Kaohsiung City Government Bureau of Cultural Affairs (Taiwan)
Winner I Best drone show at the event

"Spotlight on Taiwan – Best of Luck in the Year of TIGER" drone show with 1500 drones was presented at the Taiwan Lantern Festival, combining elements of Taiwanese folklore and beliefs, history and geography, marine imagery, culture and technology, and sports. The show was performed 8 times during Taiwan Lantern Festival.

Drone operators: Intel Corporation, Flyby Guys
Technical implementation: Intel Corporation (future inquiries: Nova Sky Stories)

"It’s an honor to be selected as one of the winners in the Competition. Due to the pandemic, at that time, it had been a long time since the international exchange was stopped. With the chance of the 2022 Taiwan Lantern Festival, we wanted to make a well-designed drone light show to symbolize the first step to reconnect with the world. The drone show is a brand-new art format to combine culture and techniques. This time we successfully displayed Taiwan's amazing creativity and Intel Corporation's extraordinary drone techniques. Also, we built a bridge of friendship between Taiwan's content creators and drone technicians and operators from abroad. We tried to make some breakthroughs, so we used up to 90% of the 3D animation to display a bunch of Taiwan and Kaohsiung’s cultural imagery. Those resonated powerfully with all the audience and made them interested in knowing more about Taiwan’s culture. Conveying the pride of Taiwan and the spirits of Kaohsiung to the whole world with the original contents, we also want to let the world see Taiwan" comments Che SHIH, the deputy mayor of the Kaohsiung City Government.

Andrei Golenev, Marc Brickman, Lumasky team & Havas Paris

(United Arab Emirates)

Winner I Best drone show at the event

Drone show "Order in Chaos & Chaos in Order" is unique in its nature and unlike others, you will not see the standard change of one image to another, it is a constantly dynamically moving drone murmur synchronized with the music. The show used 2000 light drones and for the first time in the history of the show used strobe drones (flash drones), the show lasted 20 days, every day. During the show, a new Guinness record was set. The show was developed by Golenev Andrei, Lumasky team & HAVAS GROUP in collaboration with the greatest master of lighting design - Marc Brickman inspired by the observation of nature, the movement of large groups of birds, fish, insects.

"Today we see how far the industry has come forward in just one year, many well-known brands have turned their attention to drones as a marketing tool, and almost all major world events have not been without them. The competition provides an opportunity to demonstrate technical innovations and creative ideas to a wide audience, as well as to inspire start-up companies to new achievements" comments Andrei.

Celestial (United Kingdom)

Winner I Best drone show storytelling

SKY SONG is the world’s first feature-length drone art show. An award winning epic combination of technology and ancient storytelling is aimed to reawaken in the audience a remembering that we are all bound by universal wisdom. Originally commissioned by Heather Croall, Director of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, this ground-breaking collaboration involves the world’s biggest holographic projector screens, show lighting and soundtrack. All of it showcasing First Nation art, narration and music through Celestial’s unique visual storytelling. The co-design took a year to develop, write and produce, working with multiple collaborators and across different time zones and, of course, the challenges of Covid. Using 360 drones spread out between 3 launches we created our longest drone show to date at 27 minutes. Celestial worked tirelessly to bring First Nation stories to life. Lighting the sky with mythology and important cultural moments from First Nation history.

"Sky Song isn’t simply a technological spectacle; it is a poignant and spiritual experience that is celebrated, equally, for its cultural significance... a stunning show, and all it asks of audiences is that you rug up, take a seat in front of the fire - created by virtual drones and the warm sound of crackling embers - and listen to the voices and stories that are so often silenced." - InDaily's five-star review of Sky Song.

www.celestial.show

Sky Elements (United States of America)
Winner I Best integrated show: Fireworks and Drones

"FC Dallas Star Wars Drone Light Show" - the integrated show fully designed in Finale 3D is represented by Sky Elements, company that flies drone shows in different parts of the world almost every day. FC Dallas in partnership with Sky Elements put on an interstellar display of both fireworks and drones for this year's Star Wars Day. Coordinated with clips from the films, FC Dallas fans were engulfed in the atmosphere of Star Wars from Tie Fighters blasting the rims of the stadium, to the infamous Death Star imploding into bits! Fans were even graced by local cosplayers, the 501st, donning Stormtrooper uniforms, and even the Sith Lord himself, Darth Vader.

