Check out these incredible images taken from above!

Photos can really help capture the beauty of the natural world around us, and the snaps taken for this competition certainly don't disappoint.

Professional and amateur photographers from all around the world were invited to enter the very first International Aerial Photographer of the Year competition.

The contest focuses on the wonders of the world from a bird's eye view.

There were more than 1500 entries and the overall winner was professional drone pilot Joanna Steidle from the US.

You can see more of the incredible photos submitted in this page and in the gallery of images above.

This beautiful image may look like a tree, but it's actually water you're looking at!

It's what's called a tidal creek and the photo was taken in Lake Cakora in Australia.

Take a look at this jaw-dropping shot.

This photo was taken nearly 24 hours after the start of the Litli-Hrútur eruption in Iceland which happened in July 2023.

How stunning is this image?

It captures the Sun's rays at Cono de Arita, La Puna in Argentina.

This photo's lovely variety of colours represents the Autumn season so well.

It was taken in the Muskoka District in Canada.

Would you take a dip in these chilly waters?

This image shows a group swimmers in the frozen Baltic Sea...brrrrr!

This photo shows a herd of elephants trekking through the Busanga plains in Kafue National Park in Zambia.

Did you know elephants are the world's largest land animal?

This photo looks like it's come straight out of a fairytale.

The magical moment shows the incredible Mont-Saint-Michel rising over the clouds.

This pair look very relaxed indeed!

This image of two seals lounging peacefully on a drifting slab of ice was taken in the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon in southern Iceland.