2026 Siena Drone Awards Highlight Global South Through Aerial Perspectives

Key points

• George Steinmetz won the overall prize for a drone photo of a liquid natural gas tanker being dismantled on the mudflats of the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh.
• The image captures 60 workers using blow torches and winches to break down the vessel, highlighting the scale of the shipbreaking industry north of Chattogram.
• Dilek Yurdakul won the People section for a photo of handwoven carpets drying in fields in southern Türkiye, illustrating traditional color-fading techniques.
• Colas Decloitre’s highly commended Nature entry shows the Tumpak Sewu waterfall in East Java with Mount Semeru erupting in the background.
• Shahedul Islam Sadik’s commended Urban entry depicts the overcrowded Rohingya refugee settlements near Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Background

The Siena Drone Photo Awards annually select bird’s-eye views that reveal landscapes and human stories often invisible from the ground. This year’s selection focuses on the Global South, emphasizing environmental, cultural, and humanitarian narratives through aerial photography.

Why it matters

The awards demonstrate how drone technology transforms visual storytelling by providing unique perspectives on labor, environmental challenges, and cultural traditions. The winning images highlight the intersection of human activity and natural landscapes, offering insights into issues like recycling, artisanal crafts, and refugee crises that are difficult to capture from ground level.

What to watch

The full collection of winning and highly commended photographs will likely be exhibited or published, continuing the series’ focus on revealing hidden aspects of the world through aerial imagery. Photographers may continue using drones to document similar stories in remote or restricted areas.