“With these projects, we hoped to highlight the versatility of drone light shows to go beyond “slide shows in the sky” and become a much more immersive storytelling tool to show people drone light shows in ways they’ve never seen before. These projects not only highlight great artistry, but also use the light show as a tool for a broader purpose” comments Preston Ward, Chief Pilot and General Counsel of Sky Elements.

www.skyelementsdrones.com

D.S.A. - Drone Show Animations (Portugal)
Winner I Best drone show animation

This drone show animation, which presents a story of love, mankind’s love for the ocean, is created by Pedro Rosário, João Rosário and João Saiote. The team from Portugal saw the beautiful through the surface, explored the twilight zone and encountered the mysterious in the deep, pitch black. The journey begins at the surface, with a human hand interacting with the ocean, which represents the amazement of the first contact. After that, the verticality of the ecosystem by representing beings from different depths is explored. As we go deeper the presentation changes from inspirational to a more sinister and mysterious tone. In the final act the vertical migration of life that happens daily in our oceans is portrayed and the animation expresses the love for the oceans.

"A couple of years ago I had the idea of using drones as a new media channel. After a brief research, I found that it already existed and behind this new wave there was DSS by SPH Engineering. By then I was blown away by shows, in the middle of the snow, that consisted of 20 something drones and basic shapes. Nowadays, due to the constant innovation in both hardware and software, we can experience shows with thousands of drones, on a massive scale, consisting of intricate shapes and compelling stories.There is no denying that this industry is here to stay, its growth has been exponential, and its full potential is still being explored. Competition is a healthy way to push the boundaries and once again, the DSS team is behind this expansion. We are grateful to have the opportunity to participate in this new era of creation" comments Pedro Rosário (CEO).

www.droneshowanimations.com

Diffuse x Titouan Malivoir (France)
Winner I Best drone show animation

This show is the result of a collaboration between company Diffuse, its artistic director Vincent Bauer and a music composer represented by Titouan Malivoir. This collaboration allows to propose a real alchemy between the story, the visual and the sound experience. Team's goal is to push back the possible limits of the artistic creation of a drone show by proposing a show with high added value that can move and be understood by a majority of the public. Red wire: each animal in the depths deploys a spirit that lights up to represent the reflection of the sun on the water. The objective of the show is to propose to the spectators to plunge into the depths of the oceans, in search of the surface to find the light. As in our common existence, human beings can experience moments of doubt and find themselves in a very abysmal situation. In this case, people must find ways to overcome these negative events so that they can once again imitate the reflection of the sun on the sea and shine in people's eyes.

Team Diffuse: Léo Dolignon - Co-founder / Operation Director, Pierre Jost - Co-founder / Sales Manager, Vincent Bauer - Co-founder / Creative Director, Titouan Malivoir - Music composer.

"We are happy to see the boom in the field of drone light shows around the world! Each member of the Drone Show Community competes in originality to push the limits of creation and innovate in this recent field. The organization of this competition joins the strong dynamics of this sector, and allows companies and independents to be able to express their own artistic vision of this new kind of show. Finally, we would like to congratulate all the participants of this wonderful 3rd edition of the competition!" comments the team.

Pixis Drones (United states of America)

Special prize for best drone show for the celebrity

When Pixis Drones team first met with Paris Hilton, she made it clear that the drone show needed to honor her spirit. With that in mind, Pixis Drones team decided to bring her spirit to life focusing in on her:
- Spirit Date of 11.11 - the date Paris was married, born and started her company, to life in the night sky
- Her spirit animal - the Alicorn
- Her famous catch phrase, "Slive"
The 10-minute, 500-drone show took place at the launch of her 11.11 media company on the Santa Monica Pier and as Paris has shared across socials, was an epic end to her party.

"The growth the drone industry has experienced in such a short time is remarkable. Just 2 years ago, drones were primarily associated with security, surveillance and payload delivery. Now, drone light shows have unlocked a new medium for marketing, entertainment, and storytelling. Pixis is excited to be at the forefront of this rapid evolution and growth within the industry. We are thankful to competitions like this one hosted by SPH Engineering, for showcasing this next gen tech and what the industry has been able to accomplish to date" comments Jeff Kaplan GM - Pixis.

www.pixisdrones.com

DUTCH DRONE SHOWS (Netherlands)

Special prize for the best show demonstrating the capabilities of small drone show fleets

To tell the 'story' of a large multinational such as DP World with a small number of drones, it is important to work with abstract shapes and a good script that is told by a good voice-over. The DP World logo was the basis of this show, we had 50 drones to set up for the rest of the show. Dubai Ports World is the third largest port operator in the world. The show should therefore consist of water, waves, global maritime transport, supply chains and the customer's logo at the end.

"In our opinion the Drone Show Industry, especially in Europe, is still in its early stages. It's a combination of technology, legislation and creativity that still has a huge potential to grow. We love to be a part of this emerging technology, creating unforgettable experiences and teaching people all there is to know about drone shows. A competition like this triggers show operators to go above and beyond their limits with their shows and getting the interest of a broad group of people." comments Dutch Drone Shows team.

www.dutchdroneshows.com

Cyberdrone team (United Arab Emirates)

Special prize for the best drone show for the anniversary

Cyberdrone team presents the Grasim Industries' 75-Year Anniversary Show with 500 drones. Every part of Cyberdrone's shows is developed in-house, from little robotic performers to ground station to animation to showtime.Cyberdrone team is always up for a good visual story woven of light, and one of such stories is told in the Indian sky for Grasim's 75th anniversary. "It was the first 500-drone show for both our team and Mumbai. We created it for Grasim Industries, an Indian manufacturing company steeped in history, extracting their most cherished memories. The worlds you may hear throughout the performance written by Studio Trika. It's an extra immersive dimension of storytelling shows. This performance revolves around Grasim’s global development. The viewers witness background events, meet iconic personalities, and long for freedom and better tomorrows. Some drones don’t fade for even a second, enhancing animation fluidity and narrative integrity."

