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Featured picture candidates

Featured picture candidates are images that the community will vote on, to determine whether or not they will be highlighted as some of the finest on Commons. This page lists the candidates to become featured pictures. The picture of the day images are selected from featured pictures.

Old candidates for Featured pictures are listed here. There are also chronological lists of featured pictures: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and current month.

For another overview of our finest pictures, take a look at our annual picture of the year election.

Formal things

Nominating

Guidelines for nominators

Please read the complete guidelines before nominating.

This is a summary of what to look for when submitting and reviewing FP candidates:

  • Licensing – Images licensed with solely "GFDL" or "GFDL and an NC-only license" are not acceptable due the restrictions placed on re-use by these licenses.
  • Resolution – Raster images of lower resolution than 2 million pixels (pixels, not bytes) are typically rejected unless there are strong mitigating reasons. This does not apply to vector graphics (SVGs).
    • Graphics on Commons are not only viewed on conventional computer screens. They may be used in high-resolution print versions, and the images may be cropped to focus on portions of the image. See Commons:Why we need high resolution media for more information.
  • Scans – While not official policy, Help:Scanning provides advice on the preparation of various types of images that may be useful.
  • General quality – pictures being nominated should be of high technical quality.
  • Digital manipulations must not deceive the viewer. Digital manipulation for the purpose of correcting flaws in an image is generally acceptable, provided it is limited, well-done, and not intended to deceive.
    • For photographs, typical acceptable manipulations include cropping, perspective correction, sharpening/blurring, and color/exposure correction. More extensive manipulations, such as removal of distracting background elements, should be clearly described in the image text, by means of the {{Retouched picture}} template. Undescribed or mis-described manipulations which cause the main subject to be misrepresented are never acceptable. For images made from more than one photo, you can use the {{Panorama}} or {{Focus stacked image}} templates.
    • For historic images, acceptable manipulations might include digitally fixing rips, removal of stains, cleanup of dirt, and, for mass-produced artworks such as engravings, removal of flaws inherent to the particular reproduction, such as over-inking. Careful color adjustments may be used to bring out the original work from the signs of ageing, though care should be taken to restore a natural appearance. The original artistic intent should be considered when deciding whether it is appropriate to make a change. Edits to historic material should be documented in detail within the file description, and an unedited version should be uploaded and cross linked for comparison.
  • Value – our main goal is to feature most valuable pictures from all others. Pictures should be in some way special, so please be aware that:
    • almost all sunsets are aesthetically pleasing, and most such pictures are not in essence different from others,
    • night-shots are pretty but normally more details can be shown on pictures taken at daytime,
    • beautiful does not always mean valuable.
Artworks, illustrations, and historical documents

There are many different types of non-photographic media, including engravings, watercolors, paintings, etchings, and various others. Hence, it is difficult to set hard-and-fast guidelines. However, generally speaking, works can be divided into three types: Those that can be scanned, those that must be photographed, and those specifically created to illustrate a subject.

Works that must be photographed include most paintings, sculptures, works too delicate or too unique to allow them to be put on a scanner, and so on. For these, the requirements for photography, below, may be mostly followed; however, it should be noted that photographs which cut off part of the original painting are generally not considered featurable.

Works that may be scanned include most works created by processes that allow for mass distribution − for instance, illustrations published with novels. For these, it is generally accepted that a certain amount of extra manipulation is permissible to remove flaws inherent to one copy of the work, since the particular copy – of which hundreds, or even thousands of copies also exist – is not so important as the work itself.

Works created to serve a purpose include diagrams, scientific illustrations, and demonstrations of contemporary artistic styles. For these, the main requirement is that they serve their purpose well.

Provided the reproduction is of high quality, an artwork generally only needs one of the following four things to be featurable:

  • Notable in its own right: Works by major artists, or works that are otherwise notable, such as the subjects of a controversy.
  • Of high artistic merit: Works which, while not particularly well known, are nonetheless wonderful examples of their particular type or school of art.
  • Of high historic merit: The historical method values very early illustrations of scenes and events over later ones. Hence, a work of poor quality depicting a contemporaneous historical event can be nonetheless important, even if the artistic merit is relatively low. Likewise, scans or photographs of important documents – which may not be at all artistic – nonetheless may be highly valuable if the documents are historically significant. The reason for the image's historical importance should be briefly stated in the nomination, for those reviewers unfamiliar with the subject.
  • Of high illustrative merit: Works that illustrate or help explain notable subjects, for instance, illustrations of books, scientific subjects, or technical processes. The amount of artistic merit required for these will vary by subject, but, for instance, an illustration that makes the working of a complicated piece of machinery very clear need not be notable as a piece of artwork as well, whereas an illustration for a book might well be expected to reach much higher artistic standards.

