6 of the best 2020 drone photo contests to enter right now

Bored at home? Sitting on a pile of videos or images that you took from a drone?

Since you’re at home and social distancing, become one with your drone footage — and maybe make some money out of it — by entering a drone photo contest. In fact, some new aerial photo contests have been created specifically in light of coronavirus.

P.S.: If you’re not a superb photography, here are 7 other ways to make the most of your time as a drone pilot if coronavirus has you stuck at home.

Here are 6 of the best 2020 drone photo contests you should be entering your drone footage in right now (sorted by registration deadline):

AirVuz’s NYC Drone Film Festival

What type of contest it is: Aerial video contest

Deadline: Monday, May 25

Registration fee: None, if submissions are uploaded to AirVuz

How to enter: Upload your footage to AirVuz.com.

The annual New York City Drone Film Festival was acquired in early 2020 by AirVuz.com, a video hosting website for drone video content. All videos uploaded to AirVuz for the first time between Jan 1, 2019 and May 25, 2020 will be automatically eligible for the 6th Annual New York City Drone Film Festival.

Annual Photography Awards

What type of contest it is: Photo contest (aerial or otherwise)

Deadline: Sunday, June 7 (early bird) or December 6 (standard deadline)

Registration fee: $25 (early bird), otherwise $30

Prize: $1,000 grand prize, plus $500 for category winners

How to enter: Fill out the application on their site.

The Annual Photography Awards focuses on photography as a contemporary medium of fine art. There are eight categories including landscape, street and wildlife.

Drone Photo Awards 2020

What type of contest it is: Aerial photo and video contest

Deadline: June 15, 2020 (or May 20 for free entry)

How to enter: Enter through their website (you’ll need to create an account)

Registration fee: First image is free for entries submitted before May 20, 2020, otherwise 3 images for €20, and each additional image for €8.

Prize: €500,00 worth of photography equipment, on top of tons of other goodies like the Pangea Prize christal statuette, an awards ceremony in Siena in October in their honor, and a gallery exhibition in their honor.

The Drone Photo Awards 2020 is a spinoff of the Siena Awards. But while they’re called “Drone Photo Awards,” images can come from all aerial platforms, including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, kites, and parachutes.

There are ten categories: weddings, video, urban, nature, people, animals, abstract, sports, series, plus one more rather unique category called “Empty Cities: Life Under COVID-19.”

Selected photographers will be invited to have their work exhibited in Siena, Italy.

Note: Sally French (The Drone Girl) will be a judge for this photo contest.

Monochrome Photography Awards 2020

What type of contest it is: Monochrome photo contest

Deadline: Sunday, July 5

How to enter: Create an account and upload your photo here.

Registration fee: $15 entry fee for amateurs or a $20 entry fee for professionals

Prize: $1,000 non-professional grand prize, $2,000 professional grand prize)

This one’s for drone photographers who shoot in black and white. Any photos are eligible to enter, provided you follow the submission guidelines and your photo is monochrome.

There are tons of categories to possibly enter, including abstract, architecture, landscape, nature, street, and wildlife. Winners of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and Honorable Mentions will be announced for each category.

Smithsonian magazine 18th Annual Photo Contest

What type of contest it is: Photo contest

Deadline: Monday, Nov. 30

How to enter: Submit photographs and requested information online through their website.

Registration fee: None

Prize: $2,500 grand prize, and $500 for runners up and category winners

The Smithsonian photo contest solicits images from readers based on subjects of special interest to Smithsonian magazine. Categories include natural world, people, travel and “The American Experience.” Photos must have been shot anytime after January 1, 2018.

Paris Aerial Photography Awards

What type of contest it is: Aerial photo contest

Deadline: Thursday, September 20th

Registration fee: $20 for the first photo, $30 for following ones (submit images by June 20th for a 30% discount on entry fees)

Prize: $1,500 for the grand prize winner, and $500 for category winners

How to enter: Submit your photos online.

2020 marks the first year of what is expected to be the first annual Paris Aerial Photography Awards. The competition is open to professional and amateur photographers who take take aerial photos from any medium including via drones, helicopters, hang gliders, paragliders, ULMs, and all sizes of aircraft.

The competition has 6 main categories: Urban, Nature, Fine art, People, Editorial and Real Estate.

The winning photographs will be exhibited in a gallery in Paris in November during Paris Photo, which is the biggest photo fair in the world.

Travelnitch’s Fill Your Dream Jar Contest

What type of contest it is: Photos “that show how travel has transformed your family”

Deadline: Thursday, Dec. 31

How to enter: Create an account and upload your photo here.

Registration fee: $1.99

Prize: $1,000 grand prize, and $100 for runners up

Travelnitch, a website about travel and parenting, is hosting a photo contest to show how travel has transformed your family. They specifically state, no overly photoshopped Instagram photos. This could be an opportunity to get creative with a drone photo.

Know of any other reputable 2020 drone photo contests that readers should enter? Leave a comment below!