2025 AirVuz Drone Video of the Year Nominees

Top contributor denisbarbas brings us this stunning drone video of the city of Shanghai, China.  At the :16, you'll get a great view of the trapezoidal opening atop the Shanghai World Financial Center, which was the second-tallest building in the world when it opened in 2008 and remains Shanghai's second-tallest as of 2025.  Starting at :27, you'll get a close-up of the spherical Oriental Pearl Tower, one of Shanghai's most iconic sites.  At :48, you'll see Shanghai Tower, Shanghai's tallest and the third-tallest in the world as of 2025.  

Prepare to be blown away by this fantastic drone video from Antarctica by top AirVuz contributor scientik.  The video was filmed over the Southern Ocean, the body of water which surrounds the seventh continent.  It captures the massive icebergs which are produced by the world's largest ice sheet, which covers a massive area of 5.4 million square mi. (14 million square km) - nearly twice the area of Australia.  It also features some spectacular wildlife shots including penguins, seals, and (the "stars" of the video) humpback whales.  

Multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month Winner PANVELVET brings us this fantastic drone video of China's Great Wall, complete with a set of traditionally-garbed dancers and an electronic keyboard player.  The Great Wall is a series of fortifications built in the mountains surrounding the Chinese heartland for protection against the steppe nomad to the north and west.  Construction began in the 7th century BC and continued intermittently for centuries, reaching its current extent during the Ming Dynasty that rules China from 1368-1644. 

Top AirVuz contributor and pilot davidpardo71 won the Drone Video of the Week contest in April of 2025 with this fantastic video from the Pyrenees Mountains.  With peaks ranging up to altitudes of about 11.2k ft. above sea level (around 3.4k m), the Pyrenees form the natural boundary between Spain and France, dividing the Iberian peninsula from the "mainland" of Europe.  The video was filmed over northern Spain and Andorra, a tiny landlocked country located on the eastern side of the chain.  

Top AirVuz contributor Makhorov won the Drone Video of the Week contest in May of 2025 with this fantastic drone video of humpback whales.  The video manages to capture a group of the giant mammals creating "bubble nets", which is an instinctive feeding process unique to humpback and Bryde's whales.  Bubble net feeding may be undertaken by lone whales or (as in the video) by groups of whales acting in concert.  Essentially the whale(s) use bubbles to "corral" small fish prey by creating a "net" of bubbles to contain them.  

Top AirVuz contributor Feeling Drone - Guillermo García won the Drone Video of the Month in June of 2025 for this fantastic drone video from the Dolomite Mountains in northern Italy.  The Dolomites, which are spread across several provinces primarily in the Trentino-Alto-Adigio and Veneto regions, occupy a special place in the heart of this talented content creator, who shot his first drone videos here.  HIghlights include shots of secluded alpine lakes, the Dolomites' distinctive peaks, and (at the 2:46 mark) the Earth Pyramids of Renon.  

Top contributor Abel Aerial won the Drone Video of the Week and Month contests with this fantastic video from the Northeast Asian republic of Mongolia.  Locations featured in the video include Yolin Am, a deep gorge in the southern part of the country;  the Flaming Cliffs (Bayn Zag), a region of the Gobi Desert in the southern province of Ömnögovi; the Gobi Desert sand dunes of Khongorin Els; the Nemet rock formation, also in the Gobi; Telmen Lake, in the northwestern province of Zavkhan;  the ancient capital of Kharkhorin; and more.  

Top AirVuz contributor haussmannvisuals brings us this stunning travel video from Mongolia, the largest landlocked country as well as the most sparsely populated.   The video was created using a (gimbal-stabilized) DJI Mavic Pro 3 drone as well as a DJI Avata first person view (FPV) drone, blending both types of shots in his trademark style which brings out the distinct capabilities of both types of drones.  Highlights include dramatic shots of the vast Gobi desert and Mongolia's distinctive rock formations.  

