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 – 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 8 days 5 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)

Examples

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Entries

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  Canada jay flying away, Yellowstone National Park
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  White stork flying over a Dutch meadow
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  Wolf in captivity in a free roaming area in Tierpark Sababurg, Hessen, Germany
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  European Beewolf - the female wasp in flight carrying between her legs a a honey bee that she had paralyzed, Bordeaux, France.
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  Jammer at a Flat Track Roller Derby Meet Organized by Charm City Roller Girls
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  DescriptionBlurred grape (Vitis vinifera) by panning (turning the camera around the optical axis)
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  Panning of circles in the spectral colors
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  Blurred sunflower (Helianthus annuus) by panning (zooming during exposure)
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  Blurred Japanese anemone (Anemone hupehensis) by panning (zooming during exposure)
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  Cascade en Irlande
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  Moulin - Pays Bas
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  Cycling
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  Moscow "Electrobus" in movement, departing from a bus stop
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  A rainy day on the highway
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  A Roman in a hurry in Nimes
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  Falling drops of water in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains near Rathen
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  Grandfather and granddaughter swinging - jumping off
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  Panning Photography for the warning road sign of speed camera at Km 102.9 of Taiwan National Freeway 1 .
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  Opposite Directions
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  Night driver
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  Rainy day on Paris.
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  Chalte chalte - at the sea shore of Gopalpur on sea
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  Run little lady run - at the Dangs, Gujarat
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  Flying egret with its kill at Gomati ghat, Dwarka, Gujarat
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  Train in transit at Vadodara railway station
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  Ambulance responding to a call in Osaka, Japan
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  Giochi di luce di una lampada solare
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  Flying on the swing
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  Japan Freight Railway Company's container car Koki 104
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  Auto auf der Straße in Sachsen.
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  Motorradfahrer auf der Straße in Sachsen.
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  Volkswagen Auto auf der Straße in Sachsen.
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  Motorradfahrer auf der Straße in Sachsen.
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  Light effects
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  Jeux de lumière avec des lampadaires
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  Feu de joie chez Zingaro
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  Immeuble dans la nuit
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  Circuit de Fontange - Salon de Provence
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  Circuit de Fontange - Salon de Provence
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  Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
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  Gorges de la Fou
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  road bike racer - 01
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  Fiori di Gypsophila paniculata e frutti di Silene in un piccolo portaafiori
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  motor scooter
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  Panning shot of man wearing a black suit, holding an iced coffee, while riding on an electric skateboard
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  Example of panning in photography.
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  Strada provinciale Rocca Romana Sutri (Viterbo), imbiancata da una leggera nevicata
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  Abstract picture with rotating tree
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  Show of the great African ballets (2017) Villeneuve-d'Ascq.- France
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  Outdoor karting
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  Dies ist ein Beispiel für eine vertikale Kamerabewegung. Das Bild zeigt ein paar Bäume.
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  Dies ist ein Beispiel für eine Kamerabewegung. Das Bild zeigt ein paar Bäume.
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  Amateur car racing at a former airfield
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  Amateur car racing at a former airfield
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  Panning Photography for Soap Bubble.
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  Water taxi on the Mekong, in Laos, near Pak Beng.
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  Show of the great African ballets (2017) Villeneuve-d'Ascq.- France
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  Preparation of almond paste dessert biscuits with a sprinkling of icing sugar
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  New York Marathon
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  Ebisu Skywalk, moving sidewalk at Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan.
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  Slow shutter shot toward the ocean is like panning photography with cameraon on the cruise oceanview room at midnight
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  Dies ist ein Beispiel für eine Kameradrehung
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  Sentiero nel bosco di castagni a Monte Rocca Romana in autunno
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  Dusting of Raffiolini biscuits
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  American windmill in De Alde Feanen.
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  Capturing the Garba vibes
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  Just about to move
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  At poise and panning
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  Walking man captured at old city area of Mandavi - Vadodara
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  Motorcycle on Seoulgyo(서울교), Seoul, South Korea
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  Toyota Crown (S200) China Spec on Shenzhen, China
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  Camera in Motion
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  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 8 days 5 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)

