The 2026 Siena Drone Photo Awards just announced their winners, and the overall prize went to veteran aerial photographer George Steinmetz for a shot that looks straight out of a sci-fi movie. His subject: a dismantled LNG tanker resting on Bangladesh’s Bay of Bengal mudflats. In his own words, it looked weird, like some kind of a spaceship. The judges clearly agreed it was too striking to ignore.
Beyond the big winner, the list spans the globe. Dilek Yurdakul took first in the People category with carpets bleaching in the sun near Antalya, T\u00fcrkiye. Colas Decloitre photographed Indonesia’s Tumpak Sewu waterfall with the erupting Mount Semeru looming behind it. Isabella Tabacchi earned two commendations for volcanic terrain in Argentina’s Puna and Kazakhstan’s Mangystau, while Holly Kirkland captured lesser flamingos over Tanzania’s caustic Lake Natron, shot from a helicopter rather than a drone. Steinmetz also picked up a commendation for a crowded Eid ferry terminal in Dhaka.
What makes these photos worth more than a quick scroll is that they show something invisible from the ground: shipbreaking labor, refugee life at Cox’s Bazar, environmental change on a massive scale. One photographer described the work as a visual metaphor for the invisibility of labor, which is a solid reminder that a beautiful aerial can still carry a serious story. Which of these shots would you want on your wall? Let us know in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.