Commons:Photo challenge

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.

Skip to:

Contents
Challenges open for submission
Challenges open for voting
Previous challenges
Themes suggested for future challenges

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

Choose one or all of the current challenges
Read the challenge description(s), which may vary in their rules (e.g., some place restrictions on when the photos are taken)
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)
Upload your picture(s) during the challenge period
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.
Do not sign your submission(s)
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.

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
To submit pictures please follow this link

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
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.

April 2023

Looking up Baby farm animals

Previous challenges

March 2023

Laundering ->

**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

Hotel/Motel ->

**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

Commons:Photo challenge

Formal things

Table of contents

Contents

New media viewing experience

Challenges open for submission

2023 – May – Macro photography

Examples

Entries

2023 – May – Feather

Examples

Entries

Challenges open for voting

April 2023

Previous challenges

March 2023

February 2023

January 2023

Previous years

Navigation menu