Top AirVuz contributor PANVELVET won another DVOW contest with this fantastic video from the great Chinese city of Shanghai.  The video opens with a shot looking over the Huangpu River towards the Pudong District, home of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower (left) and the city's two tallest skyscrapers on the right.  At the :50 mark, you'll see the Lupu Bridge.  Starting at 1:13, there's a dramatic timelapse sequence which will take you over the Pudong skyscrapers, and at 1:40 you'll see the historic Bund on the opposite side of the river.  

Check out this fantastic DVOW-winning drone video from Iceland, compliments of onlythenico.  At the :42 mark, you'll see the Gulfoss waterfall, one of the island's largest by water volume.  At :55, you'll see the Dynjadi waterfall, in the Wetsfjords region on Iceland's western side, and at 1:29 you'll see the Vatnajökull icecap, the second-largest in Europe.  Other highlights include the the Dyrhólaey rock arch on the southern coast (1:52), the famous Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon (2:15), and the erupting Fagradalsfjall volcano (2:58).  

Top AirVuz contributor escapewithmiguel won the Drone Video of the Week contest in November, 2025 with this inspiring travel video of the power of solitude.  Most of the video was shot in Portugal, with fantastic shots of the Douro River in the country's northern region, the spectacular rock formations of coastal Sintra, and its magnificent interior mountains.  You'll also be treated to some spectacular aerial views of the Bardenas Reales, an arid region of the Navarre region of neighboring Spain.  

Top AirVuz contributor Makhorov won another Drone Video of the Week contest with this fantastic video from one of the most forbidding places on Earth - the North Pole.  The video was filmed from a Russian icebreaker, which is about the only way to reach the northernmost point on the planet.  Unlike the South Pole, which sits on a continental landmass, the North Pole is covered by a constantly-shifting blanket of ice floating atop the Arctic Ocean, which is nearly 14k ft. deep (a bit under 4.3k m).  

Top AirVuz contributor AndreaSagui was picked as a Drone Video of the Week Finalist in September, 2025 for this fantastic wintertime drone video of the Dolomite Mountains in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy.   Part of the Southern Limestone Alps, the Dolomites are spread across seven provinces in the (west to east) Trentino-Alto-Adigio, Veneto, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions.  Known for their distinctive sharp peaks, the Dolomites range in height up to about 11k ft. above sea level (just over 3.3k m).  

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner Arnaud Lesueur brings us this fantastic drone video from the French Alps.  Shot primarily with a first person view (FPV) drone and supplemented with gimbal-stabilized drone shots as well as a ground camera, the video will take you around the fabled village of Chamonix, just to the north of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the alps at 15.8 ft. above sea level (4.8k m).  Chamonix hosted the 1924 Winter Olympics and is considered one of the world's finest skiing areas.  

Top AirVuz contributor ArturCarvalho won the Drone Video of the Week contest in December, 2025 with this fantastic video of the legendary surfing scene at Nazaré.  Using a DJI Mavic Pro 4, he filmed top surfers Lucas Chumbo, Justine Dupont, Sebastian Steudtner plying the giant waves at this famous beach on Portugal's Central Coast.  Due to an offshore canyon and a unique pattern of offshore currents, Nazaré is home to some of the largest waves ever surfed, documented as tall as 86 ft. in height (26 m).  

Check out this magnificent international drone reel by top AirVuz contributor be_mesmerized.  The video features stunning shots from three continents, including Kazakhstan, Croatia, Iceland, Mauritania, China, Switzerland, the Uniterd Kingdom, Egypt, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, and Yemen.  Specific locations include the Mangystau Region of southwestern Kazakhstan, Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park, Iceland's Vatnajokull ice cap and Skogafoss waterfall, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Yemen's Socotra island, and more. 

Top AirVuz contributor Boyanoo was picked as a Drone Video of the Week Finalist for this fantastic international travel drone reel.  Some of the (many) featured locations include the Portguese island of Madeira (first seen at the :05 mark); Denmark's Faroe Islands (:06); Jordan's Wadi Rum Desert (:10); Istanbul, Turkey (:11); the island of Nusa Penida in the Indonesian province of Bali (:25); the historic bridge of Ronda, Spain (:39); the Ijen volcanic crater on the island of Java, Indonesia (:50); and much more.   