Examples

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Entries

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  Sidewalk in Krkonoše National Park, Czech Republic.
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  Ein Gehweg in der Innenstadt]]
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  Bird dealers sitting on the sidewalk under their bird cages, Hanoi, Vietnam
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  Busy pedestrians on the sidewalk in Windhoek-Katutura
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  Walking the dog: A Pomeranian (German Zwergspitz) next to his owner's feet on the pavement in La Rochelle
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  Large dancing polar bear figure on a sidewalk in La Rochelle
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  Decorative sidewalk separation with fishing net weights in Hindeloopen.
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  Gehweg in Lößnitz, Erzgebirgskreis. Sachsen.
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  Петровская набережная Невы в Санкт-Петербурге, Россия.
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  Barrage de Parmoins, Sagy, France
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  Main Street sidewalk, Purcell, Oklahoma.jpg
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  Nakanohashi Bridge, Kitakyushu City, Japan
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  Three men walking in the rain on Kantstraße
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  crossing of steep cobblestone streets
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  A line of dog paw prints in the new concrete of a sidewalk
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  A film canister with the film end exposed lies on the edge of a sidewalk
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  Stone bench by sidewalk, Southbridge, MA
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  Taking a selfie on the pavement in front of the Tower of London
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  Walkway in Mendrisio with Good Friday decoration
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  A footpath in the Temple Quarter in Dublin in the rain
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  The famous sculpture of Molly Malone at the former position on the sidewalk of Grafton street in Dublin
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  Princeton, West Virginia
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  Sidewalk of pedestrian bridge in Xizhi Dist., New Taipei City.
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  Side walk of Mysuru palace India
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  Empty sidewalk
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  Detail of a sidewalk in Prague - Vinohrady, with hydrant cover and tactile paving stripes
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  Going to school in the rain
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  Walking in Sesto Calende
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  Rain in Comacchio
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  On_the_bridge_sidewalk
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  A walker
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  Pedestrian crossing from the sidewalk in Canberra, Australia, during a thunderstorm
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  Lighted sidewalk through Sakura Village at night
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  Sidewalk on Smolnaya Embankment
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  Gehweg in East Harlem, New York, 1969
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  Wandeln, Dinieren, Shopping im Arkadengang, Turin, Italien
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  Zwei Gehwege in schmaler Gasse, Heidelberg-Altstadt, D
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  Gehweg entlang der früheren Teststrecke, Lingotto, Turin, I
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  Cobblestone sidewalk
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  Cobblestone sidewalk with autumn leaves
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  Sidewalk on the beach of Colònia de Sant Jordi in Mallorca
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  View through a narrow sidewalk
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  Philosopher's Walk, in Kyoto (Japan)
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  Beverage vending machines in Nara (Japan)
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  A street of Namba (Osaka, Japan)
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  Mirror effects at the Tokyu Plaza shopping center (Harajuku, Tokyo)
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  Walkway in resort park, Shklo, Ukraine
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  Walkway in resort park, Shklo, Ukraine
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  A sidewalk in a port near Quartu, Sardinia
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  Bookstores on the sidewalks of Paris
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  Autumn sidewalk in the city. Poland; Lublin
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  Walking in the winter on the sidewalk in the city Lublin
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  Pavement for pedestrians in Lublin
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  Pedestrian walkway in the Old Town of Lublin
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  A scenic sidewalk inside of an old factory
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  Sunrise at sidewalk from Akota bridge
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  Sunrise at sidewalk 2
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  Just before the sunrise at sidewalk of Akota bridge
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  A woman walks on a sidewalk in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco
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  Walkway at Brookside in Bakewell, Derbyshire, England
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  Walkway at the beach of Conil de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain
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  Walkway on the harbour quay in Hugh Town, Scilly Islands, Cornwall, England
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  Walkway along the river Rhine in Speyer
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  Los Angeles.- Mosaic-How-We-Got-Here-at-Kodak-t-Babylon-court, USA
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  Trompe l'oeil sur trottoir à Béziers (34)
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  Trompe l'oeil sur trottoir à Béziers (34)
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  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.
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  Susaki Bridge, Fukuoka, Japan
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  Nakanohashi bridge in Kitakyushu City, Japan
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  Pavement along the wall of the New Jerusalem Monastery.
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  Zug, Switzerland
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  Street view of Naha Kokusai Street in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture in summer.
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  Sidewalk in front of town hall in Ustka with a time capsule for the descendants to enjoy 2018 artefacts in 2118
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  Verso il Castello dei Conti Guidi a Poppi, con uguali impressioni e nostalgie
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  Way around Kodaikanal Lake
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  painting on Pavement
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  View of the Praha Ruzyně Remand Prison, Czech Republic
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  Benches at the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Lysá nad Labem, Czech Republic
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  On sidewalk of Via dei Fori Imperiali, Roma, Italy.
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  Sidewalk on street in Kond, old quarter of Yerevan.
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  Former Jewish cemetery in Mnichovo Hradiště, Czech Republic
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  sidewalk with pigeons
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  Pig on the sidewalk
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  Тротуар в осенних листьях ...
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  Ограждение
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  Тротуар на набережной в Тель-Авиве
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  Night shot of sidewalk at London Circuit, Canberra, Australia.
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  Geheweg zum Ostseestrand in Zempin. Landkreis Vorpommern-Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Deutschland.
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  Sidewalk of the Tiflisskaya Street
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  Sidewalk of the Palace Embankment near the Summer Garden
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  Wanderweg zu den Krokuswiesen in Drebach. Erzgebirgskreis, Sachsen.
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  Quarrier Street, Charleston, WV
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  Уютный цветочный двор в центре г. Пенза
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  Street painter in Leipzig
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  Lungolago dei Platani a Trevignano Romano
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  Lungolago a Trevignano Romano
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  sidewalking in the water
• File:Sidewalk inside the lake by the Grey-headed swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus).jpg
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  Sidewalks of city center of Bamberg
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  Sidewalk in front of Bamberger Hof
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  Through the sidewalks of the old city of Bamberg
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  War wagons on the way
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  Ulica w Sopocie.
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  Pathway to an unknown destination
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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.

October 2024

• Blue and Yellow
• Recycling

Previous challenges

September 2024

Roofs: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	2	3
image
Title	Altstadt Meißen, Dach Des Hauses Markt 3.	Workers re-doing the artistic roof line on a thatched cottage	Holzschindeldach des Frohnauer Hammer (Sachsen)
Author	Kora27	Cbuske46	YvoBentele
Score	19	18	8

Accessibility: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	2	3
image
Title	Fare gates at Stevens MRT station in Singapore, including a wider gate for priority users	Wheelchair ramp, Confey Railway Station, Ireland.	Wheelchair racer during Paralympic Games 2024
Author	S5A-0043	Leimanbhradain	Ibex73
Score	9	9	8

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

• 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