Commons:Photo challenge

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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.

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

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.

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 – September – Roof

The new challenge features Roofs.

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 September 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. September 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 15 days 6 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)

Examples

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Entries

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  Церковь Александра Невского: улица Энгельса, 62, Нижняя Салда, Свердловская область
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  Roof of Schloss Thun
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  Poulnabrone Dolmen with capstone
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  Borgund stave church, Norway
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  New Town Hall in Hannover
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  Церкви Кижского погоста, Кижи, Карелия, Россия.
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  Roof tiles in the churchyard of St Mary and St Chad's Church, Brewood
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  Roof of St Editha's Church, Tamworth
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  Aerial drone shot of Kobe City from above Mount Maya
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  im Hafen von Stuttgart an einer Anlegestelle steht das Fliegenpilz Dach
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  im Nymphenburg Park in München hängt das Vogelhäusle mit dem armseligen Dach
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  im Hafen von Stuttgart ein rostiges und morbides Dach
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  Das Zeltdach im Olympiastadion in München
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  Стереограмма здания в г. Мезень
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  Стереопара деревянной бани в д. Тимощелье
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  Деревянный частный дом в Мезени
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  Medieval Oratory, Co. Kerry, Ireland.
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  View from the Prague Castle.
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  Roof and tower of the Barbacane in Krakòw
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  Old sheep pen with overgrown roof in Bissel, Germany.
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  Sea of roofs in Favoriten, Vienna.
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  Uthland-Frisian house with thatched roof
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  Construction site at the cowl of a thatched roof
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  Roofscape of the Am Sande square in Lüneburg
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  Steep hipped roof of the salthouse in Wissembourg
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  Upper part and roof of a dilapidated construction shed on the Famberhorst.
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  Burgundian tower
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  Burgundian wash
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  The roofs of castel Haut-Koenigsbourg, France
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  Clay tile roofs at village side
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  Craft village entrance with thatched roof
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  Green roof of the birdhouse at the Lake
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  Tin roof reflecting on glass building at Vadodara
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  Copper shingle roof of Tamozawa Imperial Villa in Japan. The smoothly connected one-piece copper roof is one of the architectural features of this building.
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  The Rooftop covered by aves
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  Taklandskap i Loddefjord i Bergen sett mot Lyderhorn
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  Takmiljø i Balestrand i Sogn
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  Bergen, Norwegen. Von Oben gesehen.
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  Часовня. Церковь Михаила Архангела -в Волхове Лениградской области. Россия.
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  Соборная мечеть (купол) в Санкт-Петербурге, Россия 2H1A4289WI
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  Storm damage to garden shed due to uprooted oak tree.
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  Mosbach, Different shapes of roofs
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  90 years old tiled roof on wooden support in an abandoned school in Tamilnadu India
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  Coconut leaf thatched hut Tamilnadu,India
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  Hotel de Yama, Hakone, Japan
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  Seagull on a roof in Port Isaac, Cornwall, England
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  Thatched roof on the old forge in Cockington, Devon, England
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  Lichen-covered roof on a farmyard building in Gunwalloe Church Cove, Cornwall, England
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  House with thatched roof in Cadgwith, Cornwall, England
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  Grass covered roof, Switzerland
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  Alter Stadel im Antholzer Tal
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  Meran Schloss Trautmannsdf Kaktusanlage
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  Meran Schloss Trautmannsdf Kaktusanlage
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  A restaurant in Auroville
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  Nandi Hills Railway Station is over 100 years old
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  Ruin in Homene_Dessus,_Combellin,_Valle_d'Aosta.
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  Tipton Place cantilever barn roof in the Great Smoky Mountains
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  From rooftop of Far Eastern Mega Tower be southeast lookout to all the buildings rooftop or roof in New Taipei urban center.
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  Roof of the Carter Shields Log Cabin in Tennessee
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  Под стеклянной крышей в парке Зарядье. Москва.
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  ВТБ Арена (Стадион Динамо). Москва.
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  Центр художественного производства «Своды» в ГЭС-2 (вид сверху). Москва.
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  Любимое место для посиделок
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  Roof of a tugboat
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  Roofs in Salins-les-Bains, France
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  Roofs of beach huts in Mers-les-Bains, France
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  Lightweight roof construction Olympiastadion Munich
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  Hongfa Temple (Shenzhen)
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  Supraśl k-Białegostoku ul. 3-go Maja 13
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  Guciów koło Zwierzyńca_Polska
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  Kazimierz Dolny nad Wisłą_Rynek
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  Roofs of the castle in Malbork
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  Farmhouse in Stelvio National Park (Italy).
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  Beams of sunlight shoot through the clouds right above a student cafeteria hall in Chennai, India.
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  Cathédrale Saint-Nazaire Béziers (Hérault-34)
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  Halles Centrales de Béziers (Hérault-34)
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  Stade Raoul-Barrière Béziers (Hérault-34)
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  Galerie David d'Angers - Maine et Loire
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  A monkey (Macaca radiata) watches the sunset while sat on the roof of an on-campus student residence building in Chennai, India.
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  Milevsko (CZ, okres Písek), čp. 570, stodola, oprava krovu, parc. st. 547 (20210509)
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  The roofs of the old Zemun
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  Tetto di un gazebo coperto di piante e di muschio
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  Tetto di una piccola chiesa ricoperto di piante. Nel Giardino delle Peonie (Centro Botanico Moutan) a Pallone, frazione di Vitorchiano, Lazio
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  Okinawa Naha City Skyline Scenery from Shurijo castle park trail lookout, includes some buildings red roofs of Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts
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  Night scene of Taipei Music Center Performance Hall. That Outdoor lightings does able to play the light show on its roof surface in the evening.
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  Roofs of Torzhok
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  Outdoor elevated roof shelter in Banqiao Music park at night. It includes a digital clock
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  Altstadt Meißen, Dach Des Hauses Markt 3.
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  Solar panels on a church roof in Pleasant Hill, California
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  Metal_roof_in_Shimla_India
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  Eden Project, Cornwall hexagonal roof
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  Hiroshima castle in Hiroshima, Japan
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  Thatched roof of the hives in Open Air Museum, Villeneuve d'Ascq, (Fr)
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  Kazan roof of church from Ilimsk (Taltsy), (Ru)
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  To submit pictures please follow this link