Digital restorations must also be well documented. An unedited version of the image should be uploaded locally, when possible, and cross-linked from the file description page. Edit notes should be specified in detail, such as "Rotated and cropped. Dirt, scratches, and stains removed. Histogram adjusted and colors balanced."

Photographs

On the technical side, we have focus, exposure, composition, movement control and depth of field.

  • Focus – every important object in the picture should normally be sharp.
  • Exposure refers to the shutter diaphragm combination that renders an image with a tonal curve that ideally is able to represent in acceptable detail shadows and highlights within the image. This is called latitude. Images can be on the low side of the tonal curve (low range), the middle (middle range) or high side (upper range). Lack of shadow detail is not necessarily a negative characteristic. In fact, it can be part of the desired effect. Burned highlights in large areas are a distracting element.
  • Composition refers to the arrangement of the elements within the image. The "Rule of thirds" is one useful guideline. Horizons should almost never be placed in the middle, where they "cut" the image in half. Often, a horizon creating a top or bottom third of the space works better. The main idea is to use space to create a dynamic image.
    • Foreground and background – foreground and background objects may be distracting. You should check that something in front of the subject doesn't hide important elements and that something in background doesn't spoil the composition (for example that the streetlight doesn't "stand" on someone's head).
  • Movement control refers to the manner in which motion is represented in the image. Motion can be frozen or blurred. Neither one is better than the other. It is the intention of representation. Movement is relative within the objects of the image. For example, photographing a race car that appears frozen in relation to the background does not give us a sense of speed or motion, so technique dictates to represent the car in a frozen manner but with a blurred background, thus creating the sense of motion, this is called "panning". On the other hand, representing a basketball player in a high jump frozen in relation to everything else, due to the "unnatural" nature of the pose would be a good photograph.
  • Depth of field (DOF) refers to the area in focus in front of and beyond main subject. Depth of field is chosen according to the specific needs of every picture. Large or small DOF can either way add or subtract to the quality of the image. Low depth of field can be used to bring attention to the main subject, separating it from the general environment. High depth of field can be used to emphasize space. Short focal length lenses (wide angles) yield large DOF, and vice versa, long focal lenses (telephotos) have shallow DOF. Small apertures yield large DOF and conversely, large apertures yield shallow DOF.

On the graphic elements we have shape, volume, color, texture, perspective, balance, proportion, noise, etc.

  • Shape refers to the contour of the main subjects.
  • Volume refers to the three dimensional quality of the object. This is accomplished using side light. Contrary to general belief, front lighting is not the best light. It tends to flatten subject. Best light of day is early morning or late afternoon.
  • Color is important. Oversaturated colors are not good.
  • Texture refers to the quality of the surface of the subject. It is enhanced by side lighting… it is the "feel" to the touch.
  • Perspective refers to the "angle" accompanied by lines that disappear into a vanishing point that may or may not be inside the image.
  • Balance refers to the arrangement of subjects within the image that can either give equal weight or appear to be heavier on one side.
  • Proportion refers to the relation of size of objects in picture. Generally, we tend to represent small objects small in relation to others, but a good technique is to represent small objects large contrary to natural size relationship. For example, a small flower is given preponderance over a large mountain…. This is called inversion of scales.
Not all elements must be present. Some photographs can be judged on individual characteristics, that is, an image can be about color or texture, or color AND texture, etc.
  • Noise refers to unwanted corruption of color brightness and quality and can be caused by underexposure. It is not a desirable quality and can be grounds for opposition.
  • Symbolic meaning or relevance … Opinion wars can begin here … A bad picture of a very difficult subject is better than a good picture of an ordinary subject. A good picture of a difficult subject is an extraordinary photograph.
Images can be culturally biased by the photographer and/or the observer. The meaning of the image should be judged according to the cultural context of the image, not by the cultural context of the observer. An image "speaks" to people, and it has the capacity to evoke emotion such as tenderness, rage, rejection, happiness, sadness, etc. Good photographs are not limited to evoking pleasant sensations …

You will maximise the chances of your nominations succeeding if you read the complete guidelines before nominating.

Video and audio

Please nominate videos, sounds, music, etc. at Commons:Featured media candidates.

