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Photo Challenge

The Photo Challenge inspires photographers to take great pictures and upload them to Commons. Monthly thematic competitions encourage participants to try new subjects, new photographic or processing techniques, and to develop skills while improving the Commons repository of free images. Photographs entered into a competition must be new to Commons and taken by a Commons user.

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Formal things

Challenges

Challenges are based on a theme and run for a month. The theme may be a concrete subject, an abstract concept, a photographic technique or artistic style.

Participation

Everybody can participate in challenges open for submission. You simply

  1. Choose one or all of the current challenges
  2. Read the challenge description(s), which may vary in their rules (e.g., some place restrictions on when the photos are taken)
  3. Take picture(s) for the challenge(s) during the challenge period (or, if allowed, select from your own existing pictures that are not yet on Commons)
  4. Upload your picture(s) during the challenge period
  5. Submit your candidates at the top of the current challenge gallery during the challenge period. To do that you click the [Edit] button of the Entries section of your chosen challenge and insert the File name above the last entry (or above File:-Insert image here-.svg for the first entry).
    Add your entry between the <gallery> tags as indicated. Gallery entries are placed each on a new line, and consist of the filename, a vertical bar |, and a description. For example:
    Electric steam iron.jpg|An electric steam iron
    For help on the syntax of entries in a gallery see Help:Gallery tag. Please do not add square brackets [[ ]] or include a thumb parameter or the full URL. The File: prefix is not required, but harmless.
  6. Do not sign your submission(s)
  7. If you want, you can have a look at previous challenges and Vote

Challenges are open to any Commons user. Submissions must be your own work, not previously uploaded to Commons prior to the challenge date and should illustrate the challenge theme in the opinion of the photographer. Please read the challenge descriptions, as there may be additional rules or explanations for specific challenges. There is no limit on the number of submissions per user (unless specially so restricted in the challenge), but please choose from among your best and most varied images.

To submit pictures, you edit the gallery of the contest and add your candidate(s) to the top of the list.

New themes can be proposed and discussed here.

Assessment

After the challenge has closed to new submissions, the pictures will be assessed by popularity voting in the subsequent month. You are allowed to vote for images submitted by others if your Commons account is at least ten days old and has more than 50 edits or if you participated in one of the challenges. Challenges open for voting can be found here.

Winning

The best three pictures will be awarded first, second and third place. They will be displayed on the Photo challenge page and may use the template {{Photo challenge winner}} on the file description page.

Table of contents

New media viewing experience

Please note users can disable the media viewing experience for all images on Commons when logged in (uncheck "Enable Media Viewer" under Files and click Save in Preferences, Appearance).

Challenges open for submission

 


2024 – November – Panning

The new challenge features Intentional camera movement to create panning effect or for other effects.

Ideally, each submission should contain a summary description of the subject in the file information, including the location of the subject, and relevant categories should be added to the files to enable other Commons users to find them and use them. Please take care not to violate copyright in respect of non-free creative works, and observe our educational project scope and the personality rights of identifiable people, or your files may be subject to deletion.

The challenge will remain open for submissions throughout November UTC.

Checklist for this theme:

  • Photographs must be the work of the nominator.
  • Photographs must be newly uploaded to Commons during the challenge submission period i.e. November 2024 UTC (but may have been taken earlier).
  • Submissions must be added to the top of the "Entries" section below.
  • Please do not nominate lots of similar photos; instead choose just your best and most varied images.

Add your entry between the <gallery> tags as indicated. Gallery entries are placed each on a new line, and consist of the filename, a vertical bar |, and a description. For example:

Electric steam iron.jpg|An electric steam iron

For help on the syntax of entries in a gallery see Help:Gallery tag. Please do not add square brackets [[ ]] or include a thumb parameter or the full URL. The File: prefix is not required, but harmless.

  • Restriction: A maximum of four entries can be submitted per photographer.

There are 17 days 8 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)


