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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 – May – Wave

The new challenge features Waves.

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 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 8 days 1 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)


Examples


Entries

  •  
    Building near the Luka metro station in Prague, Czech Republic
  •  
    Voilent waves in twilight
  •  
    Welle mit Luftblasen am Strand vor einem Sonnenuntergang
  •  
    Waves on stormy Baltic Sea at a beach near Zingst, Germany
  •  
    Residential buildings "Bølgen" (the wave) near harbour of Vejle, Denmark
  •  
    Very uniform waves in calm water on lake Savalen, Norway
  •  
    Fisherman in shallow water at Anse Nord d'Est, Mahé, Seychelles
  •  
    Wader on a beach in Co. Kerry, Ireland.
  •  
    Sunset at Juhu Beach
  •  
    Waves at Juhu Beach
  •  
    Ocean waves at El Chorro beach, Maldonado, Uruguay
  •  
    Dancing house and Rašínovo nábřeží in Prague, Czech Republic
  •  
    Kinetic Head of Franz Kafka in Prague, Czech Republic
  •  
    Kinetic Head of Franz Kafka in Prague, Czech Republic
  •  
    Eine Welle mitten im Meer
  •  
  •  
    the moment look of dirty water splash is likes a sea wave
  •  
    Wave on pier, Co. Kerry, Ireland.
  •  
    Israel. Dead sea
  •  
  •  
    Gakh region, Akhar-Bakhar range in April
  •  
    Lake Huron
  •  
    Ocean wave in Narragansett, Rhode Island
  •  
    Sunset at Galveston Beach, Texas with Pleasure Pier in the distance
  •  
    Sunset at Holland Beach, Michigan
  •  
    Waves crashing on rocks at Windansea Beach, San Diego, California
  •  
    Giornata di nuvole ad agosto al lago
  •  
    Water drops create waves
  •  
    Перевёрнутая лодка и снежные волны
  •  
    A small branch floats in the water on small waves
  •  
    Eurasian coot
  •  
    Two forms of wave propagation are created by water movement due to ducks or ships and current obstacles at Kiel Fjord, Baltic Sea
  •  
    Ripple pattern created by waves on the seabed which becomes visible at low tide
  •  
    Interference pattern on the sea surface at sunset
  •  
    Circular waves caused by swimming movements of two common Moorhens
  •  
    Waves breaking on rocks at Teluk Cempedak beach, Malaysia
  •  
    Fireflies strobe lights and tourists moving shadow with artificial of light pollution.
  •  
    Sea waves
  •  
    Circular waves
  •  
    Riding on standing waves
  •  
    Arch bridge on Godavari river as seen from Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, India.
  •  
    The temple town of Annavaram in Andhra Pradesh, India, is on the banks of river Pampa.
  •  
    A cloudy sunset at Gandipet lake in Hyderabad, India.
  •  
    Breaking waves on the North Sea coast
  •  
    Standing wave in the Breitach
  •  
    Wave-shaped shadows cast on a curtain
  •  
    Bread knife with serrated blade
  •  
    A beach in Şile, İstanbul, Türkiye
  •  
    Wall art at IIIT Hyderabad
  •  
    A wave painted with a white neon lamp in a flashlight, city beach in Płock, Poland.
  •  
    Two rainbows in the sky of Tehran
  •  
    Into The Sea
  •  
    Seagulls on a Lake
  •  
    Waterfall on Strelna River
  •  
    Gentle breeze
  •  
    Визуализация сферической волны
  •  
    Il Demone Alato in tufo facente parte della tomba etrusca dei Demoni Alati, Parco archeologico del Tufo a Sovana.
  •  
    Tide rip on White Sea. Nosok cape, Turiy peninsula.
  •  
    Traces of waves gently touching the beach, Stokken, Læsø
  •  
    Sea surf at rocks, Outer Hebrides, Scotland
  •  
    Snow covered gras shaped by the wind
  •  
    Bud waves of barge on evening transport trip, Heidelberg
  •  
    Ripple marks in the sand
  •  
    Through the rough sea waves
  •  
    Silhoute at the Arabian Sea
  •  
    Evening prayers by the Sea
  •  
    Hantes river in Beaumont (Belgium).
  •  
    Снежные волны 01
  •  
    Снежные волны 02
  •  
    Снежные волны 03
  •  
    Kozu, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan
  •  
    Cold waters of Saint Petersburg 1
  •  
    Cold waters of Saint Petersburg 2
  •  
    Storm in Alushta
  •  
    Manhole cover in Saint Petersburg
  •  
    Rolling shutter effect of vibrating cello strings
  •  
    A wave in wood
  •  
    Waves of the Baltic Sea
  •  
    sea in kerala
  •  
    Motorship on Amur river
  •  
    Ripples on a buoyed lake
  •  
    Waving through
  •  
    Tiny boat riding the Waves
  •  
    The calm sea
  •  
    Arrangements for watching the waves
  •  
    Eurasian coot
  •  
  •  
    Ripples on the surface of a quarry pond
  •  
  •  
    Mare di fronte a Seccheto (Campo nell'Elba), Isola d'Elba
  •  
    G. Courbet, The Wave, detail, Scottish National Gallery
  •  
    Волны на песчаном дне
  •  
    Water Rippling Rock on Asphalt Road
  •  
    Waves at Manginapudi Beach located in Bandar
  •  
    Boats, waves and wind turbines share the horizon in Katwijk Aan Zee, NL.
  •  
    The Wave by Camille Claudel in Musée d'Art et d'Industrie de Roubaix.
  •  
  •  
    Diffrazione delle luci di un albero di natale, viste attraverso il velo di una tenda
  •  
    Water waves at marina beach
  •  
    Tower Links Golf Club Ras AlKhaimah
  •  
    Wave and foam in Le Croisic
  •  
    Port Saint-Michel in Batz-sur-Mer
  •  
    Port Saint-Michel in Batz-sur-Mer
  •  
    Sunset in Batz-sur-Mer
  •  
    Waves at the hydroelectric power station Niedernach-Kraftwerk at Walchensee, Bavaria
  •  
    Waves crashing at Raven's Nest, Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park, Maine
  •  
    To submit pictures please follow this link