2024 – September – Accessibility

The new challenge features Accessibility equipment and facilities or things designed to help people (or even animals) with disabilities.

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 September 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. September 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 15 days 6 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)

Examples

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Entries

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  Payphones placed at different heights, Japan
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  Swimming at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Paris_2024
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  Paralympics Paris_2024 visually impaired sprinters and their accompanying guides
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  Tactile model of the St. Anne church in Nikiszowiec, Kattowice, Poland
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  Foldable wheelchair ramp at citybus
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  Wheelchair Assistance in Railway Junction Trichy Tamilnadu India
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  Guide Zebra Crossing in New Taipei City ,Taiwan
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  Kassel kerbs of bus stop Hochheim am Main, Breslauer Ring, raised higher than comparable kerbs to diminish the gap between bus and platform even further.
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  Tactile paving in Tokyo Station, Japan. Unlike the floor signs for the people without visual impairment, the tactile paving indicate a jagged route.
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  Priority seat of JR Kyushu 811 series, Japan
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  Wheelchair racer during Paralympic Games 2024
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  Wheelchair racers during Paralympic Games 2024
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  Garage gate open_Lublin; Poland
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  Pedestrian crossing - please cross
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  Cycling along this path
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  Uuskasutuskeskuse ligipääs Tatari tänaval Tallinnas
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  Upper lift station, Acropolis of Athens
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  Percorsi per sedie a rotelle al Santuario della Verna
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  Altalena accessibile alle sedie a rotelle in un parco di Sigillo (Umbria)
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  Fare gates at Stevens MRT station in Singapore, including a wider gate for priority users
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  Priority seat sign label at Yui Rail train inside. Its vector icons has color filter effect.
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  Priority seat sign inside a metro train in Prospekt Mira station. Moscow (Russia)
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  Tactile paving at Ustka train station
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  Tactile map of Ustka train station
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  Tactile map of Ustka train station
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  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.

August 2024

• Dust
• Spice

Previous challenges

July 2024

• Manhole -> Commons:Photo challenge/2024 - July - Manholes/Winners
• Bread -> Commons:Photo challenge/2024 - July - Breads/Winners

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

• Photo challenge in 2023
• Photo challenge in 2022
• Photo challenge in 2021
• Photo challenge in 2020
• Photo challenge in 2019
• Photo challenge in 2018
• Photo challenge in 2017
• Photo challenge in 2016
• Photo challenge in 2015
• Photo challenge in 2014
• Photo challenge in 2013