Examples

Entries

  •  
    Jeux de lumière avec des lampadaires
  •  
    Feu de joie chez Zingaro
  •  
    Immeuble dans la nuit
  •  
    Circuit de Fontange - Salon de Provence
  •  
    Circuit de Fontange - Salon de Provence
  •  
    Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
  •  
    Gorges de la Fou
  •  
    road bike racer - 01
  •  
  •  
    Fiori di Gypsophila paniculata e frutti di Silene in un piccolo portaafiori
  •  
    motor scooter
  •  
    Panning shot of man wearing a black suit, holding an iced coffee, while riding on an electric skateboard
  •  
    Example of panning in photography.
  •  
    Strada provinciale Rocca Romana Sutri (Viterbo), imbiancata da una leggera nevicata
  •  
    Abstract picture with rotating tree
  •  
    Show of the great African ballets (2017) Villeneuve-d'Ascq.- France
  •  
    Winter car racing
  •  
    Outdoor karting
  •  
    Dies ist ein Beispiel für eine vertikale Kamerabewegung. Das Bild zeigt ein paar Bäume.
  •  
    Dies ist ein Beispiel für eine Kamerabewegung. Das Bild zeigt ein paar Bäume.
  •  
    Amateur car racing at a former airfield
  •  
    Amateur car racing at a former airfield
  •  
    Panning Photography for Soap Bubble.
  •  
    Water taxi on the Mekong, in Laos, near Pak Beng.
  •  
    Show of the great African ballets (2017) Villeneuve-d'Ascq.- France
  •  
  •  
    Preparation of almond paste dessert biscuits with a sprinkling of icing sugar
  •  
    New York Marathon
  •  
    Ebisu Skywalk, moving sidewalk at Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan.
  •  
    Slow shutter shot toward the ocean is like panning photography with cameraon on the cruise oceanview room at midnight
  •  
    Dies ist ein Beispiel für eine Kameradrehung
  •  
    Sentiero nel bosco di castagni a Monte Rocca Romana in autunno
  •  
    Dusting of Raffiolini biscuits
  •  
    American windmill in De Alde Feanen.
  •  
    Capturing the Garba vibes
  •  
    Just about to move
  •  
    At poise and panning
  •  
    Walking man captured at old city area of Mandavi - Vadodara
  •  
    Motorcycle on Seoulgyo(서울교), Seoul, South Korea
  •  
  •  
    To submit pictures please follow this link

2024 – November – Sidewalk

The new challenge features Sidewalk.

Ideally, each submission should contain a summary description of the subject in the file information, including the location of the subject, and relevant categories should be added to the files to enable other Commons users to find them and use them. Please take care not to violate copyright in respect of non-free creative works, and observe our educational project scope and the personality rights of identifiable people, or your files may be subject to deletion.

The challenge will remain open for submissions throughout November UTC.

Checklist for this theme:

  • Photographs must be the work of the nominator.
  • Photographs must be newly uploaded to Commons during the challenge submission period i.e. November 2024 UTC (but may have been taken earlier).
  • Submissions must be added to the top of the "Entries" section below.
  • Please do not nominate lots of similar photos; instead choose just your best and most varied images.

Add your entry between the <gallery> tags as indicated. Gallery entries are placed each on a new line, and consist of the filename, a vertical bar |, and a description. For example:

Electric steam iron.jpg|An electric steam iron

For help on the syntax of entries in a gallery see Help:Gallery tag. Please do not add square brackets [[ ]] or include a thumb parameter or the full URL. The File: prefix is not required, but harmless.

  • Restriction: A maximum of four entries can be submitted per photographer.

There are 17 days 8 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)


Examples


Entries

  •  
    Gehweg in Lößnitz. Erzgebirgskreis, Sachsen.
  •  
    Trompe l'oeil sur trottoir à Béziers (34)
  •  
    Trompe l'oeil sur trottoir à Béziers (34)
  •  
    As wind speed of Typhoon Kong-rey was too strong on the evening of 2024-10-31(UTC+8). The Share-use path was blocked by fallen tree in Banqiao, New Taipei.
  •  
    Susaki Bridge, Fukuoka, Japan
  •  
    Nakanohashi bridge in Kitakyushu City, Japan
  •  
    Pavement along the wall of the New Jerusalem Monastery.
  •  
    Zug, Switzerland
  •  
    Street view of Naha Kokusai Street in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture in summer.
  •  
    Sidewalk in front of town hall in Ustka with a time capsule for the descendants to enjoy 2018 artefacts in 2118
  •  
    Verso il Castello dei Conti Guidi a Poppi, con uguali impressioni e nostalgie
  •  
    Way around Kodaikanal Lake
  •  
    painting on Pavement
  •  
    View of the Praha Ruzyně Remand Prison, Czech Republic
  •  
    Benches at the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Lysá nad Labem, Czech Republic
  •  
    On sidewalk of Via dei Fori Imperiali, Roma, Italy.
  •  
    Street in Kond, old quarter of Yerevan.
  •  
    Former Jewish cemetery in Mnichovo Hradiště, Czech Republic
  •  
    sidewalk with pigeons
  •  
    Pig on the sidewalk
  •  
    Осенний тротуар
  •  
    Ограждение
  •  
    Тротуар на набережной в Тель-Авиве
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
    Night shot of sidewalk at London Circuit, Canberra, Australia.
  •  
    Geheweg zum Ostseestrand in Zempin. Landkreis Vorpommern-Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Deutschland.
  •  
    Sidewalk of the Tiflisskaya Street
  •  
    Sidewalk of the Palace Embankment near the Summer Garden
  •  
    Wanderweg zu den Krokuswiesen in Drebach. Erzgebirgskreis, Sachsen.
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
    Quarrier Street, Charleston, WV
  •  
    Уютный цветочный двор в центре г. Пенза
  •  
    Street painter in Leipzig
  •  
    Gehweg im Kurpark Bad Schlema. Erzgebirgskreis, Sachsen.
  •  
    Lungolago dei Platani a Trevignano Romano
  •  
    Lungolago a Trevignano Romano
  •  
    sidewalking in the water
  • File:Sidewalk inside the lake by the Grey-headed swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus).jpg
  •  
    Sidewalks of city center of Bamberg
  •  
    Sidewalk in front of Bamberger Hof
  •  
    Through the sidewalks of the old city of Bamberg
  •  
    War wagons on the way
  •  
    Ulica w Sopocie.
  •  
    To submit pictures please follow this link

Challenges open for voting

 

Voting is open to all registered contributors who have held accounts for at least 10 days and made 50 edits, and also to new Commons contributors who have entered the challenge with a picture. Users cannot vote for their own picture. Voters may select up to three photographs in each theme to award points and can give praise to other photos without awarding points. Voting will be open for one month. The votes not complying with those requirements will be removed or converted to praises. In some cases users might be asked to correct their votes after voting ends.



