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Photo Challenge
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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

 

2023 – May – Macro photography

The new challenge features Macro photography.

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 May 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. May 2023 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 5 days 0 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)


Examples

Entries

  • Macro of a sempevivum tectorum plants (large 5 cm.)

  • weibliche Schwarze Habichtsfliege (Dioctria atricapilla) mit Morgentau

  • Kopf eines Vierflecks mit Morgentau

  • Falkenlibelle (Cordulia aenea) beim Schlupf

  • männlicher Aurorafalter an Wiesenschaumkraut

  • Wenzel Schipka von Blumenfeld Gravestone in Prague, Czech Republic

  • Blue Morpho Butterfly photographed at Papiliorama in Kerzers, Switzerland

  • Silver-Washed Fritillary in Switzerland

  • Carpocoris mediterraneus atlanticus

  • Flying Bee

  • dandelion seedhead

  • Sugar packets

  • unknown green plant

  • flying bee

  • Hanging Thief Robber Fly (Diogmites neoternatus)

  • New born Brown rat

  • Hornet in front of hornet nest eating another Hymenoptera

  • Copulation of Ruddy Darter, Sympetrum sanguineum: During sperm transfer, the female dragonfly is fixed by the red male behind her head

  • Dragonfly wings

  • Tulip with raindrops

  • İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport-Light in the Clouds

  • 5 Australian Dollars - Bank of Australia - 2016 - Plan of Parliament House

  • Queen Elizabeth II eyes 50 Pounds England.jpg

    50 Pounds - Bank of England - 2010 - Queen Elizabeth II eyes

  • 20 Dollars - Bank of Canada - 2004 Queen Elizabeth II eyes

  • A photo of a Thelymitra longifolia flower

  • 8P8C electronic connector

  • A moskito. Big like a mini-bat

  • Huge moskito

  • snake shed-skin (Snake molt)

  • snake shed-skin (Snake molt)

  • Bearded dragon

  • Bearded dragon

  • Honeybee and clover flower

  • Fly and houses

  • Lilies

  • Hidden Snails

  • Inside of a Butterfly Orchid (Phalaenopsis)

  • Mating Dragonflies at Neckar river bank wall, Heidelberg, Germany

  • Arrangement at lake Strandvatnet, Vesterålen, Norway

  • Sea urchin on Fjærvollsanden beach, Bø, Vesterålen, Norway

  • Tillandsia ionantha Air plant. Focus stack of 22 photos.

  • Detail of white dove feather - vertical rhachis and gap between barbs - DSG2101-1 - 2021-04-04 (magnification ratio 3x, focus stack, HiRes)

  • Emerging flower bud of the Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale)

  • Flower of the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) after the rain

  • Wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) in the joint of an entrance staircase

  • Flower of the dandelion (Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia)

  • Fiore e foglia seccati

  • Close up photograph of wing of Papilio demoleus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Lime Swallowtail

  • Metallisch-goldgrün glänzende Goldfliege (Lucilia sericata)

  • Siggi weide honey bee drinks sugar water

  • Beautiful Borage flowers

  • Macro photography of a spider under a flower - by Giovanni Ussi

  • Macro photography of small plants - by Giovanni Ussi

  • Macro photography of a leaf - by Giovanni Ussi

  • Macro photography of flower buds - by Giovanni Ussi

  • Fungo Punctularia atropurpurascens che secerne gocce rossastre

  • Nasturtium Seeds

  • Red Chickweed

  • Happy Meal

  • Hibiskus 2H1A5652WI

  • Tied in its own web

  • Makkhi (house fly)

  • Spring is here with Dandelion

  • Hitting the water

  • Macro of Lily Stamens, Anthems, and Pistil

  • Macro of Lily Pistil

  • Cristalli di pirossene dal Lago di Bracciano, Lazio

  • Frutto di cappero (Capparis spinosa) aperto con semi

  • Coccinella che depone le uova

  • Ragno granchio su una rosa

  • The pallid ghost crab on the beach Bel Ombre, Savanne-Mauritius (almost 2cm small)

  • Female catkins of Salix caprea, known as goat willow in Munich

  • Young female cone of the the Norway spruce in Olympic Park in Munich

  • Xanthoria parietina and Physcia millegrana, the foliose lichen on a bench in Olympic Park in Munich (less than 1cm wire mesh)

  • Hygrocybe miniata. Location, Hortus (Haren, Groningen) Netherlands.

  • Cape Marguerite (Dimorphotheca Ecklonis), Athens.

