1. Drone show companies and providers, 3D animators, event and marketing agencies with drone light shows in the portfolio, fireworks professionals and hobbyists, tech teams, vendors, light and integrated show organizers and private drone show fans can take part in the Competition.

2. Participants should send an application form and materials video in accordance with the requirements for the chosen nomination and then click "APPLY" on the following site: droneshowsoftware.com/competition.

3. There are 5 nominations in 2022: “Best drone show animation”, “Best drone show storytelling“, “Best drone show at the event”, “Best promotional drone show”, “Best integrated show simulation: Fireworks and Drones”. Participants should read and follow the application specifics for each nomination before and while applying.

4. Video previews of submitted drone shows, animations and simulations should be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo. The link with the preview should be provided together with the download link, both links are provided in the application form. The video must comply with the following parameters: MP4 or MOV, 1920x1080pix, 25fps, h.264, Bitrate 30-50Mbps.

5. Participants can submit one application for each nomination.

6. Participants can receive an award (first place) in only one nomination.

7. There are two criteria for all participants: materials must comply with all requirements and be submitted before the deadline (23:59 UTC + 3, November 20, 2022) with an application form.

8. Submitted materials in all nominations will be evaluated by an international jury.

9. All materials (except “Best drone show animation” and “Best integrated show simulation: Fireworks and Drones” which has its own criteria) will be evaluated by members of the jury on a scale of 1-10 based on three criteria: technical requirements, artistic value, and visual impact.

10. The winner in each nomination will be chosen based on the number of points awarded.

11. Each participant's application will be evaluated by at least three members of the jury. Jury members and their teams can take part in the Competition in those nominations in which a jury member does not participate in the evaluation of applications.

How the members of the jury for evaluating the nominations are distributed:

• "Best drone show storytelling": PAUL NEW, MICHAEL S. EDDY, ARMANDS BLUMBERGS, ALEX LEVANDOVSKIY, NACHO CRUJE, ANTONIO AGUILERA
• "Best drone show at the event": PAUL NEW, MICHAEL S. EDDY, DREW ESPENSHADE, ALEX LEVANDOVSKIY, ANTONIO AGUILERA
• "Best promotional drone show": PAUL NEW, MICHAEL S. EDDY, ALEX LEVANDOVSKIY, NACHO CRUJE, ANTONIO AGUILERA
• "Best integrated show simulation: Fireworks and Drones": DREW ESPENSHADE, PAUL NEW, BRAD NIERENBERG, MICHAEL S. EDDY, ALEX LEVANDOVSKIY,
• ARMANDS BLUMBERGS
• "Best drone show animation": FRAN ARNAU, ERNEST BIOSCA, ARMANDS BLUMBERGS, BRAD NIERENBERG, ALEX LEVANDOVSKIY, NACHO CRUJE

12. Winners will be announced on https://www.droneshowsoftware.com/competition and informed by email within a month after the deadline for applications.

13. Each winner will be awarded prizes in accordance with the guidelines section "Awards".

14. The winning videos and participants will be presented by SPH Engineering and published on DroneShowSoftware.com and the company's social media channels.

15. Participants must consent to the publication of all materials, with reference to the participant.

“Best drone show animation”
Rules for the nomination "Best drone show animation" are published here »»»

“Best drone show storytelling“
The application should contain 2 links (video previews & download link) to a video showing the drone show with its own unique scenario. The drone show must be performed by at least 20 drones, there is no upper limit for the number of drones in a drone show.The video should last no more than 10 minutes and can contain logos, subtitles, sound design, and other visual elements. Participants can apply for the Сompetition with videos of drone shows that were organized from December 2021 to November 2022.

This nomination is dedicated to drone shows, through which a coherent story is told in the sky, in which one figure smoothly flows into another, continuing to tell the same story, captivating the viewer primarily with the scenario and the ability to convey this scenario using light drones.

“Best drone show at the event”
The application should contain 2 links (video previews & download link) to a video showing the drone show organized as part of a thematic event: city holiday, concert, sport’s event, private holiday etc. The drone show must be performed by at least 20 drones, there is no upper limit for the number of drones in a drone show.The video should last no more than 10 minutes and can contain logos, subtitles, sound design, and other visual elements. Participants can apply for the Сompetition with videos of drone shows that were organized from December 2021 to November 2022.

This nomination is dedicated to drone shows, which organically complement any thematic event and enhance the immersion of the event participants in the theme of the event itself.

“Best promotional drone show”
The application should contain 2 links (video previews & download link) to a video showing the drone show organized for promotional purposes, in order to popularize a brand, as the "Marketing in the Sky" format.”. The drone show must be performed by at least 20 drones, there is no upper limit for the number of drones in a drone show.The video should last no more than 10 minutes and can contain logos, subtitles, sound design, and other visual elements. Participants can apply for the Сompetition with videos of drone shows that were organized from December 2021 to November 2022.

This nomination is dedicated to drone shows, which are organized for advertising purposes, with the tasks of promoting companies and their proposals or ideas of any community and motivate the viewer to get involved in various activities.

“Best integrated show simulation: Fireworks and Drones”
Rules for the nomination "Best integrated show simulation: Fireworks and Drones" are published here »»»

All materials (except “Best drone show animation” and “Best integrated show simulation: Fireworks and Drones”, which has its own evaluation criteria) will be evaluated by members of the international jury on a scale of 1-10 by three criteria:

1. Technical requirements (0-10)

• Does the application meet all the Competition requirements?
• Does the applied drone show video meet all the Competition requirements?
• Does the submitted video correspond to the theme and idea of the nomination?

2. Artistic value (0-10)

• Is the video original?
• What new ideas does it bring to the table?
• Does it involve elements previously not seen in drone shows?

3. Visual impact (0-10)

• Does the video and the drone show presented in it leave a lasting impression on the viewer?
• How dynamic is the drone show?
• How obvious is the idea presented in the drone show?

Each participant will have one attempt to correct the mistakes made when submitting the application, noted by the international jury.

The winner in each nomination will receive:

1. Drone show operator kit: a set of five items that an operator always needs to comfortably organize a drone show.
2. Winner prize set (diploma and award statuette).
3. Marketing support: winners will be promoted in the digital channels of SPH Engineering and Competition partners, including mentions in a post-event press-release.

The “Best drone show animation” winners will be additionally entitled to present their drone show choreography at the International Drone Show Festival.
One of the participants in this nomination will also receive a special prize - GoPro HERO11 Black. The recipient of the special prize does not have to be selected from among those whose animations will be eligible to be shown at the International Drone Show Festival.

Find details here: rules for the nomination "Best drone show animation" are published here »»»

The “Best drone show storytelling“ winner will be additionally awarded a GoPro Hero 10.

The “Best drone show at the event” winner will be additionally awarded a DJI Avata Fly Smart Combo.

The “Best promotional drone show” winner will be additionally awarded an IPhone 14 Pro.

The “Best integrated show simulation: Fireworks and Drones” winner will be additionally awarded an 5 Kaiken drones.

SPH Engineering and Competition partners reserve the right to choose a participant who will be awarded an additional special prize.

The physical prizes will be delivered to the winners within 2 months after the announcement of the results (the organizers of the Competition are not responsible for the delay in the delivery of prizes due to the fault of the postal operator or for other reasons beyond the control of the organizers).

The organizers of the Competition reserve the right to replace the specified prizes with other elements in case of circumstances beyond the organizers' control.