October 2024

Previous challenges

 


September 2024


August 2024

Dust: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Mustangs in Colorado, USA, 1971 Dusty Billiard Table, former Pozzuolo
del Friuli barracks, Ferrara, Italy		 The Milky Way with cosmic dust
Author Foeniz Nicola Quirico Zwiebackgesicht
Score 13 10 7
Spices: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title The Christmas spices star anise, cinnamon and cloves Chili peppers at the market in Santanyí Blüte mit Safranfäden
Author F. Riedelio F. Riedelio Tetraeder
Score 17 6 6

July 2024

Manholes: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title A lion is coming from
a manhole, in León, Spain		 Manhole opened for
cleaning, Heidelberg		 Child coming out of a sump
Author Guy Delsaut Foeniz Saral Shots
Score 15 13 9
Breads: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title African bush squirrel
eating bread gotten
from tourists in Namibia		 A young man putting discs
of bread into the oven
in the Islamic Cairo section
of Cairo, Egypt.		 Bread being kneaded in a bakery in
Aalen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Author Lusi Lindwurm FischerFotos Mozzihh
Score 24 12 9

June 2024

Construction sites: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Carpenter working
on a concrete formwork		 Workers attaching
a chain to the Main
bridge in Ebing		 Demolition site of
the so-called Kaufhof store
"Tortenschachtel" (cake box)
on Berliner Platz
Author Ermell Ermell F. Riedelio
Score 17 14 11
Mushrooms: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Poisonous mushrooms
against a forest in
autumn, Wrzosów, Poland		 Mycena interrupta NZ
Author Ivonna Nowicka Famberhorst Haydenrjones
Score 15 13 9

May 2024

Waves: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title This was shot in Kakinada
Beach, shows struggle of
fishermen in middle of sea		 A wave painted with a white
neon lamp in a flashlight,
city beach in Płock, Poland.		 Port Saint-Michel in Batz-sur-Mer
Author Zahed.zk Lightpainterplock Ibex73
Score 28 19 11
Pets: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Australian Shepherd Dog Hachi and Boy Cat enjoying the sun between daisies
Author Ermell HachiBoy Lusi Lindwurm
Score 27 15 13

April 2024

Vertical lines: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Колонны здания администрации и
думы Новгородской области 2H1A4397WI		 Columns on the façade
of the Philharmonie
in Luxembourg		 Fassade Mark-
Twain-
Grundschule 02
Author Kora27 Ermell ThoBel-0043
Score 25 14 11
Flames: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Visitors at the 2024 Easter fire in Rottorf Campfire at lake Yngen,
Filipstad Municipality,
Värmland, Sweden		 Osterfeuer im
oberen Murtal
Author F. Riedelio Mozzihh Bitisajn
Score 21 14 10

March 2024

Grays: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Sieben graue Köpfe Reflections - Shyok River Nina-Replica
Author Mensch01 Prof Ranga Sai Wingerham52
Score 20 18 11
Courthouses: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Palazzo di Guistizia
with Courte di Cassazione
at river Tiber, Rome, Italy		 North facade of Palais de justice de Paris. Supreme Court of Finland at night
Author Mozzihh FreCha GPSLeo
Score 19 15 12

February 2024

Lunar New Year: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Dragon Dance, Oklahoma
City, OK, Lunar New
Year, 2024 (Year of the
Dragon)		 Sec. 1, Wuchang St.,
Taipei City, with LED
lights decorations above
on 2024 Chinese New Year		 Eu Tong Sen Street
in Chinatown, Singapore,
with CNY decorations above
Author OKJaguar Junyu-K S5A-0043
Score 11 9 9
Knots: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Boat knot Figure-eight loop
in mountaineering		 Root knot of
a beech tree
Author Teseo Wagner Cxxx Foeniz
Score 11 9 8

January 2024

Silos: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Garfield Grain Elevator and
Silos Garfield Washington USA		 Feed silos in Hirschbrunn
near Burgebrach		 Silos of the Hannoversche Portland
-Cementfabrik (abandoned in 1986)
Author DaveGinOly Ermell Hgrobe
Score 19 13 8
Masks: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Narrentag 2024 -
Elzacher Schuttig		 Kirchseoner Perchtenlauf
- old winter parade
tradition in Bavaria.
Mask of type "Klaubauf"		 Taken in Dublin, march 2014
Author Rainer Halama Würmchen-vom-Mölchlein Oncewerecolours
Score 13 13 10

Previous years

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