ADVERTISEMENT

From bustling city skylines to out-of-this-world natural landscapes, the winning images from Agora’s #Aerial2020 competition are showcasing some of the most beautiful destinations in the world—all from a bird’s eye point of view. Dutch photographer @by_ewold beat the other 9,018 submissions to win the $1,000 prize with his breathtaking shot 'A magic morning in The Netherlands'.

Agora’s latest photo competition invited the global community of photographers to participate with their best aerial shots for a chance to win the $1,000 top prize. As a result, 9,018 photos showing the earth from above have been submitted to the online contest, resulting in an impressive panorama of some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.

Agora launched the #Aerial2020 photo competition through its free-to-use mobile app on May 8th. Photographers had until May 22nd to participate for the chance to be selected in the Top 50 finalists and make it to the final voting rounds.

@by_ewold’s magical aerial shot of Zaanse Schans, the village with the most famous windmills in the Netherlands, gathered the highest number of votes from the global community through the different voting rounds in the app, awarding him the #Aerial2020 contest’s $1,000 top prize.

Agora is a mobile app where photographers, whether amateur or professional, can participate in photo contests for a chance to win international recognition and cash prizes (from $1,000 to $25,000). The app’s global system enables its global audience to vote and pick the best images from each competition, making the process more inclusive and democratic than any other traditional photography contest.

"When you see the world from above, you realize how important the point of view can be. These 50 works of art turn us into birds to admire the planet earth from above. Thanks to all the photographers of the world who participated in #Aerial2020!" said Octavi Royo, Agora's CEO & Co-Founder.

More info: agoraimages.com

#1

Magic Morning In The Netherlands

Magic Morning In The Netherlands

Location: Zaanse Schans, Zaanstad, Netherlands
@by_ewold’s magical aerial shot of Zaanse Schans, the village with the most famous windmills in the Netherlands, gathered the highest number of votes from the global community through the different voting rounds in the app, awarding him the #Aerial2020 contest’s $1,000 top prize.
"I was waiting for a long time to capture this typical Dutch scene with low fog. And finally, on the 10th of May, the weather forecast looked perfect: no wind and low night temperatures are the ideal ingredients for low fog. My alarm went off at 4:00 am to drive to the Zaanse Schans; when I got there the fog was everywhere except around the windmills. I decided to check first some other spots, after 1 hour I came back and wow! The wind had turned and blown the fog in the direction of the windmills. I had only 50% battery left on my drone and took off to find a unique angle to capture this place. When I looked on my phone to see the drone view it was like a dream!"
@by_ewold (Netherlands)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

`Beautiful picture and thanks for not calling the Netherlands Holland.

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
You May Also Like:
#2

Rice Paradise

Rice Paradise

Location: Bali, Indonesia
"I had to wake up at 5.30 am to take this shot. The early morning light bathing the rice terraces with the 2 volcanoes in the background made my day."
@carlesalonsophotography (Spain)

Report

#3

Floating In The Air

Floating In The Air

Location: Zhangjiajie National Park, China
"This is a cable car ride inside Zhangjiajie National Park. Within the park, there are altogether more than 8,000 cliff mountains, towering into the sky. During our ride, it was a misty/cloudy morning which is why this scenery looks even more mysterious. We couldn't believe our eyes when we raise above the clouds and this view appeared. I wanted to capture this the best way possible, putting my GoPro through the small window because shooting through the scratched glass wouldn't turn out good at all. 1 minute later, the view disappeared again. Turned out we got lucky! I absolutely love the result and the feeling it transmits, cause when I look at this photo I get this mysterious feeling and "wow-effect" back immediately."
@sjoerdbracke (Netherlands)

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#4

Overcrowded

Overcrowded

Location: Dameisha beach, China
"This is a public beach next to a five stars hotel. The hotel had its own private beach right next to it, which was empty. I was initially interested in capturing that contrast. The crowd density was so high, I had to gain quite a lot of altitude to make it fit in the frame. At that point, those indistinguishable people started to create a pattern that I found even more powerful and fascinating."
@will_tm (France)

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#5

Life On Mars

Life On Mars

Location: Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA
"I wanted to show that our planet has landscapes that look like they are out of this world. We don’t need to go to Mars to find these kinds of landscapes. Like in most of my photos, I want to make people realize we can find beauty on this planet. We need to take care of nature, lots of times you see that when a location gets popular, tourists overcrowd the place and basically ruin it. If you decide to visit these kinds of places just leave nothing but footprints!"
@tomdewaart (Netherlands)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Bardhi's Dad
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can't believe there is place like this on Earth! Those colors belongs to our fantasies about Mars and Jules Verne's fantasies in his novels

