There has always been something irresistible for us humans in seeing the Earth from above. We have been taking photographs from the skies since as early as 1858, when French photographer and balloonist Nadar photographed the Parisian suburbs from his balloon.

Today, aerial photography is considered a genre in itself. The Aerial Photography Awards, a platform dedicated to promoting the genre of aerial photography, revealed the winners of its competition’s inaugural 2020 edition, where photographers from around the world were invited to submit their best images taken from up high.

In this first edition of the competition, thousands of vertiginous photographs were submitted from 65 different countries, offering a unique perspective on the locations and objects captured, sometimes creating astonishing optical illusions. All images were taken using airplanes, helicopters, drones, or even balloons.

In order to rank the photographs, a jury of 13 experts – including photographers, architects and pilots – was appointed to give each a score between 1 and 20. Greek architect and photographer Costas Spathis featured among the jury members.

In the end, 106 images stood out which were split in 22 different categories. Among the winners, two aerial images of the island of Santorini, captured by Belgian photographer Sebastien Naguy, were awarded first place in the categories “Architecture” and “Hotels”.

Sebastien Naguy was also awarded the title of Aerial Photographer of the Year for 2020, based on his work submitted across all categories.

Click here to see more breathtaking images of the Aerial Photography Awards 2020.