2021 Drone Video of the Year Nominees

Top AirVuz creator rememorales put together this 2021 Drone Video of the Year winning and mind-blowing reel, capturing the highlights from his first year as an FPV pilot.  Also picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in 2021, his film features great mix of landscape/cityscape shots, mixed in with some incredible dynamic chase footage involving motocross, paragliders, and more.  You'll ride along with him as he cruises the streets and dives the skyscrapers of New York City, which was eerily empty during much of the period due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Multiple Drone Video of the Week Winner FrameworkFilms is a pioneer in the dronelapse technique, in which thousands of aerial photos are stitched together to create a "fast forward" view of the world.  In this outstanding reel, you'll see the highlights of their work in 2020, almost all of which was shot in the USA.  Notable locations include San Francisco; Nashville; Santa Barbara, California; Los Angeles; Denver; Minneapolis; Laguna Beach, California; the Colorado Rockies; Chicago; Paris (France); Seattle; and Atlanta. This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Take an aerial tour of the Netherlands in this excellent 2020 compilation by former DVOW Winner By_ewold.  The video opens with a shot of an iconic windmill on the plains of Friesland, followed by a stunning bird-chasing sequence.  Starting at about the 1:05 mark, you'll fly over one of the fabled Dutch flower fields, and at 1:48 you'll see the De Haar Castle in Utrecht, the largest in the Netherlands.  Other highlights include the Pyramid of Austerlitz, also near Utrecht, the windmills of Zaanse Schans near Amsterdam, and more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Award-winning contributor Timelab.pro does it again with this fantastic drone video from Istanbul, Turkey.  The video opens with shots of the Golden Horn inlet and  a ship on the Bosphorus Strait, then takes you to the magnificent Hagia Sophia; now a museum, it was once the world's largest building.  At the :48 mark, you'll see the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, and at the :58 mark you'll see the giant, modern Çamlıca Mosque.  Other highlights include the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (1:10), Galata Tower (2:10), and much more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Zimydakid is one of the top content creators in the AirVuz community, with multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month wins to his name, along with a Drone Video Award nomination.  In this video, he shows us the power of DJI's newly released Mavic Air 2S drone.  The latest offering from DJI combines the large camera sensor size of the Mavic Pro 2 with the light weight and portability of the Mavic Air 2.  With excellent footage from northern Italy, Costa Rica, and Switzerland, this video won the DVOW contest in April, 2021 and was a DVOY finalist.

Check out the sights and sounds of Montenegro in this fantastic video by top AirVuz contributor Beautiful Montenegro, which won the Drone Video of the Week contest in the middle of May, 2021.  In a quick succession of highly cinematic shots, the video will take you all over this idyllic Southeastern European country, which was part of Serbia until 2006.  You'll be treated to aerial views of the country's mountainous interior, as well as the famous Montenegran coastline along the Adriatic Sea.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Legendary first person view (FPV) pilot JohnnyFPV teamed up with Porsche to create this jaw-dropping piece which was produced in connection with Porsche's Drive2Extremes campaign to promote the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo.  Designed to show the ability of this crossover SUV to perform in extreme conditions, the video was shot in the depths of the Finland winter in Lapland, as well as in the white-hot desert of the United Arab Emirates.  The video includes both stunning car-chasing footage as well as highly cinematic establishing shots.   

Top AirVuz content creator and first person view (FPV) pilot rememorales brings us this excellent FPV mini-tour of the city of Tbilisi in the Caucasus republic of Georgia.  The video opens with a fly-over of the Mother of Georgia (Kartlis Deda) statue atop Sololaki Hill, followed by (starting at the :08 mark) the Chronicle of Georgia monument near the reservoir known as the Tbilisi Sea.  Other featured locations include the Ferris wheel at Mtatsminda Park, the Bridge of Peace (:20), the Narikala Fortress (:42), and more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Experience the sights and sounds of Italy in this fantastic drone video by AirVuz contributor and pilot Galliano.  The video opens with some epic footage of Marmore Falls (Cascata delle Marmore) in Umbria, a man-made waterfall created during the period of the Roman Republic.  From there you'll head to the Tuscan capital of Florence, where you'll see some great shots of the Ponte Vecchio bridge, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and more.  Other highlights include the Tuscan hills, Lake Trasimeno in the province of Perugia, and more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

For a first upload to AirVuz, brand-new contributor guido_dronelab.es brings us this stunning drone video from Antarctica.  The content creator is the Head Manager of Dronelab, an aerial photography specialist in Barcelona, Spain whose client list includes the likes of AirVuz, BBC, Audi, and other prestigious names.  The video, which was filmed in connection with a scientific expedition to the continent, highlights the earth's dependence on Antarctica's most precious resource: roughly three-fourths of the planet's freshwater supply.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Legendary first person view (FPV) pilot and content creator JohnnyFPV takes us to the heart of Spain in this fantastic car chasing FPV piece, which was a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz.  The video was shot in the city of Ciudad Real, which lies in the Castilla–La Mancha region in the south-central part of the country.  The video was shot with a (very heavy) Panasonic gh5s camera mounted to the racing quad. This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021.  