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#6

Desert Sunset

Desert Sunset

Location: Tatacoa desert, Colombia
"On this ancient rock formation, you can see how the drought slowly scraped out these patterns and structures. Imagine the time that has been needed to create this. Layer by layer... that's just mind-boggling. You'd expect that this is a huge mountain range, but look at the green trees for scale reference..."
@johandroneadventures (Belgium)

Report

#7

Magical Mood

Magical Mood

Location: Mont Saint Michel, France
"One of the most beautiful places I've ever seen: it was a cold sunrise, but certainly worth it. On top of the rock, you can see a church overlooking the village of 70 residents. The strongest tides in Europe rule here, with the water going back kilometers."
@arnold_maisner_photo (Germany)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
cassiushumanmother
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Mont saint Michel has 30 residents (monks and sisters included), it become slowly a crowded museum and a chinese souvenir supermarket since the 70'. Very sad.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#8

Wind Farm

Wind Farm

Location: Denmark
"See the sailboat for scale!"
@henrydo (USA)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Megan Ten Broeke
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is beautiful and breathtaking. Is there some way to order a print? The effects wind turbines have on bird populations are widely misunderstood. The National Audubon Society's (USA) official stance is strongly pro wind power. Data show that one wind turbine on average five birds per year. In contrast, cats kill 2,000 x more birds per year. The second biggest manmade killer of birds is the humble window.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
#9

Racing The Tide To Safety

Racing The Tide To Safety

Location: Sandy Cape Light, Australia
"Cruising the Fraser Island highway at the sandy cape: an ever-evolving landscape where Giant dunes meet crystal clear water."
@lukeylove (Australia)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Daria B
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It reminds me.... Here in Korea, near the city where I live (Siheung), there is a small island (Jebudo) accessible only during specific schedules due to the speed and differences of the low/high tide exchange. High tides cover the only car road that connects the island to the rest of the land, and my husband and I drove over as it was just starting to fill with water. Thankfully, we were fast enough and didn't get too much water on our car, neither inside it, but the experience of being stranded on a non deserted island was surreal.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#10

Road In Winter

Road In Winter

Location: Allgäu, Germany
"It was such a cold day. There was fresh snow and I wanted to take my dream shot. A lot of people around the world have never experienced snow so I wanted to show them the beauty of winter through my photo."
@imkaphotos (Germany)

Report

#11

Crazy Road

Crazy Road

Location: Tianmen Mountain, China
@rakia10 (Spain)

Report

#12

Fortress Of The Dragon

Fortress Of The Dragon

Location: Basque Country, Spain
"A tiny island joined to the mainland by a bridge clung to rocks and stacks; one of the best places I’ve ever visited! That day was super windy, I flew my drone about 3 km away to get this shot and I was so worried that I would never see it again! Fortunately, it came back and it was definitely worth it."
@sixthlens (Italy)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Laura Blumenthal
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Beautiful photo - there is a similar place in Greece, on the island of Skopelos - it's called Ai (or Agios) Yannis, on the Northeast side of the island. Here's a shot I took on a grey day in 2005. PICT0013_1...3-jpeg.jpg PICT0013_1-5ee93b2d71b43-jpeg.jpg

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#13

World’s Best Airport

World’s Best Airport

Location: Singapour
@jordisark (Spain)

Report

#14

Bridge Topdown

Bridge Topdown

Location: Vladivostok, Russia
@panvelvet (Russia)

Report

#15

The Rock In The Middle Of Nowhere

The Rock In The Middle Of Nowhere

Location: New Mexico, USA
"This has to be one of the highlights of my US trip. Shooting this rock with the drone was pretty epic, I had to fly it directly into the wind for 3km to capture this."
@joelfriend (UK)

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#16

Bangkok Market From Above

Bangkok Market From Above

Location: Bangkok, Thailand
"Nearby this market was a parking garage. We climbed almost to the top and were amazed by its beauty from above. The lesson to learn from this photo: if you're in a place to do some photography, don't just stay at the location itself. Do some research beforehand and look around the area to find unique points of view."
@michelle.wandering (Netherlands)

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#17

Lost In The City

Lost In The City

Location: Whampoa, Hong Kong
"This is one of the weirdest sceneries I've ever imagined. Yes, it is a shopping center, but from above it looks like a boat in the middle of countless identical residential blocks."
@poletaev.photo (Russia)

Report

#18

Chasing Waves

Chasing Waves

Location: Perth, Australia
@blakehobson (Canada)

Report

#19

Warm Summer Evening In Budapest

Warm Summer Evening In Budapest

Location: Budapest, Hungary
@jprphotos (UK)