"Competitions help us slow down and evaluate our work, take a closer look at what other companies do, find growth points and get inspired for future achievements. All competitions are also associated with excitement and dopamine, and these are the things that push the universe (our industry included) forward" comments Cyberdrone team.

www.cyberdrone.com

Teemu Eskola (Finland)
Special prize for the best drone show animation with eco concept

Ocean gave us life. Now it’s our turn to take care of the oceans. The show presents the beautiful life below the surface. The show takes a turn the pearl - the symbol of treasure - transforming into the world. It reminds us of the value of the oceans and asks the audience to protect it. Climate change is the largest threat to the ocean life. If we don’t stop climate change, the oceans are gone - and so are we. The show is not a political statement. It does not point a finger at anyone specific. It gives a concrete reason to act. It gives a voice to the life below the surface, the life that is in danger.

"I have designed drone shows as a freelancer for a few years now, and I'm still amazed by them. It's pure magic in the air. This competition is a great showcase for the state of the art. For designers, it is the place to really present what we can do. For my entry, I needed to come up with new ideas, methods and tools to make my vision a reality. My craft is now on a new level and I'm looking forward to leverage the learnings in future projects" comments Teemu.

www.teemueskola.net

Tom BetGeorge, Steven Petrucci & Matthew Phipps

(United States of America)
Special prize for the best combination of music, lighting design & drone show

300 drones took to the skies behind Tom BetGeorge’s house to ring in the Halloween season. The house’s lights synced to Metallica’s Master of Puppets showcased monsters and characters from Stranger Things. Later in the show, the Ghostbusters theme, sung by a pair of pixel-pushed pumpkins, introduced a 400 ft tall Stay Puft Marshmallow Man animated with drones.

"The drone show industry is still in its early phases. With this show and this competition, we hope to highlight what is possible by combining mixed media to create a truly unique experience. We believe mixing drone light shows with other technologies and art work is truly the future of the industry" comments Tom.

www.magicallightshows.com

Umiles Drone Light Show (Spain)
Special prize for the best drone show broadcast live

This show of 200 drones was created for the program "El Hormiguero" in its premiere of the 17th season on television and broadcast in prime time, in Spain. An event in which we flew in the middle of the city of Madrid with a number of drones that, until now, had never been carried out. It was a complex show due to the take-off location and because it was broadcast live for one of the programs with the highest audience in Spain. Team: Gonzalo Tevar Becerra, Lead Animator; Guillermo Cuellas Catón, 3D Animator; Eduardo Rodríguez García, 3D Animator.

"This year we have seen a particularly special growth in the drone industry, especially in the entertaining sector. Both sustainability and creativity are rapidly becoming the key aspects as these new ways of entertaining emerge, and we are proud to be part of the change to a more conscious and breaking show industry. Initiatives like this Competition are essential to show the true potential of this way of entertaining, and the power it has to push creativity. The fact that there are still things to discover when it comes to drone shows, make us want to continue thriving to be part of this process" comments Umiles Drone Light Show animation team.

www.umilesgroup.com

Andrei Golenev, Daz Jamieson, Lumasky & HQWS (United Arab Emirates)
Special prize for the best drone show combined with performing arts and historical memory

The show was taking place at the Medina Historic Site next to Khaybar Fort. The fort is famous for the historical Battle of Khaybar, which took place here in 629 AD. Forth is used as a canvas to create a view. The show is accompanied by a live orchestra of 17 musicians and a conductor, two light screens that play additional content, light effects that create a mysterious atmosphere, and lasers. The voice of the announcer gently tells in Arabic the story of people's lives and past events that took place in this place.

www.lightdrone.show

Sky Elements (United States of America)
Special prize for the best project promoting drone show service

Preston from Sky Elements team has been trying to get his best friend Kyle a date for months. What better way to broadcast his availability than to fly 400 drones in the shape of his face and phone number for all of New York City to see!

Sky Elements team takes an oath to uphold the following core values:
- Integrity - always serving in the best interests of our clients
- Attention-to-detail - carrying out each display as-intended
- Safety - protecting onlookers, staff members, and property at all times
- Value - offering best-in-class rates without compromising quality
- Creativity - leveraging our design expertise to bring visions to life

www.skyelementsdrones.com