Set nominations

If a group of images are thematically connected in a direct and obvious way, they can be nominated together as a set. A set should fall under one of the following types:

  • Faithful digital reproductions of works notable in their own right, which the original author clearly intended to be viewed as a set. Examples: pages in a pamphlet, crops (puzzle pieces) of a prohibitively large scan, a pair of pendant paintings. Not acceptable: Arbitrary selection of sample works by an artist.
  • A sequence of images showing the passage of time. They could depict frames of a moving/changing object or a static object during different times of day or different seasons. Examples: diagrams illustrating a process, steps of a dance, metamorphosis of an insect, maps/drawings/photos of the same subject over the years (frame of view should be more or less the same).
  • A group of images depicting the same subject from different viewpoints, preferably taken under the same lighting conditions when possible. Examples: Exterior and interior of a building, different facades of a building, different interior views, obverse and inverse of a banknote/coin. Not acceptable: A selection of different rooms in a skyscraper, the facade of a church plus an organ, any images of fundamentally different scopes.
  • A group of images which show all possible variations of a particular class of object. Examples: Male and female versions of an animal (preferably in the same setting), all known species of a genus. Not acceptable: A few breeds of cats (unless they share a defining characteristic and represent all possible examples of that).


Adding a new nomination

If you believe that you have found or created an image that could be considered valuable, with appropriate name, quality, image description, categories and licensing, then do the following.

Step 1: copy the image name into this box, after the text already present in the box, for example, Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:Your image filename.jpg. Then click on the "create new nomination" button.

All single files:

For renominations, simply add /2 after the filename. For example, Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:Foo.jpg/2

All set nomination pages should begin "Commons:Featured picture candidates/Set/", e.g. "Commons:Featured picture candidates/Set/My Nomination".


Step 2: follow the instructions on the page that you are taken to, and save that page.

Step 3: manually insert a link to the created page at the top of Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list: Click here, and add the following line to the TOP of the nominations list:

{{Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:Your image filename.jpg}}

Galleries and FP categories: Please add a gallery page and section heading from the list at Commons FP galleries. Write the code as Page name#Section heading. For example: Commons:Featured pictures/Sports#Individual sports An image will only appear ONE time in the galleries. After a successful nomination, the image can be placed in several of the Featured pictures categories.

Optional: if you are not the creator of the image, please notify them using {{subst:FPC-notice|Your image filename.jpg}} -- ~~~~.

Note: Do not add an 'Alternative' image when you create a nomination. Selecting the best image is part of the nomination process. Alternatives are for a different crop or post-processing of the original image, or a closely related image from the same photo session (limited to 1 per nomination), if they are suggested by voters.

Voting

Editors whose accounts have at least 10 days and 50 edits can vote. Everybody can vote for their own nominations. Anonymous (IP) votes are not allowed.

You may use the following templates:

  • {{Support}} ( Support),
  • {{Oppose}} ( Oppose),
  • {{Neutral}} ( Neutral),
  • {{Comment}} ( Comment),
  • {{Info}} ( Info),
  • {{Question}} ( Question),
  • {{Request}} ( Request).

You may indicate that the image has no chance of success with the template {{FPX|reason - ~~~~}}, where reason explains why the image is clearly unacceptable as a FP. The template can only be used when there are no support votes other than the one from the nominator.

A well-written review helps participants (photographers, nominators and reviewers) improve their skills by providing insight into the strengths and weaknesses of a picture. Explain your reasoning, especially when opposing a candidate (which has been carefully selected by the author/nominator). English is the most widely understood language on Commons, but any language may be used in your review. A helpful review will often reference one or more of the criteria listed above.

Unhelpful reasons for opposing include:

  • No reason
  • "I don't like it" and other empty assessments
  • "You can do better" and other criticisms of the author/nominator rather than the image

Remember also to put your signature (~~~~).

Over time, featured picture standards change. It may be decided that for some pictures which were formerly "good enough", this is no longer the case. This is for listing an image which you believe no longer deserves to be a featured picture. For these, vote:

Text to use Displays as Meaning
{{Keep}}  Keep It deserves to remain a featured picture.
{{Delist}}  Delist It does not deserve to be a featured picture anymore.

This can also be used for cases in which a previous version of an image was promoted to FP, but a newer version of the image has been made and is believed to be superior to the old version, e.g. a newly edited version of a photo or a new scan of a historical image. In particular, it is not intended for replacing older photos of a particular subject with newer photos of the same subject, or in any other case where the current FP and the proposed replacement are essentially different images. For these nominations, vote:

Text to use Displays as Meaning
{{Keep}}  Keep Do not replace the old image with the new image as a FP.
{{Delistandreplace}}  Delist and replace Replace the current FP with the proposed replacement.

If you believe that some picture no longer meets the criteria for FP, you can nominate it for delisting, copying the image name into this box, after the text already present in the box:


In the new delisting nomination page just created you should include:

  • Information on the origin of the image (creator, uploader);
  • A link to the original FP nomination (it will appear under "Links" on the image description page);
  • Your reasons for nominating the image and your username.

After that, you have to manually insert a link to the created page at the top of Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list.

As a courtesy, leave an informative note on the talk page(s) of the original creator, uploader(s), and nominator with a link to the delisting candidate. {{subst:FPC-notice-removal}} can be used for this purpose.