To appreciate how much the art of cinematic first person view (FPV) drone videos has evolved, look no further than this incredible piece by legendary FPV pilot johnnyfpv.  The video features footage that this talented content creator shot for the action movie Red Notice, which was released on Netflix in 2021.  Written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, the movie was believed to have carried a production budget of $200 million.  It was once of the first films to feature extensive FPV footage.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Prepare to be blown away by this stunning 2021 drone reel by AirVuz contributor and pilot Shkrebiy.  Shot primarily in Russia, the video features spectacular footage from across this vast land, including amazing footage from the Caucasus Mountains and some first-person view (FPV) shots.  Equally impressive are some of the action sequences, which range from skiing to ocean-going ships to live-fire military exercises.  This video was a DVOW and DVOM Winner and also was a finalist for DVOM. 

Explore the world with this fantastic international travel reel by top AirVuz content creator Merr Watson.  Watson, who has nearly 100k followers on Instagram as of mid-2021, will take you over some of the world's most beautiful spots, often featuring shots of herself.  Some of the featured locations include the storied beaches of Coron in the Philippines; the waterfalls, volcanoes, and rice terraces of Indonesia; the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean; the Lancelin Sand Dunes of Western Australia; Africa's Victoria Falls; and more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

This adrenaline-pumping first-person view (FPV) action reel by top AirVuz content creator ShaggyFPV features some of the best dynamic/chase FPV footage we've ever seen, and that's saying a lot.  The extremely talented Dutch pilot manages to pack something for everyone in less than 150 seconds.  You'll chase rollercoasters, radio-controlled turbine jets, snowboarders, and more, before you even get to the half-minute mark!  If it moves fast, you'll find it here.  This video was picked as the DVOM for August, 2021 and was a DVOY finalist.  

The desert kingdom of Dubai does everything big - among other superlatives, it's home to the world's tallest skyscraper, fastest rollercoaster, and the largest indoor theme park.  In 2021, it secured yet another honor by becoming home to the world's tallest observation wheel: the 820 ft. (250 m) Ain Dubai, which is situated on the artificial Bluewaters Island in the Marina District.  In this amazing video, you'll see the behemoth from the perspective of a first-person view (FPV) racing drone, compliments of FPV pilot 43lensfpv.  

Check out this fantastic first person view (FPV) drone reel by emerging star FPV pilot Patrick Conroy.  In just the first few seconds, you'll skim through a ski resort, follow a herd of wild animals running across the Great Plains, and fly over a hot air balloon.  Other highlights include flying through some tight mountain gaps and some epic dynamic FPV shots involving skiers, motocross riders, paragliders, and horseback riders.  This video was a Drone Video of the Year Finalist in 2021. 

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot aladdin.fpv had a very productive 2021, as evidenced by this extremely impressive FPV reel.  Shot over and around the Persian Gulf city of Dubai, the video features an awesome mix of different types of shots.  It includes "cinewhoop" style shots flying through a showroom full of super-cars, highly cinematic shots over some of Dubai's legendary resorts, epic car chase scenes through the surrounding Empty Quarter desert, and much more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Prepare to be amazed by this spectacular first person view (FPV) drone video following a famous skier hitting the slopes of the legendary resort of Chamonix in the French Alps.  Watch maximemoulinfilm follow skier Sam Favret, who has become known around the world for being filmed tackling some of the world's most challenging back-country slopes.  Filmed during a period when Chamonix was otherwise closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the video combines FPV footage with shots from a DJI Mavic Pro 2. This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Former AirVuz employee Jay Christensen hit the big-time with this fantastic first-person view (FPV) drone video from a famous bowling alley in Minneapolis.  In a single shot, the "cinewhoop" style quad flies into the front door of Bryant Lake Bowl (located just a few km/mi. south of downtown), follows the course of a ball down an alley and then provides a look at the equipment behind the pins.  In the days following its release, this piece became one of the most-viewed FPV videos of all time and was the subject of countless news stories.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Each week, our team reviews all videos uploaded to the site to pick the Top 5 videos and our Drone Video of the Week (DVOW) winner. The DVOW winners are then contenders for Drone Video of the Month (DVOM), and then the DVOM Winners are automatically nominated for Drone Video of the Year! This year, 8 'wildcard' nominees were added to the year's 12 DVOM winners, giving us 12 official DVOY nominees!  AirVuz loves to celebrate the amazing content created by our community of drone pilots! Be sure to cast a vote for your favorite nominee!