Top AirVuz contributor Chris Jeon won the DVOW contest with this fantastic video from Japan.  Utilizing his trademark-style timelapse shots, most of the video was filmed in the Chūbu region of central Honshu, with shots of Nagoya, Japan's fourth-largest city; Shizuoka, which lies on Suruga Bay; Nagano, an inland city and prefecture capital; Toyama, which lies on Honshu's western coastline on the Sea of Japan; and Yamanashi, an inland city on the Fuefuki River.  You'll also see the town of Shiga in the neighboring region of Kansai.   

Former DVOW Winner Cinelifter Media brings us this fantastic drone video from Italy's Dolomite Mountains.  Filmed during a stretch of inclement summer weather, the video will take you over these magnificent peaks, which form part of the Southern Limestone Alps chain and which cover parts of several provinces in the northeastern part of the country.  The video includes some outstanding first person view (FPV) drone footage.  At the :18 mark, you'll see the San Giovanni Church, in the Val di Fune in the province of South Tyrol.

Top AirVuz contributro Eneour returns after a two year hiatus with this fantastic drone video from one of the northernmost spots in the world: Norway's Svalbard Archipelago.  Filmed using a Red Komodo ground camera, a DJI Mavic Pro 3, and a GoPro Hero 12 mounted to a first person view (FPV) drone, the video will take you over and around the islands, which lie roughly halfway between the northern coast of mainland Norway and the North Pole.  Roughly 60% of the islands' collective land area is covered by glaciers.  

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot FADAH_FPV was picked as a Drone Video of the Week Finalist and also earned a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list for this fantastic FPV video from Greenland.  The video was shot amidst the icebergs off the coast of the massive island, whose ice sheet is the second largest in the world after Antarctica and the largest source of icebergs in the Northern Hemisphere.  At the :45 mark, you'll be treated to some stunning views of migratory whales.  

Legendary content creator Florian Ledoux brings us this brilliant video from the Canadian Far North.  Created with drone and ground camera footage, the video was filmed along the Labrador Sea, which separates Greenland from Nunavut, the northernmost Canadian territory.  The video features some stunning footage of polar bears, which are found only in the Arctic and adjacent areas.  Ledoux has become a prominent photojournalist, and his works from the Arctic have appeared in numerous international publications and documentaries. 

AirVuz contributor gianluigipalomba won the Drone Video of the Week contest in early January, 2025 with this fantastic drone video from Namibia.  The video was filmed with a DJI Mavic 3 drone and a Sony FX3 ground camera over the course of a two week trip through the southwest African country.  It features extensive footage of the Namib Desert, the vast coastal desert which covers virtually all of Namibia's western (Atlantic Ocean) coastline.  You'll also see some views of the country's interior and its extensive safari wildlife.  

For a first upload to AirVuz, brand-new contributor JacksonGoldblatt brings us this fantastic first person view (FPV) drone video from the Cappadocia region of central Turkey.  Famous for its "fairy tale castles", rock formations created by the unique patterns of sediment deposition and erosion, Cappadocia became equally famous for the hot air balloon scene which took root here to allow aerial viewing of the stunning landscapes.  It's since gone on to become a "go-to" filming spot for adventurous FPV pilots.  

Top AirVuz contributor was picked as a DVOW Finalist for this fantastic drone tour of the Middle Eastern nation of Syria.  Filmed primarily with a FPV drone and complemented with "setup" shots from a gimbal-stabilized quad, the video will take you over and around one of the world's oldest and most mysterious lands.  Opening with a shot of a beautiful mosque, at the :10 mark you'll skim over a city built into a ravine, and at :20 you'll see the Roman Theatre at Palmyra.  Other highlights include the capital city of Damascus.  