General rules

  1. The voting period is 9 complete days counted from the nomination. After the end of this period the result will be determined. Votes added on day 10 and after are not counted.
  2. Nominations by anonymous contributors are welcome.
  3. Contributions to discussion by anonymous contributors are welcome.
  4. Only registered contributors whose Commons accounts have at least 10 days and 50 edits can vote. Exception: registered users can always vote in their own nominations no matter the account age and number of edits.
  5. Nominations do not count as votes. Support must be explicitly stated.
  6. Nominators and authors can withdraw their nominated pictures at any time. This is done by adding the following template: {{Withdraw}} ~~~~. Also, remember that if more than one version is nominated, you should explicitly state which version you are withdrawing.
  7. Remember, the goal of the Wikimedia Commons project is to provide a central repository for free images to be used by all Wikimedia projects, including possible future projects. This is not simply a repository for Wikipedia images, so images should not be judged here on their suitability for that project.
  8. Rules of the 5th day based on vote counts on day number 5 (day of nomination + 5):
    1. Pictures are speedy declined if they have fewer than two support votes.
    2. Pictures are speedy promoted if they have 10 support votes or more and no oppose votes. (Note that if it takes more than five days to reach this threshold, the picture can be promoted as soon as it is reached.) This does not apply to nominations containing at least one ‘Alternative’ image – because it is possible that another image can overtake the one in the lead during the last days, such nominations are never closed early.
    3. Once either speedy criterion is reached, the voting period is considered closed, and no more votes may be added.
  9. Pictures tagged {{FPX}} may be removed from the list 24 hours after the tag was applied, provided there are no support votes other than that of the nominator.
  10. Pictures tagged {{FPD}} (FP-Denied) may be removed from the list 24 hours after the tag was applied.
  11. Only two active nominations by the same user (that is, nominations under review and not yet closed) are allowed. The main purpose of this measure is to contribute to a better average quality of nominations, by driving nominators/creators to choose carefully the pictures presented to the forum.

Featuring and delisting rules

A candidate will become a featured picture in compliance with following conditions:

  1. Appropriate license (of course)
  2. At least seven  Support votes (or 7  Delist votes for a delist) at the end of nine days
  3. Ratio of supporting/opposing votes at least 2/1 (a two-thirds majority); same for delist/keep votes
  4. Two different versions of the same picture cannot both be featured, but only the one with higher level of support, as determined by the closer. Whenever the closer is not sure which version has consensus to be featured, they should attempt to contact the voters to clarify their opinions if not clear from the nomination page.
  5. Only two active delisting nominations per user, which is in addition to the limit of two active regular nominations.

The delisting rules are the same as those for FPs, with voting taking place over the same time period. The rule of the 5th day is applied to delisting candidates that have received no votes to delist, other than that of the proposer, by day 5.

The FPCBot handles the vote counting and closing in most cases, current exceptions are candidates containing multiple versions of the image as well as FPXed and withdrawn nominations. Any experienced user may close the requests not handled by the bot. For instructions on how to close nominations, see Commons:Featured picture candidates/What to do after voting is finished. Also note that there is a manual review stage between when the bot has counted the votes and before the nomination is finally closed by the bot; this manual review can be done by any user familiar with the voting rules.

Above all, be polite

Please don't forget that the image you are judging is somebody's work. Avoid using phrases like "it looks terrible" and "I hate it". If you must oppose, please do so with consideration. Also remember that your command of English might not be the same as someone else's. Choose your words with care.

Happy judging… and remember… all rules can be broken.

See also

Table of contents

List may contain works considered Not Safe for Work (nudity).

Nominators are requested, out of courtesy, to include the {{Nsfw}} template with such images. Users may select the gadget in user preferences "Deferred display of images tagged with {{Nsfw}} on COM:FPC" to enable the template's effect of hiding the image until selected.

Refresh page for new nominations: purge this page's cache
Shortcut

File:Asian green bee-eater in Baruipur January 2025 by Tisha Mukherjee 01.jpg

Voting period ends on 29 Aug 2025 at 08:53:45 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Merops orientalis

File:20230131 Munich Waldfriedhof 24.jpg

Voting period ends on 29 Aug 2025 at 08:26:11 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Detailed view of the grave of Michael Ende on the Munich Woodland Cemetery, Germany

File:Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) at Nairobi Snake Park 3.jpg

Voting period ends on 29 Aug 2025 at 03:58:56 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Boomslang on branch

File:Adelsdorf Schloss Neuhaus Luftbild-20240526-RM-155817.jpg

Voting period ends on 28 Aug 2025 at 20:53:14 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Neuhaus Castle in Adelsdorf, Bavaria, Germany; aerial view

File:UpsideDown Marseille.jpg

Voting period ends on 28 Aug 2025 at 19:18:23 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Upside down - Marseille

