Drones haven’t just become an indispensable tool for scientists studying whales: Recreational aerial photography is also now a serious branch of photography, and the Australians are embracing this with a new competition designed to showcase the glories of the land—and sea—Down Under.

The contest, launched by aerial photography community SkyPixel in partnership with drone-maker DJI and Tourism Australia, launched today, March 3, and closes on May 2, and is open to both enthusiast and pro aerial photographers.

“Drone photography is gaining huge popularity in Australia, with the country home to a rising number of very talented aerial photographers,” said Lisa Ronson, Tourism Australia’s Chief Marketing Officer. “It’s really exciting to be part of a competition which provides such a great platform for this new generation of content creators to capture the rich colours, patterns and textures of Australia’s diverse landscape and share this with the rest of the world.”

The grand prize winner will receive, naturally, a DJI Inspire 2 Premium Combo drone package, as well as a three-day trip to Lord Howe Island and a three-day trip to Kangaroo Island. DJI are also giving away their Phantom 4 Pro drone and Mavic Pro drone to the second and third prize winners. For more information, check out the Skypixel competition page.
 

PRESS RELEASE

SkyPixel Launches 'Australia from Above' Aerial Photography Contest
DJI and Tourism Australia Partner for Country's First Large-scale Aerial Photo Contest

SkyPixel, the world's most popular aerial photography community run in cooperation with DJI, on Friday launches its first national aerial photography contest to showcase the stunning natural beauty of Australia as seen from drones and other aerial equipment.

The Australia from Above contest, sponsored by DJI and Tourism Australia, aims to inspire aerial photographers from around the world to share, enjoy and experience new creative perspectives of Australia. The contest is open from March 3 to May 2 and welcomes professionals and enthusiasts alike to share their visions of the country. Please find a link to the competition here: https://www.skypixel.com/events/australia

"Australia is a stunning, diverse country, from the inspiring expanse of its pristine white beaches to the raw power of its rich, red outback," said Danny Zheng, DJI Vice President of Marketing. "Capturing these landscapes from above empowers photographers to see Australia's extraordinary beauty in an entirely new way, and we can't wait to see the amazing images from inspired aerial creators."

"Drone photography is gaining huge popularity in Australia, with the country home to a rising number of very talented aerial photographers," said Lisa Ronson, Chief Marketing Officer, Tourism Australia. "Advances in technology are enabling us to tell Australia's story in ways previously not possible, and the levels of engagement we get when we share some of these amazing drone clips on our social channels is just extraordinary. It's really exciting to be part of a competition which provides such a great platform for this new generation of content creators to capture the rich colours, patterns and textures of Australia's diverse landscape and share this with the rest of the world."

The Australia from Above Grand Prize consists of a DJI Inspire 2 Premium Combo drone package, a three-day journey to Lord Howe island for two and a three-day journey to Kangaroo island for two. Runners-up have a chance to win a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone, a Mavic Pro drone and one of 10 Osmo Mobile handheld smartphone stabilized gimbals. Winning entries will also be showcased on the SkyPixel website as well as to DJI's millions of fans and followers across its social media platforms. Australia From Above is generously supported by media partners Australian Photography, Drone Magazine and Capture as well as other product sponsors.

To learn more about the contest and submit entries, please visit www.skypixel.com/events/australia.

The judging panel includes a select jury of renowned photographers and influencers.

• Kirk Hille, Australian photographer and winner of SkyPixel's 2015 global photography contest
• Mike O'Connor, Editor of Australian Photography
• Lisa Ronson, Chief Marketing Officer, Tourism Australia
• Tom Rex Jessett, professional photographer travelling the world and capturing its beauty

"I'm looking forward to seeing what fellow SkyPixel community members will share over the coming months," said Hille, who won the grand prize in SkyPixel's first annual worldwide contest with an image of a lone swimmer off the coast of Lucky Bay in western Australia. "As an Australian, I treasure the beauty of my home country and I was happy to learn it's the country of choice for SkyPixel's first national contest."

Source : http://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-scuba-ocean-news/skypixel-dji-tourism-australia-launch-drone-photography-contest/