Best in Show Award for Video Created Using Drone Cameras Goes to Cargo Drones in Amazon: Behind the Scenes
Competition and Festival Complements “Central NY Rising” – the Region’s Successful Upstate Revitalization
Initiative Plan to Grow the Economy and Create New Opportunities
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the winners of New York’s first-ever competition for short videos created using cameras on drones. At the Great New York State Fair on Saturday, August 26, Cargo Drones in Amazon: Behind the Scenes was announced as the Best in Show winner and other winning videos were screened at an evening ceremony in the Empire Theater of the Art & Home Center. The competition supports the Central NY Rising economic development plan, which has highlighted drone technology as a key strategy to grow the regional economy.
“By focusing on high tech manufacturing and tourism, this competition is supporting key Central NY Rising priorities to foster economic growth throughout the region,” Governor Cuomo said. “I congratulate the winners of this first-ever drone video competition, as we continue to support this rising industry and help put this region on the map for innovation in this emerging technological sector.”
The competition received 83 entries from across New York State and the world. Winners were chosen in eight categories, including a special category for films featuring New York State. The Best in Show winner and Gold winners in each category are listed below:
The Best in Show Winner:
Cargo Drones in Amazon: Behind the Scenes submitted from Washington D.C. and Brooklyn, NYC. The winning video can be viewed online here.
New York State Drones:
Still Here: 200 Years on the Erie Canal, submitted from Liverpool, NY.
The winning video can be viewed online here.
Narrative:
The Making of Expedition Alaska, submitted from Cincinnati, Ohio.
The winning video can be viewed online here.
Landscape & Architecture:
Awaken Iceland, submitted from Los Angeles, CA.
The winning video can be viewed online here.
Student:
The Lake, submitted from Morrisonville, NY.
The winning video can be viewed online here.
Show Reel:
Looking Down, submitted from Jamesville, NY.
The winning video can be viewed online here.
Sports:
Summer, submitted from Morrisonville, NY.
The winning video can be viewed online here.
Health Care:
Cargo Drones in the Amazon: Behind the Scenes, submitted from Brooklyn, NY.
The winning video can be viewed online here.
Corporate/Industrial/Business:
AT&T, submitted from Cheektowaga, NY.
Honorable Mention:
New York Agriculture, submitted from Caledonia, NY.
The winning video can be viewed online here.
Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney said, “Congratulations to the winners of New York’s first-ever drone video competition. Onondaga County and Central New York continue to grow as a drone technology and manufacturing hub and I commend the Governor for using the great New York State Fair as the premier platform for showcasing these talented teams. I look forward to their continued success as this industry continues to flourish in the Empire State.”
State Fair Acting Director Troy Waffner said, “We were really excited to bring this video competition and festival to the Fair for the first time. This is such a cool, up and coming technology that draws a lot of excitement and that is creating a vital new industry in Upstate New York. It’s helping to highlight the Governor’s investment in drone technology, especially in Central New York, and show the industry that New York is serious about becoming a major center for drone technology.”
Syracuse International Film Festival Executive Director Michael Massurin said, “We are honored to be a part of the NYS Fair Drone Film Festival. We believe the work being done in the drone industry in New York State is pioneering and we’re happy to be a part of showcasing that work. We are glad to be a part of giving filmmakers not only across New York State but across the globe the opportunity to display their art and films and share it with the world.”
Bob Gates, Jamesville resident and Gold Winner in the Show Reel category, said, “I’m pleased to have won a gold medal in the NYS Fair Drone Film Festival. It’s wonderful that New York is doing something like recognizing this new visual media and art – drone photography and drone videos.”
The Syracuse International Film Festival, which managed the competition on behalf of the Fair, featured a film and technology expert panel of judges that included:
- Lisa Ford: Filmmaker, Professor at Tompkins Cortland Community College
- Gary Ford: Filmmaker, Professor at Tompkins Cortland Community College
- Becky Lane: Award-winning filmmaker, Drone enthusiast, 360filmmaker, Founder of VisionLab360.
- Tim Skinner: Department Coordinator/Assistant Professor for Communications and Media Arts at SUNY Broome Community College.
- Ed Evans: Journalist, Documentary Filmmaker, Author, Senior Instructor of Media at SUNY Broome Community College
- Geoffrey Guerrero: Founder and Executive Director of the Katra Film Series in NYC
- Rob Englert: Founder of Sphere Optics
- Will Landry: President, NetworKings
- Timothy A. Bennett: Owner/President FunFlicks
- Jason Detrani: Professor and the Chairman of Communications and Media Arts at SUNY Broome Community College
Videos submitted were no longer than 5 minutes, except for the Corporate/Industrial category, which were no longer than 10 minutes. At least 50 percent of each video must have been shot using a drone or other unmanned aerial vehicle.
Accelerating Central NY Rising
Today’s announcement complements “Central NY Rising,” the region’s comprehensive plan to generate robust economic growth and community development. The State has already invested nearly $3 billion in the region since 2012 to lay the groundwork for the plan – capitalizing on global market opportunities, strengthening entrepreneurship and creating an inclusive economy. Today, unemployment is down to the lowest levels since before the Great Recession; personal and corporate income taxes are down; and businesses are choosing places like Syracuse, Oswego and Auburn as a destination to grow and invest in.
Now, the region is accelerating Central NY Rising with a $500 million State investment through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, announced by Governor Cuomo in December 2015. The State’s $500 million investment will incentivize private business to invest well over $2.5 billion – and the region’s plan, as submitted, projects up to 5,900 new jobs. More information is available here.
