Drone Photo Awards

What you will actually pay

Entry costs, explained.

One image free; €30 for three images including the free one; €10 for each additional image. Series and videos cost €35 each.

Fees are non-refundable except for correction of an erroneous charge. The free image is a complete entry route, rather than a discount that requires a purchase. [1]

Three total photographs therefore cost €30, and four cost €40. Choose paid additions because they are competitive, rather than simply because a portfolio contains more files. [1]

Aerial perspective within the Siena festival

The 2026 edition has reached the nominee stage. The dated Siena Awards page schedules its ceremony for 10 October at Teatro dei Rinnovati and an exhibition of winning work during the festival. This is a review of that edition and the currently published rules, not a claim that a new entry window is open. [3]

The categories separate wedding, nature, people, urban, animals, abstract and sport photographs, with additional video and series routes. The common thread is a view from above. A series needs five to nine pictures connected by theme and treatment, so visual repetition alone is unlikely to make a satisfying edit. [5]

Winner coverage is observable

PetaPixel’s November 2025 article presented the overall winner, Dennis Schmelz’s Cappadocia image, alongside the category winners and the circumstances behind their photographs. The illustrated coverage shows that selected work reaches a substantial specialist publication outside the organiser’s own channels. It does not establish how much attention an individual finalist receives. [4]

The published jury includes Elio Lello Piazza, Emanuela Ascoli and Guo Jing, among others. A named panel is useful accountability, while the past winner gallery is the practical standard to examine. Entering should make sense even if it produces no commission or measurable growth in followers. [6][4]

Equipment and exhibition, with attendance conditions

The overall title’s listed benefits include €500 of photographic equipment and a fixed €400 contribution towards two nights’ accommodation in Siena. Neither figure should be described as an unrestricted cash grand prize. Category awards principally provide recognition, exhibition and a place in the online gallery. [2]

The physical Pangea and other trophies or parchments are only given to winners attending the ceremony. A winner who needs photographic equipment shipped must pay those costs. These conditions matter when comparing an international trip against a modest material prize. The festival exhibition is a more concrete benefit than the organiser’s broad promise of worldwide publicity. [2][3]

An older photograph can still qualify

Professionals and amateurs may enter, and the FAQ sets no photograph-creation cutoff. Previously published work and images entered or awarded elsewhere are accepted. AI-generated content and generative extensions are prohibited. Animal subjects must be treated ethically, regardless of the appeal of the aerial viewpoint. [1][5]

Choose the category around what the image communicates: an architectural pattern can differ substantially from a wildlife behaviour photograph even when both were taken with the same drone. The series route rewards an intentional sequence, while the free route lets one exceptional frame stand on its own. [5]

Promotional use explicitly includes merchandise

Copyright stays with the photographer, but the free licence covers entered images and official promotional merchandise, including bags and stationery. Credit is required, with a correction provision for mistakes; no expiry is stated. This is a meaningful commercial-use concession even though unrelated commercial exploitation requires approval. Judge the free route with that permission in mind. [1]

Use the official upload requirements

The FAQ specifies JPEGs no more than 1,920 pixels on the long edge, without borders or watermarks, and requires larger files from finalists. Keep the original and a print-ready export. The online submission can be edited until its deadline; a finished shortlist is useful preparation for a future call, but it does not reopen this one. [1][3]