The International Aerial Photographer of the Year—the competition’s highest honor for best portfolio and overall winner—was awarded to Joanna Steidle of the United States for her series of drone-captured aerial images.

Second place in the portfolio category went to Spain’s Daniel Viñé García, followed by David Swindler of the United States in third. In the single-image category, the winner was Australian photographer Ignacio Palacios, with Talor Stone (United States) and Thomas Vijayan (Canada) receiving second and third place, respectively. Additional awards were presented in the categories of black and white, drone-based aerial capture, abstraction, and a President of the Jury Award.

The jury for this inaugural edition comprised Tom Hegen, Isabella Tabacchi, and Tom Putt, with Peter Eastway coordinating the selection process. The competition’s rules explicitly excluded images generated by artificial intelligence and allowed participation by amateur photographers. Submissions were received through an online platform created specifically for the event. The competition achieved notable visibility through the publication of finalists in both specialized and general-interest media, positioning it as a key reference platform for this photographic discipline. An annual book featuring the selected photographs—101 images in this first edition—will also be published.

On this day, I was marveled to see this whale for the 3rd time in a week, and I started calling her “Grace.” We had just experienced a westerly swell, which often makes the ocean much clearer than normal. The wind was from the south, which created very calm conditions. The sun was bright, and the skies were clear, which allowed light rays to diffuse through the water and light up the submerged areas of the whale’s head and tail. Conditions could not have been more perfect, and I feel blessed and grateful to have witness this moment in time.