File:Self-portrait of Nadar.jpg

Voting period ends on 28 Aug 2025 at 17:11:25 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Self-portrait of the pioneering photographer Nadar

File:Eastern kingbird immature (52388).jpg

Voting period ends on 28 Aug 2025 at 14:12:35 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Juvenile eastern kingbird

File:Zaden van een Allium (sierui) die rijpen. 10-07-2025. (d.j.b).jpg

Voting period ends on 28 Aug 2025 at 04:28:38 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

SHORT DESCRIPTION

File:Papiones de Anubis (Papio anubis), parque nacional del lago Nakuru, Kenia, 2024-05-18, DD 39.jpg

Voting period ends on 27 Aug 2025 at 17:31:01 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Olive baboons (Papio anubis), Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

File:ETH-BIB-Heim, Albert (1849-1937)-Portrait-Portr 00851.jpg

Voting period ends on 27 Aug 2025 at 16:13:22 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Albert Heim was a Swiss geologist and glaciologist

File:People watching Mass outside of church due to COVID-19 restrictions, Igreja de São João Baptista, Tomar, Portugal julesvernex2.jpg

Voting period ends on 27 Aug 2025 at 14:50:05 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

People watching Mass outside of church due to COVID-19 restrictions, church of São João Baptista, Tomar, Portugal

File:Heterohyus nanus (TMP 2009.003.0057), Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, Alberta, 2025-07-13.jpg

Voting period ends on 27 Aug 2025 at 13:18:39 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Heterohyus nanus fossil

File:Blick von der Bastei am Rotenfels.jpg

Voting period ends on 27 Aug 2025 at 12:43:30 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

The Rotenfels, the valley of the Nahe and Ebernburg, seen from the viewpoint Bastei

File:033 Golden jackal in Keoladeo National Park Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg

Voting period ends on 27 Aug 2025 at 05:49:55 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Golden jackal in Keoladeo National Park

File:Monarch butterfly male (52341).jpg

Voting period ends on 27 Aug 2025 at 01:46:31 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Monarch butterfly on Tithonia

File:Crocodylus moreletii, Balancan, 2025 p1.jpg

Voting period ends on 27 Aug 2025 at 00:41:07 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Crocodylus moreletii

File:Кудрявый пеликан. Озеро Караколь, Мангистау.jpg

Voting period ends on 26 Aug 2025 at 22:09:33 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Dalmatian pelican in Karakiya-Karakol sanctuary. Karakiya District, Mangystau District, Kazakhstan.

File:Bombae performing during Queens and Kings of Pride, Windsor-Essex Pride Fest, 2025-08-09 40.jpg

Voting period ends on 26 Aug 2025 at 20:46:01 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Bombae performing during Queens and Kings of Pride, Windsor-Essex Pride Fest, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 2025-08-09

File:Goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia) on African daisy (Arctotis), Ponte de Sor, Portugal (approx. GPS location) julesvernex2.jpg

Voting period ends on 26 Aug 2025 at 18:39:10 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Goldenrod crab spider focus stack

File:Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) female ventral Hrdovicka.jpg

Voting period ends on 26 Aug 2025 at 14:06:30 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) female

File:Erice Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista BW 2025-04-30 12-31-24.jpg

Voting period ends on 26 Aug 2025 at 13:19:51 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Male and female Plum-headed parakeets eating in Jim Corbett National Park Photos by Giles Laurent

Voting period ends on 26 Aug 2025 at 10:35:18 (UTC)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page

  • Male Plum-headed parakeet
    Male Plum-headed parakeet
  • Female Plum-headed parakeet
    Female Plum-headed parakeet

File:Домовый сыч. Сова в каньоне урочища Бозжыра. 01.jpg

Voting period ends on 26 Aug 2025 at 10:32:43 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Little owl in Zhabaiushkan sanctuary. Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan.
Definitely. Wolverine X-eye 14:45, 17 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@Charlesjsharp, Crisco 1492, and Wolverine X-eye: as far as I know, "little owl" is an English species name for Athene noctua. And the photograph was categorised with «Quality images of Athene noctua», so IMO doubling it with the category of just the species wasn't necessary. Anyway, I appreciate the creation of the species category for Kazakhstan by Cmao20. Красный wanna talk? 21:30, 17 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
«Quality images of Athene noctua» is a Commons hidden category. The species category added is good. Charlesjsharp (talk) 15:08, 18 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

File:Nikola Tesla, with his equipment EDIT.jpg (delist and replace)

Voting period ends on 26 Aug 2025 at 08:40:02
Famous photograph of Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla Better version restored by Bammesk

File:Kruger National Park (ZA), Giraffe -- 2024 -- 0431.jpg

Voting period ends on 26 Aug 2025 at 08:00:07 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Giraffe, Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, South Africa