  • We're all tiny under this big blue sky

  • Caterpillar of the small frost moth on a rose leaf

  • Spaghetti alle vongole

  • Focus stacked macro photo of a eustoma gandiflorum surrounded by sunflowers and daisies

  • Waterlogged bumblebee saved from a dogs water bowl

  • Gerbera flower

  • Close-up of Pelargonium flower

  • Rosa cultivars leaf

  • Auge einer Hauskatze mit Blick in den Garten als Spiegelung

  • Fliege auf einer Margerite

  • Hummel beim Sammeln von Nektar

  • "Screenshot" mal anders: LEDs eines Samsung Smart TVs

  • Statuette

  • Pétale Iris

  • Détail Rideau

  • Close up of a small Sempervivum montanum

  • A honeybee on a cherry blossom

  • Close up photo of a feather dropped likely by a duck in Maine

  • Hindelooper Painting. Set of clogs on glass. Focus stack of 10 photos.

  • Agate owl (Phlogophora meticulosa) focus stack

  • Geum pentapetalum

  • Green dragon fly up close, long wings

  • Cute boxer dog named Charlie

  • This is a Spider at our Fields .

  • Flower of a daisy

  • Prunus grayana

  • Little green Polydrosus formosus (5mm)

  • Schmetterling-mystisch

  • Club sandwich provided by a cafe in Macao

  • Milo dinosaur

  • Blooming narcissus

  • Drops of water on the table of kitchen

  • Une plume en gros plan.

  • Fleur de plantain.

  • Graines sur pissenlits sur leur tige.

  • Eidechse-makro

  • Macrophotography of a Bumblebee (Bombus), in Nord, France

  • marbled white with damaged wings in Mannheim, Germany

  • European common blue (Polyommatus icarus) in Mannheim, Germany

  • round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), a carnivorous plant, in the bog 'schwarzes Moor' in Germany

  • Flower of the round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia),Schwarzes Moor, Germany

  • Bienenschwarz - 2023 - Baum

  • Vogel-2023

  • Parmsean Cheese Closed Up

  • Close up- Lobster dishes

  • Close up Mimolette

  • A Close-up Fat Bao on the Ghost Festival in Hong Kong

  • Bunga Pukul Delapan (Turnera subulata)

  • Bunga Hydrangea macrophylla

  • Bunga Spermacoce

  • Bunga Teratai (Nymphaea) di Jambi

  • Gemeiner Samtfussrübling im Weltwald Bad Grund im Naturpark Harz (Niedersachsen)

  • Cicada Shell on the Tree

  • Walking sticks chiseled with animal heads at Salar Jung Museum

  • Inside the honeycomb shaped library at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)

  • SAMSUNG Galaxy S22 Ultra DYNAMIC AMOLED DISPLAY RGB DOT MATRIX

2023 – May – Feather

The new challenge features Feathers

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 May 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. May 2023 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 5 days 0 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)


Examples

Entries

  • Ringed young sparrow hawks (Accipiter nisus). Location, Natuurterrein The Famberhorst in the Netherlands.

  • Victoria crowned pigeon

  • Grey Heron taking off

  • peacock

  • Mallard Duck on it's Nest

  • Mallard Duck

  • Paola Pivi’s feathered polar bear as part of the exhibition "We are animals" at Kunsthal Rotterdam 2021

  • three hens from behind

  • thumb

  • Swan feather floating on the water of the Baltic Sea (Grabower Bodden)

  • Colle Tsa Sètse in Cogne Valley (Italy) Geese high in the mountains.

  • Geese at the Kirbachhof, Ochsenbach, Germany

  • Featherlike clouds dancing over Læsø island, Denmark

  • Rooster with green and black feathers, Veßra Monastery Museum, Werratal, Germany

  • Feather of common gull, Ervik, Selje, Norway

  • Bird feather in the grass. Location, The Famberhorst.

  • Gocce di pioggia su una piuma

  • Sfumature di azzurro su una piuma di Ghiandaia (Garrulus glandarius)

  • Disegni marroni su una piuma

  • Detail of pale white dove feather - horizontal rhachis and gap between barbs - DSG2033-1 - 2021-04-04 (focus stack, HiRes)

  • Domestic goose (Anser anser domesticus) in the Schwetzingen palace garden

  • Two parrots (Ara ararauna) and (Ara chloroptera) in the beach bar of Cala Llombards

  • Blackbird ♂ (Turdus merula) at the cemetery of Nieblum

  • Chicken ♂ (Gallus gallus domesticus) in a pen

  • The Poultry Seller (detail) by Vincenzo Campi, Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera

  • am Hafen in Langenargen schwebt die weiße Feder

  • By hawk (Accipiter nisus) killed wood pigeon (Columba palumbus). Location, Natuurterrein The Famberhorst.

