Stone / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Dead Whale Beached - Neil Vincent
Vincent's image shows a beached whale on Budgewoi Beach, NSW, Australia. Sharks were feeding on the whale carcus, until it finally washed ashore. - Credit: Neil Vincent / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
On this morning, Iceland experienced its 6th volcanic eruption in less than 3 years. Kermarec comments 'The speed of the lava flows shows the brutal way this powerful act of nature claims its rights.' - Credit: Ael Kermarec / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Flamingos and Pelicans - David Swindler
David Swindler captures a group of pelicans wading through a sea of flamingoes. - Credit: David Swindler / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Lake Cakora - Stuart Chape
Showing intricate and beautiful dendritic patterns only visible from the air, this is a tannin stained tidal creek in Lake Cakora, northern NSW, Australia. - Credit: Stuart Chape / The Inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year
Picture researcher across BBC Science Focus, BBC Countryfile and BBC Wildlife
Lily is the picture researcher across BBC Science Focus, BBC Countryfile and BBC Wildlife. She holds a degree in Photojournalism, where she specialised in social documentary reportage. Her photographic work has been shortlisted for the BarTur Photo Award’s Unity in Diversity category and exhibited internationally as part of the Urban Photo Awards. Before joining the team, she worked on freelance projects and as a product specialist for leading camera brands.
