2026 International Aerial Photographer of the Year Winners Announced
The second edition of the International Aerial Photographer of the Year competition has announced its winners, drawn from 1,587 entries worldwide. Bangladeshi photographer Azim Khan Ronnie took the top Photographer of the Year title with a four-image portfolio shot in Switzerland, India, and Bangladesh. His winning images include a rower on Lake Zurich, migratory birds at Delhi's Yamuna Ghat, chili harvesting in Bogura, and the Rakher Upobash ritual in Dhaka. Singapore's Chin Leong Teo placed second, and Australia's Barbara Brown third. The Photograph of the Year award went to Vitaly Golovatyuk of the Russian Federation for 'Birdie in the Sky,' captured at Elk Park near Dongtai City in China's Zhejiang Province. Sanghamitra Sarkar of India took second in that category, and Kah-Wai Lin of the United States third. Four special awards were also presented: Chengming Liu (United States) won the Above Mountain Award, Aleksandra Wilk (Germany) the Above Snow Award, Savadmon Avalachamveettil (Ireland) the Above Water Award, and A.J. Rich (United States) the Chairman's Choice Award. Chairman Peter Eastway noted that aerial photography has evolved beyond landscapes to reveal patterns and textures only visible from above, as reflected in the Top 101 selection.
Key facts
- Azim Khan Ronnie named Photographer of the Year for a four-image portfolio
- Vitaly Golovatyuk won Photograph of the Year for 'Birdie in the Sky'
- Competition received 1,587 entries from photographers worldwide
- Second edition of the International Aerial Photographer of the Year
- Chin Leong Teo placed second, Barbara Brown third in Photographer of the Year
- Sanghamitra Sarkar second, Kah-Wai Lin third in Photograph of the Year
- Four special awards: Above Mountain, Above Snow, Above Water, Chairman's Choice
- Chairman Peter Eastway commented on the evolution of aerial photography
Entities
Artists
- Azim Khan Ronnie
- Chin Leong Teo
- Barbara Brown
- Vitaly Golovatyuk
- Sanghamitra Sarkar
- Kah-Wai Lin
- Chengming Liu
- Aleksandra Wilk
- Savadmon Avalachamveettil
- A.J. Rich
- Peter Eastway
- Paolo Lazzarotti
- Marcin Zajac
- Daniel Viñé Garcia
- Zhengze Xu
- Fabio Pappalettera
- Valeria Castiello
- Koki Dote
- Rhiannon Lawler
- David Evans
- Cédric Tamani
- Koki Shinoda
- Michiko Kimura
- Yihsun Chou
- Marco Di Marco
- Magali Chesnel
- Dylan De Haas
- Sapna Reddy
- Neil Vincent
- Tom Hegen
- Isabella Tabacchi
- Joanna Steidle
- Savadmon Avalachamveetil
- Thibault Gerbaldi
- Abhijeet Sawant
- Daniel Vine
- Max Horng
- Kevin Nyun
- Yau Tat Hui
Institutions
- International Aerial Photographer of the Year
- International Landscape Photographer of the Year
- PetaPixel
- Forbes
Locations
- Bangladesh
- Switzerland
- India
- Singapore
- Australia
- Russian Federation
- China
- Zhejiang Province
- Dongtai City
- Elk Park
- United States
- Germany
- Ireland
- Lake Zurich
- Zurich
- Delhi
- Yamuna Ghat
- Bogura
- Sariakandi
- Dhaka
- Cappadocia
- Anatolia
- Sossusvlei
- Namibia
- Walvis Bay
- Bali
- San Jose
- California
- Diablo Range
- Utah
- Badlands
- Sardinia
- Italy
- San Francisco Bay
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Puna de Atacama
- Argentina
- Cono de Arita
- Namib Desert
- North East Italy
- Abruzzo
- Sirente crater
- Bavaria
- Lake Ammer
- Punnamada Lake
- Nehru Trophy Boat Race
- Park Royal on Pickering Road
- East Greenland
- United Kingdom
- France
- Russia
- Falkland Islands
- Japan
- Lake Magadi
- Kenya
- northeastern Italy
- Finnmark
- northern Norway
- Rockingham
- Washington
- Taiwan
- Iceland
- Camargue
- Ningaloo Reef
- Western Australia
- Serengeti
- Budgewoi Beach
- New South Wales
- Turkey
- Varanasi
- Bahamas
- Southern Utah
- Hong Kong
- Maharashtra
- northeast Italy