Report

#20

The Mood In The Mountains

The Mood In The Mountains

Location: Lago Di Braies, Italy
"The Dolomites area is full of picturesque landscapes, and no trip would be complete without a visit to Lago di Braies. I arrived in hope of a sunset but that did not happen; instead, I was greeted with some moody conditions with loads of low clouds. I enjoy shooting in challenging conditions and I was still determined to get some shots of this beautiful place."
@jamesxtheo (UK)

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#21

Old Castle Ruins In Upper Austria

Old Castle Ruins In Upper Austria

Location: Austria
"This region has so much history and a lot of old castles! This castle was built around 1100 a.d, and I find it really impressive that there is still so much left off these old buildings."
@hardingmicha (Austria)

Report

#22

Whales

Whales

Location: Australia
"The east coast of Australia offers excellent opportunities for whale watching. As I was flying my drone, I spotted this whale calf and mother surfacing."
@simonpastor (France)

Report

#23

Globos

Globos

Location: Cappadocia, Turkey
@sance (Spain)

Report

#24

Patterns Of Death Valley

Patterns Of Death Valley

Location: Mojave Desert, Death Valley, USA
"I wanted to convey the beauty and scale of this unique location. It was important to photograph early as the temperatures here can reach to 134 °F (56.7 °C) during the day!"
@cannonmatt (UK)

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#25

The Road North

The Road North

Location: Iceland
"When you're exploring new terrains for the first time, you're not really sure what's around the corner—particularly the weather. This was a calm before the storm moment when the snow had settled and left miles around blanket white. Driving the sub-arctic, North of Iceland in winter is no mean feat with snow blizzards, whiteouts, and weather fronts that appeared from nowhere – have never seen the weather change so instantly… incredible, but keeps you on your toes."
@joncleave (UK)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
ADVERTISEMENT
#26

Like A Chess

Like A Chess

Location: Barcelona, Spain
"As a photographer, I love shooting city landscapes. I have always dreamed about seeing the famous architecture of Barcelona and its symmetrical neighborhoods. Over the years I've seen a lot of aerial photos of the city, so I thought I had an idea of what was awaiting me, but when I flew my drone to see it for myself it just caught my breath. Barcelona is truly an amazing place that is unlike anywhere else."
@mikhail_derevyanov (Russia)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Marlene Ricker
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So beautiful and symmetrical. Now I want to see it from street level.

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#27

One Of The Most Amazing Sunsets In Barcelona

One Of The Most Amazing Sunsets In Barcelona

Location: Barcelona, Spain
"It took me a whole year to get this shot right. I waited patiently for the sun to set in this exact position, so the lights create a path straight to the Sagrada Familia."
@alvarovaliente_ (Spain)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#28

Sunrise On Gunung Bromo

Sunrise On Gunung Bromo

Location: Mount Bromo, Indonesia
"We hiked on the rim of Java's Mount Bromo before sunrise, in almost pitch darkness, surrounded by rumbling sounds coming from the volcano. As the sun rose, we observed a cloud of smoke coming from a crater and felt suddenly so small in the front of nature. I did this hike with my 3-year-old daughter on my shoulders!"
@ghislainfave (France)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
miten sasmita
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Went there, indeed a breathtaking place. There is a vast endless sand with "little" volcanoes lined up.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#29

The Dreamscape

The Dreamscape

Location: Central Hong Kong
"A city without clouds is like a musical without music. I captured this shot during the sea of clouds season which only happens once a year. One has to wake up super early and keep monitoring the latest weather forecasts for a chance to capture such low clouds floating through the city. Hong Kong is like a magical dream: I want to show the world that this city is not just a cold concrete forest, but a city with a warm, beautiful soul."
@jsrpixel (China)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#30

Collecting Salt

Collecting Salt

Location: Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA
@jassensf (USA)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
Unlimited content
Ad-free browsing
Dark mode
#31

Early Morning Trip

Early Morning Trip

Location: The Dutch Pyramid of Austerlitz, Netherlands
"I went on an early morning trip to the Pyramid of Austerlitz to capture the scenery with my drone."
@markcure (Netherlands)

Report

#32

Who Doesn’t Love Train Trips?

Who Doesn’t Love Train Trips?