File:Gallina de Guinea (Numida meleagris), parque nacional del lago Nakuru, Kenia, 2024-05-18, DD 40.jpg

Voting period ends on 26 Aug 2025 at 05:49:43 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris), Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

File:Bombae performing during Queens and Kings of Pride, Windsor-Essex Pride Fest, 2025-08-09 20.jpg

Voting period ends on 26 Aug 2025 at 01:41:12 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Indian-Canadian drag queen Bombae performing in 2025

File:The Giant 'Uj and the Prophets Moses, Jesus and Muhammad - Khalili Collection Islamic Art.jpg

Voting period ends on 25 Aug 2025 at 21:58:00 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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The Giant 'Uj and the Prophets Moses, Jesus and Muhammad

File:Messier 24 (infrared, red, green).jpg

Voting period ends on 25 Aug 2025 at 05:04:29 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Small Sagittarius Star Cloud (in infrared, red, and green, mapped to RGB).

File:Fawn-breasted brilliant (Heliodoxa rubinoides aequatorialis) in flight Paz de las Aves 2.jpg

Voting period ends on 24 Aug 2025 at 16:26:07 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Fawn-breasted brilliant (Heliodoxa rubinoides aequatorialis)

File:Porsche 356 B Classic-Gala 2021 1X7A0119.jpg

Voting period ends on 24 Aug 2025 at 11:42:02 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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SHORT DESCRIPTION
The FP guidlines mention 'typical acceptable manipulations' but don't yet say anything on AI as far as I can see. Should they? Charlesjsharp (talk) 12:59, 16 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
The rules don't need to mention it specifically since almost anything you do with a photo is actually AI. If you stack, merge, clone, make panos, fix perspective, sharpen, denoise, etc. in a program, you are already using AI. --Cart (talk) 14:32, 17 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps for today's programs; I don't know. But I use Photoshop CS6 from 2012 for cropping, rotating, cloning, filling, lifting shadows, reducing highlights, adjusting tone, colour, saturation and exposure. I use Topaz Photo AI for denoise and sharpen. Charlesjsharp (talk) 13:33, 18 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
With respect Cart, this isn’t true at all. Pattern matching algorithms existed long before AI. When you use a photo editing application to stack, merge, clone etc. you are using prewritten algorithms to perform specific tasks. There is no AI involved because regular computing is reliant upon pre-determined instruction, and it will only produce a result if you, or the software designer, have told it exactly how to achieve said result. You are only using AI if your algorithm recursively improves itself based on large data sets. The issue with using AI in photo editing is that it hides the nature of the algorithms it uses from us (as well as the privacy and intellectual property implications of the data sets being sourced from other people’s original content). Cmao20 (talk) 15:12, 17 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, there were program performing these tasks before AI came along. But how do we know that today's programs actually still use pattern matching algorithms for these tasks when AI is available and integrated in programs to work on photos. AI is not restricted to just some areas of a program any longer. The only way to be sure you are not using AI, is to use an old version of an editing program like the Photoshop Elements 7.0 that you bought on a disc and that I still keep on my computer just for fun. But more to the point, why should removing/replacing/cloning something with AI be treated any different from sharpening and enhancing photos with programs like Topaz, that's just as much use of AI. AI is a tool, it's as simple as that. It's what we do with the tools we have that might be up for discussions, not what tool we use. As an artist, I could remove the people in this photo using only an old version of Microsoft Paint. Is that more ethical than removing them using AI? --Cart (talk) 15:29, 17 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
 Comment Thanks for all your reviews and your discussion. I decided to don't change anything in the composition. I like the guys with their outfit; moreover they might walk away from the vintage car into the present. For sure, the flying bugs make the background a bit uneven, but hey, it was a nice summer day and as Cart says, they are alive. Let's see, if the composition works for more reviewers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alexander-93 (talk • contribs)
In my opinion it would not be ethical to remove the people in this picture by any means, whether by traditional cloning or by a software package that uses AI. Sometimes you just have to accept reality. The picture is good, and may be FP for some reviewers, but unfortunately that means it is not FP for me. Cmao20 (talk) 18:46, 17 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for going with that it's not AI per se, but what we do with it that matters. --Cart (talk) 19:18, 17 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

File:20250412 Blauer Pendelturm Norbert Radermacher 01.jpg

Voting period ends on 24 Aug 2025 at 08:28:48 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Blue Pendulum Tower by Norbert Radermacher in Pasing-Obermenzing, Munich, Germany