Top AirVuz contributor Muhamad AbuShakra won another DVOW contest with this spectacular video from the fascinating southwest African country of Namibia.  Filmed over the course of a 14 day trek through the country, the video opens with shots of the Namib Desert, which runs parallel to its long Atlantic Ocean coastline.  At the :55 mark, you'll see how this desert runs right up to the waterfront, and at 1:30 you'll see the shipwreck Zella in Henties Bay.  Other highlights include shots of the country's abundant safari wildlife.  

Top AirVuz contributor Kpax earned a Drone Video of the Week Finalist spot with this drone video from the heart of Switzerland.  The video was filmed over and around Mt. Pilatus, a massif which overlooks the town of Lucerne and which is "shared" by the cantons of Nidwalden and Obwalden.  The highest peak of the massif, Tomlishorn, has a summit altitude of just under 7k ft. above sea level or a little over 2.1k m.  The massif is part of the Emmental Alps, a subchain of the larger Alps system which lies to the north of the Bernese Alps.  

Top AirVuz contributor nezartash brings us this spectacular drone video tour of Saudi Arabia.  Filmed with a DJI Inspire 3 drone as well as a Red Komodo camera mounted to a first person view (FPV) quad, the video will take you over this massive country, which is home to the two most important sites in the Islamic religion, the world's largest oil reserves, and some of the the Middle East's fastest-growing cities.  Locations include the massive skyscrapers of Ryadh, a giant oil refinery, the Arabian Desert, and much more.  

Check out this fantastic drone video of an erupting Mt. Etna in Italy, compliments of AirVuz contributor pioandreaperi.  A DVOW Finalist, the video was filmed during a periodic eruption of the mountain on the island of Sicily in September, 2025.  With a peak altitude of about 11.2k ft. above sea level (3.4k m), It's one of the world's most active volcanoes, with minor eruptions occurring almost continuously and major eruptions occurring more intermittently but still fairly frequently.  It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

Prepare to be blown away by this spectacular video by top AirVuz contributor rememorales, which won the Drone Video of the Week contest in early 2025.  The first stop is the mountains around Zhangjiajie in the southern inland province of Hunan, which were made famous in part by their appearance in the blockbuster movie Avatar.  The other two locations featured in the video are Chongqing, China's largest inland city and third-largest in the country, and the great port city of Hong Kong, at the mouth of the Pearl River.  

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot Skynamic earned a DVOW Finalist spot for this fantastic FPV fly-through of the massive Thyssenkrupp steel factory in Duisberg, Germany.  Located on the Rhine River in the heart of the Ruhr region in northwestern Germany, the mill is the site of the company's headquarters and is considered one of the great heavy industrial facilities in all of Europe.  The facility produces about 11-12 million tons of steel annually, representing close to a third of total German output.  

Legendary content creator Timelab.pro brings us this magnificent drone tour of the city of Kazan, one of Russia's largest and most historic cities.  Situated at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers, Kazan is the capital of the republic of Tatarstan.  Much of the video was filmed over the Kazan Kremlin, the historic heart of the city, which was built on the orders of the Tsar Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century; shots from within the great fortress include the onion-domed Kazan Cathedral and the adjacent Kul Sharif Mosque.     

In this DVOW Finalist video by top contributor Uglefisk, you'll explore some stunning scenes of nature in Norway.  The video opens with a shot of a hiker walking along a windswept snow-covered mountain ridge, followed by a stunning view of a fjord.  At the the :45 mark, there's a shot of a waterfjall cascading down to the fjord below.  At 1:28, there's a stunning shot of a beach backstopped by mountains, followed by a magnificent view of a hiker along another ridge.  Other highlights include some stunning shots of backcountry skiers. 

Top contributor semberadventure has been a pioneer in the creation of highly creative travel videos, mostly in exotic spots of nature throughout Latin America.  In this piece, which was picked for a Drone Video of the Week Finalist spot, he travels to the Central American country of Panama.  True to form, the focus of the video is not the skyscrapers of Panama City but rather some stunning spots in the country's interior. most of which is covered by mountains and rainforest.  You'll also get some glimpses of its Caribbean-side islands.  