Location: Landwasser Viaduct, Davos, Switzerland
"After spending 3hours in this place, I’ve managed to capture the train passing the viaduct. It is one of my favorite places to shot breathtaking moments, it makes me reflect on the journey of life."
@andreieye (Romania)"

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#33

Men's Toys

Men's Toys

Location: Nikola Lenivets Art Park, Russia
"The Nikola Lenivets Art-Park is one of the largest parks in Europe, displaying more than 30 contemporary art pieces over 55 hectares. I accidentally flew above this art piece under construction, which from above looked like a bunch of boys' toys."
@poul_t (Russia)

Report

#34

Singing Dune

Singing Dune

Location: Altyn Emel National Park, Kazakhstan
"It was an incredible trip to Kazakhstan. The photo conveys the boiling heat on that day, it was about 35 degrees. Our guide told us that under strong winds the dune makes a characteristic sound, which is why it is known as the 'Singing Dune'."
@artempikalov (Russia)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#35

Going Up

Going Up

Location: Seceda-2500m, Italy
"It was a moody summer morning, just how I like them."
@e.stis (Italy)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#36

Ski Jumper

Ski Jumper

Location: Zakopane, Poland
"The sky is the limit. Humans have dreamed of being able to fly for centuries and ski jumpers make that dream a reality even though it’s only for few seconds. The picture was taken during training, a day before the international ski jumping championship."
@thedronelad (Poland)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#37

The Road Back Home

The Road Back Home

Location: Thessaloniki, Greece
"I wanted to convey some nostalgia, mystery, and of course the grandeur of mother nature. Look at how small the car is in front of the beauty of our Mother Earth..."
@odysseaschloridis (Greece)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Jus
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I find the car surprisingly big, but the view is indeed spectacular.

#38

The Eye Of Sarumon

The Eye Of Sarumon

Location: IFC Building, Hong Kong
"Aligning the sun and the building gives a Lord of The Rings vibe. This is one of the most iconic buildings in Hong Kong, and it looks spectacular at sunset. This is the building that Batman leaped off from in The Dark Knight, and has become a recognizable point of interest for this reason."
@blairsugarman1 (UK)

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#39

Exploration Trip

Exploration Trip

Location: Al Ain City, United Arab Emirates
"My brother and I went on an exploration trip to an unknown desert that we had found on Google Maps. It was a huge empty hidden gem, a great place to relax out of the reach of tourists."
@Abdullrahman9797 (UAE)

Report

#40

Aerial In Hong Kong

Aerial In Hong Kong

Location: Central and Western District, Hong Kong
@jackyy_wch

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#41

Vibrant Hong Kong

Vibrant Hong Kong

Location: Hong Kong
@leemumford8 (UK)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#42

Freight Ship Inbound

Freight Ship Inbound

Location: Jersey, UK
"I was out along the coast with another plan in my mind of what I wanted to photograph when I noticed the condor freight ship coming past. Fortunately, I had brought my second battery which allowed me the opportunity to quickly switch and zoom over to the freight to capture this beautiful angle of our essential food coming in towards the island."
@withchris (UK)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#43

Boats On Marina

Boats On Marina

Location: Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece
"The sailing regatta in Agios Nikolaos gathers hundreds of participants and spectators from all over the world."
@nikybwd (Russia)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#44

LEGO Technic

LEGO Technic

Location: Granada, Spain
"I wanted to confuse the viewer into thinking it's a real formula 1 car."
@izlemus (Spain)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#45

Norway Road Trip

Norway Road Trip

Location: Norway
"We drove this serene mountain road in Norway after an exhausting and cold rainy day. But when we saw this lake and the big snow resting on top of it, we had to stop our campervan and explore the area. We stayed for a while, drank tea, read a book, and took pictures. The picture was long gone in the folder, but somehow a few months ago we had a different feeling when looking at it and were fascinated. I was glad that we went through all the old photos again, maybe we wouldn't have paid so much attention otherwise."
@kveikjan (Norway)

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#46

Real LEGO

Real LEGO

Location: Saint Petersburg, Russia
"The cars were competing in a tuning festival held every year in Saint Petersburg. When I flew my drone and saw them from above, they all looked like toy cars in a playground."
@ataevruslan (Russia)

Report

#47

An Inverted Diamond

An Inverted Diamond

Location: Hong Kong
"Architectural roofs in HK can be boring, but sometimes gems like these show up. The diamond-shaped roof of the 'Entertainment building' is reflecting light in different directions, amidst the busy Central skyline."
@visualspassport (Hong Kong)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
La Petite Morte
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some of the other roof shapes are more interesting to me, like the oval and rhombus one.

#48

Pindi Bypass

Pindi Bypass

Location: Pindi Bypass, Pakistan
@talhaarshad124 (Pakistan)

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#49

Retired From Service

Retired From Service

Location: Kern, United States
@ylee (Malaysia)

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Megan Ten Broeke
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am wondering, what will become of those planes? I never thought about what happens to a plane when it is retired.

#50

Cold Cars

Cold Cars

Location: Blintendorf, Germany
@wunderbilder (Germany)

Report