File:Farol da Barra em Salvador - WikiCon Brasil 2025 1.jpg, not featured

Voting period ends on 24 Aug 2025 at 02:00:27 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Barra Lighthouse in Salvador - WikiCon Brasil 2025
Confirmed results:
Result: 1 support, 5 oppose, 0 neutral → not featured. /-- Radomianin (talk) 06:10, 20 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Voting period ends on 24 Aug 2025 at 01:55:56 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Exterior of Municipal Chamber of Porto Alegre, front facade, at the main entrance, via 255 Avenida Loureiro da Silva
Confirmed results:
Result: 15 support, 0 oppose, 0 neutral → featured. /-- Radomianin (talk) 06:08, 20 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
This image will be added to the FP gallery: Photo techniques/Styles and Techniques#Abstract

File:Haltern am See, Westruper Heide, Besenheide -- 2025 -- 8735.jpg

Voting period ends on 20 Aug 2025 at 16:49:10 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Westruper Heath in the early morning during the heather blossom season, Haltern am See, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
  • Thanks for your comment. To capture a plant in nature completely in focus, the aperture must be closed relatively wide. However, this means that more of the surroundings will also be in focus. It's important to find a good compromise. I would have liked to open the aperture even further, but then too much of the image would have been out of focus. Nevertheless, I sharpened the top of the plant a little at your suggestion. --XRay 💬 04:05, 12 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  •  Support I think the point for me is that this is an artistic composition, not a species-identification photograph. We are supposed to be attracted to the curve of the plant and the triptych of colours - blue, green, purple - arranged in three bands one above the other. This effect works well for me, and it means that I am not too bothered that the plant is not all in focus. Cmao20 (talk) 12:54, 13 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  • Thank you for your review and your assessment. I'm pleased that you described my intention so well. I am primarily interested in a beautiful photo and therefore the aesthetics are in the foreground. That doesn't work for all photos, but for many. I also don't look to see if a photo is missing from Wikipedia. That doesn't interest me at all. Species or any other detailed classification is rather unimportant - even if I do my best here. The branch stood out cheekily and offered itself as the main motif. The rather insignificant, minimal blurring at the tip is not significant and is not even noticeable in the resolution. --XRay 💬 17:32, 13 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

File:Apis mellifera in Sundarbans National Park May 2025 by Tisha Mukherjee 01.jpg

Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes.Voting period ends on 20 Aug 2025 at 09:16:54 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Apis mellifera


Timetable (day 5 after nomination)

Fri 15 Aug → Wed 20 Aug
Sat 16 Aug → Thu 21 Aug
Sun 17 Aug → Fri 22 Aug
Mon 18 Aug → Sat 23 Aug
Tue 19 Aug → Sun 24 Aug
Wed 20 Aug → Mon 25 Aug

Timetable (day 9 after nomination, last day of voting)

Mon 11 Aug → Wed 20 Aug
Tue 12 Aug → Thu 21 Aug
Wed 13 Aug → Fri 22 Aug
Thu 14 Aug → Sat 23 Aug
Fri 15 Aug → Sun 24 Aug
Sat 16 Aug → Mon 25 Aug
Sun 17 Aug → Tue 26 Aug
Mon 18 Aug → Wed 27 Aug
Tue 19 Aug → Thu 28 Aug
Wed 20 Aug → Fri 29 Aug

The bot

Note that the description below is for manual closure, this is mostly not needed anymore as there exists a bot (FPCBot) that counts the votes and handles the process below. However after the bot has counted the votes a manual review step is used to make sure the count is correct before the bot again picks up the work.

Manual procedure

Any experienced user may close requests.