2024 – May – Pet

The new challenge features Pets, pet care and pet equipment.

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 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 8 days 1 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)


Examples

Entries

  •  
    British blue male cat, Prague, Czech Republic
  •  
    Dog waste can, Switzerland
  •  
    Grey cat resting on the windowsill
  •  
    Banded mangoose as a pet playing with a tourist in Omaruru Game Lodge, Namibia
  •  
    Relaxed dog lying in castle courtyard of Schloss Fürsteneck, Germany
  •  
    Dog on sailing boat on Holmenfjorden near Brønnøya, Norway
  •  
    Dog with self-sewn doublet in Assisi, Italy
  •  
    Cat house at the Egyptian Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey
  •  
    A kitten in Uçhisar, Turkey
  •  
    Dog sleeping outside Sultan Han in Sultanhanı, Turkey
  •  
    A cat sleeping on a grave at the cemetery at the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul
  •  
    Wengernalp Railway, Switzerland
  •  
    Dinner time
  •  
    Cat licking water
  •  
    A female fancy bearded dragon (pogona) in the grass
  •  
    A Miniature Pinscher (Zwergpinscher) looking out of a window
  •  
    Miniature Pinscher male puppy
  •  
    Portrait of a male Miniature Pinscher dog
  •  
    Striped field mouse as a pet
  •  
    Striped field mouse in a wheel
  •  
    Cat lolling lazily on the red sofa
  •  
    Cat enjoying the sun between daisies
  •  
    Innocent Look
  •  
    Getting out to play
  •  
    A fluffy cat with long hair is perched on a brown couch
  •  
    Domestic guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) as a pet
  •  
    Chocolate Labrador (Canis lupus familiaris) as a pet
  •  
    House cat (Felis catus) as a pet
  •  
    Domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus) as a pet
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
    Il nostro anziano carlino sul passeggino perchè non più in grado di camminare
  •  
    Our pet is gazing out for long time
  •  
    Глаза
  •  
    Неслышная поступь
  •  
    Ronald
  •  
    Профиль
  •  
    Westie dog enjoying the sunshine
  •  
    Portrait of a Westie
  •  
    Smiling ET the Pomerarian
  •  
    ET the Pomerarian
  •  
    Немецкая овчарка в луже
  •  
    Йоркширский терьер на дороге
  •  
    Сторожевой пёс
  •  
    Домашняя утка на террасе
  •  
    Puppies Showdown
  •  
    Curious puppy
  •  
    Puppy of Labrador Retriever
  •  
    Labrador Retriever Lady
  •  
    A pet cat prepares to ride in the passenger seat of a car.
  •  
    A pet Guinea Pig.
  •  
    A picture of a monkey at the lekki reservation centre,Lagos,Nigeria.
  •  
    Two dogs reciprocating their friendship
  •  
    The simple play of a puppy chewing a blade of grass
  •  
    Catnapping rural Tom
  •  
    My buddy is a Parrot
  •  
  •  
  •  
    A pair of bulbuls
  •  
    Where to
  •  
    My taste my choice
  •  
    Enjoying at our own shelter
  •  
    Cat warming over a radiator
  •  
  •  
    Australian Shepherd under a Juniper tree
  •  
    Gattina che guarda attraverso lo specchio
  •  
    Vorwerk and brahma hens
  •  
    Small land turtle eating apples
  •  
    Black cat with white whiskers
  •  
    WHATCHA DOIN
  •  
    EARNED REST
  •  
    ATTENTION HOG
  •  
    French bulldog in front of a cafe in Paris
  •  
    Australian Shepherd Dog
  •  
  •  
  •  
    Cat playing guard
  •  
    Big dog with an angry expression
  •  
  •  
    A pet Tanimbar corella In a bird cage named Charlie
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
    A Pet Cat with Heterochromia
  •  
    这是一只重点色英短小猫
  •  
  •  
  •  
    16 year old American Cocker Spaniel, Rascal Dmitri, at sunset
  •  
    Close up view of male tuxedo kitten playing around on grass in the morning
  •  
    Süße Katze leckt Pfote im Regal
  •  
    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 2024

Previous challenges

 


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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