Top AirVuz contributor NI earned a DVOW Finalist spot with this fantastic drone video from the Norwegian island of Senja.  Filmed with a DJI Air 3S, the video will take you over Norway's second-largest island, which lies north of the somewhat better-known Lofoten Islands and well within the Arctic Circle.  Senja covers a land area of a little over 600 square mi. (a bit under 1.6k square km) and is sparsely populated, with around 8k full-time residents.  Since 1972, Senja has been connected to the mainland via the Gisund Bridge.  

Brand-new contributor MCYDRO | FPV • DRONE brings us this fantastic first person view (FPV) drone video of one of the top surfing spots in Europe.  The video was filmed near Nazaré, which is located roughly in the middle of Portugal's long Atlantic coastline.  This is the heart of the Silver Coast, a stretch of coastline which produces some of the world's largest waves due to the presence of an underwater canyon.  Surfers have broken numerous records here for riding the largest waves, reaching (officially) up to 86 ft. (26 m).   

Drone Video of the Year Runner-Up T-christ-T brings us this spectacular drone video of the great city of Tianjin, China.  One of the ten largest cities in China, Tianjin is located at the mouth of the Hai River on the Bohai Sea (an inlet of the Yellow Sea), about 70 mi. (around 110 km) southeast of Beijing.  One of China's largest seaports and the principal port for Beijing, Tianjin occupies a critical spot on the Grand Canal, a waterway which connects many of the most important rivers in eastern and northeatern China.  

Multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month Winner zimydakid returns to AirVuz after a multi-year absence with this fantastic international travel piece entitles the Great Outdoors.  Using a DJI Mavic Pro 4, he films himself trekking through some of the most spectacular natural surroundings.  The video does a fantastic job of showcasing the capabilities of DJI's flagship product, which sports three separate onboard cameras, including a 1x main camera that shoots 25 megapixels and a 6,5x telephoto lens.  

Top contributor Postandfly won the DVOW contest with this fantastic drone video of Mexico's (very active) Popocatépetl volcano.  Filmed with a DJI Mini 5 Pro, the video was filmed over Mexico's most famous mountain, which is located about 45 mi (around 75 km) southeast of Mexico City, near the eastern end of the great volcanic belt that runs on an east-west axis through the middle of the country.  It has a peak elevation of about 17.8k ft. above sea level (just over 5.4k meters) and has made numerous appearances in literature and art.  

Check out these amazing drone views of Chongqing, China, compliments of zhoucreative.  At the :06 mark, you'll see the massive Raffles City Chongqing skyscraper complex, which lies at the tip of the peninsula where the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers converge.  At :10, you'll see the Dongshuimen Bridge, which crosses the Yangtze just upriver from the confluence, and at :24 you'll see the Huayan Temple, to the city's southwest.  At :34, there's a beautiful shot looking down at the heart of the city from the right (south) bank of the Yangtze.  

Check out this magnificent drone reel from Jay Christensen, one of the pioneers of the art of cinematic first person view (FPV) content creation.  Through his company JayByrd Films, he has flown some of the highest-profile events and venues ever filmed by drone, ranging from the Major League Baseball All-Star Game to the White House to U2 concerts at the Las Vegas Sphere.  His work has appeared on all major broadcasting networks and his groundbreaking bowling alley video is one of the most-watched drone videos ever made.  

Top AirVuz contributor Jürgen Na won the Drone Video of the Week contest with this fantastic drone video from Mongolia.  Filmed with a DJI Mavic Pro 4 as well as a DJI Avata first person view (FPV) drone, the video will take you across this vast and mysterious land, which covers over 600k square mi. (almost 1.6k square km) of Northeast Asia and is the world's largest landlocked country by area.  With a popularion of about 3.5 million, it's also the least densely populated sovereign state in the world.