  1. In Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list click on the title/link of the candidate image, then [edit].
    Add the result of the voting at the bottom (on a new line with a space first)
    {{FPC-results-reviewed|support=x|oppose=x|neutral=x|featured=("yes" or "no")|gallery=xxx (leave blank if "featured=no")|sig=~~~~}}
     (for example see Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:The Bridge (August 2013).jpg). See also {{FPC-results-reviewed}}.
  2. Also edit the title of the candidate image template and add after the image tag featured or not featured – for example:
    === [[:File:XXXXX.jpg]] ===
    becomes
    === [[:File:XXXXX.jpg]], featured ===
  3. Save your edit.
  4. If it is featured:
    • Add the picture to the list of the four most recently featured pictures of an appropriate gallery of Commons:Featured pictures, list as the first one and delete the last one, so that the number is four again.
    • Also add the picture to the appropriate gallery and section of Commons:Featured pictures, list. Click on the most appropriate link beneath where you just added it as one of the four images. An image should only appear ONE time in the galleries. After a successful nomination, the image can be placed in several of the Featured pictures categories.
    • Add the template {{Assessments|featured=1}} to the image description page.
      • If it was an alternative image or part of a set nomination, use the com-nom parameter. For example, if File:Foo.jpg was promoted at Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:Bar.jpg, use {{Assessments|featured=1|com-nom=Bar.jpg}}
      • If the image is already featured on another Wikipedia, just add featured=1 to the Assessments template. For instance {{Assessments|enwiki=1}} becomes {{Assessments|enwiki=1|featured=1}}
    • Add the picture to the chronological list of featured pictures. Put it in the gallery using this format: File:xxxxx.jpg|# '''Headline'''<br>created by [[User:xxxxx|xxxxx]], uploaded by [[User:xxxxx|xxxxx]], nominated by [[User:xxxxx|xxxxx]]
      • The # should be replaced by 1 for the first image nominated that month, and counts up after that. Have a look at the other noms on that page for examples.
      • You may simplify this if multiple things were done by the same user. E.g.: File:xxxxx.jpg|# '''Headline'''<br>created, uploaded, and nominated by [[User:xxxxx|xxxxx]]
    • Add == FP promotion ==
      {{FPpromotion|File:XXXXX.jpg}} to the talk page of the nominator. For set nominations, use:
      == Set Promoted to FP ==
      <gallery>
      File:XXXXXX.jpg
      File:XXXXXX.jpg
      </gallery>
      {{FPpromotionSet2|YYYYY}}      , using the names of the set files instead of the XXXXXX and the title of the set instead of YYYYY.
    • Add == FP promotion ==
      {{FPpromotedUploader|File:XXXXX.jpg}} to the talk page of the user who has uploaded the image, if that user is not the same as the nominator.
    • Add == FP promotion ==
      {{FPpromotedCreator|File:XXXXX.jpg}} to the talk page of the creator, if the author is a different Commons user than nominator and uploader.
  5. As the last step (whether the image is featured or not; including {{FPX}}ed, {{FPD}}ed and withdrawn nominations), open Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list, click on [edit], and find the transclusion of the nomination you've just finished closing. It will be of the form:
    {{Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:XXXXX.jpg}}
    Copy it to the bottom of Commons:Featured picture candidates/Log/August 2025), save that page, and remove it from the candidate list.

Closing a delisting request

  1. In Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list click on the title/link of the candidate image, then [edit].
    Add the result of the voting at the bottom (on a new line):
    {{FPC-delist-results-reviewed|delist=x|keep=x|neutral=x|delisted=yes/no|sig=~~~~}}
    (for example see Commons:Featured picture candidates/removal/File:Ensifera ensifera (22271195865).jpg)
  2. Also edit the title of the delisting candidate image template and add after the image tag
    delisted or not delisted
    For example:
    === [[:File:XXXXX.jpg]] === becomes === [[:File:XXXXX.jpg]], delisted ===
  3. Move the actual template from Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list to the bottom of the actual month page on Commons:Featured picture candidates/Log/August 2025.
  4. If the outcome was not delisted, stop here. If it is delisted:
    1. Remove the picture from Commons:Featured pictures, list and any subpages.
    2. Edit the picture's description as follows:
      1. In the {{Assessments}} template on the image description page, change featured=1 to featured=2 (do not change anything related to its status in other featured picture processes). If the image description page uses the old {{Featured picture}} template, replace it by {{Assessments|featured=2}}.
      2. Remove the image from all categories beginning with "Featured [pictures]" (example: Featured night photography, Featured pictures from Wiki Loves Monuments 2016, Featured pictures of Paris).
      3. Remove the "Commons quality assessment" claim (P6731) "Wikimedia Commons featured picture" from the picture's Structured data.
    3. Add a delisting-comment to the original entry in chronological list of featured pictures in bold-face, e. g. delisted 2007-07-19 (1-6) with (1-6) meaning 1 keep and 6 delist votes (change as appropriate). The picture must not be removed from the chronological list.
  5. If this is a Delist and Replace, the delisting and promotion must both be done manually. To do the promotion, follow the steps in the above section. Note that the assessment tag on the file page and the promotion tag on the nominator's talk page won't pick up the /replace subpage that these nominations use.

Manual archiving of a withdrawn nomination

  1. In Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list click on the title/link of the candidate image, then [edit].
    In the occasion that the FPCbot will not mark withdrawn nominations with a "to be reviewed" template and put them in Category:Featured picture candidates awaiting closure review just like if they were on the usual list, put the following "no" template:
    {{FPC-results-reviewed|support=X|oppose=X|neutral=X|featured=no|gallery=|sig=--~~~~}}
  2. Also edit the title of the candidate image template and add after the image tag
    not featured
    For example:
    === [[:File:XXXXX.jpg]] ===
    becomes
    === [[:File:XXXXX.jpg]], not featured ===
  3. Save your edit.
  4. Open Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list, click on [edit], and find the transclusion of the nomination. It will be of the form:
    {{Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:XXXXX.jpg}}
    Copy it to the bottom of Commons:Featured picture candidates/Log/August 2025), save that page, and remove it from the candidate list.
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