  • Hollandse Hout, nature reserve in Flevoland. swans.

  • Rooster tail feathers after the Russian missile attack

  • The crown of peacock

  • Black-faced bunting

  • Color riot

  • Close enough

  • In swag

  • Birds of the same feather flocked together

  • Spreading Wings

  • Writing on sun

  • Peacock tail

  • Huhn 2H1A9974WI

  • Eichelhäherfeder, 2020

  • Durch Ahornblatt gespießte Vogelfeder, Sachsen, Pirna, 2011

  • Schreibfeder auf Stehpult, Sachsen, Königstein (Sächsische Schweiz), 2009

  • Lachmöwe in Landeanflug

  • Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). Window victim. This kingfisher has flown against a window and has broken its neck. The bird is photographed on the spot where it was found and not moved. The photo has not been staged!

  • Two pigeon feathers

  • Three mallard (wild duck) feathers

  • The pigeon feather in hand

  • The pigeon ready to fly out

  • Detail of a peacock feather

  • Close up photo of a feather dropped likely by a duck in Maine

  • Solitary ear hoop in the shape of a dreamcatcher

  • Salmon flies on feather material

  • Cogne Valley (Italy) Chickens high in the mountains.

  • This Dead Rook (Corvus frugilegus ) has had a nasty death, confused between the branches of a Pinus.}}

  • A duck preening its feathers

  • A duck preening its feathers

  • A duck preening its feathers

  • A duck preening its feathers

  • Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) in Iguazu National Park (Argentina)

  • Amaraya dancer in a tobas, Sucre,Bolivia.

  • Bird standing on a pool of water

  • Indian peafowl, Villa Magnani, Italy

  • Une plume non identifiée trouvée à terre.

  • Green pheasant

  • Urban pigeons, Japan

  • Kostüm von Musikern mit Federn IMG 3881WI

  • A little egret (Egretta garzetta) shakes itself after preening

  • Hahnenfedern 2H1A9995WI

  • Feathers of a male common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), photographed on Spiekeroog, Germany

  • Feathers of a male common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), photographed on Spiekeroog, Germany

  • BLACK NECKED SWAN IN SHENHZHEN SAFARI PARK

  • Raven skeleton with feathers

  • Raven skeleton with feathers

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.


April 2023

Previous challenges

 


March 2023

Laundering: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Facade of a house
at 277, Fondamenta
Cavanella in Burano (Italy)		 Washing clothes in a open area Laundry lines in a
residential neighbourhood
in Venice, Italy
Author Ermell Pauloleong2002 Marc-Lautenbacher
Score 15 12 11
Hotels and Motels: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Ice-Hotel in Quebec Canada,
the only one in North America		 Spa at Tschuggen Grand Hotel The Dolder Grand, Zurich, Switzerland
Author Marc-Lautenbacher Roy Egloff Roy Egloff
Score 15 14 12

February 2023

Handles: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 2
image      
Title Handle of leather trunk
from the early 1900s		 Handle Of A Pots Lid Glättkelle mit
rotem Holzgriff
Author Mariojan photo OJjnr VSchagow
Score 14 8 8
Cruise ship: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 2
image      
Title Royal Clipper
sailing the Med		 cruise vessel
'Expedition' in Antarctica		 Cruise ships in
Geiranger Fjord, Norway
Author Cbuske46 Virtual-Pano Hgrobe
Score 26 10 10

January 2023

Ice: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title A growler became a sculpture wind-blown rime ice found
on a summit cross		 jogger crossing the icy right barrier
gate of the Jahnwehr weir in Bamberg, Germany
Author Virtual-Pano Roy Egloff Ermell
Score 19 18 15
Hospitals: Entries • Votes • Scores
Rank 1 2 3
image      
Title Hospital corridor in the
“Marienhaus Klinikum Hetzelstift“		 Hospital corridor covered
with Namib sand in ghost
town Kolmanskop, Namibia		 Ny del av Haukeland Universitetssykehus
fra Møllendal gravplass i Bergen
Author F. Riedelio Mozzihh Odd Roar Aalborg
Score 16 14 11

Previous years

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