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

2025 – August – Bark

The new challenge features Bark .

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 August 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. August 2025 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 12 days 0 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)

Examples

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Entries

Submit your photos

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  Tree with Mossy Bark in Richmond Nature Park
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  A tree with a pattern resembling a pensive face.
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  Wisteria trunk on a fence
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  Olea europaea in Rapolla (PT)
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  A tree at Alibag, Mumbai, Maharashta, India
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  A Neem Tree at Chennai, India.
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  A cut down tree without bark in mountain.
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  Mountain trail, sing in bark.
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  Cut down tree and bark.
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  Tree, bark, forest. Beskid Sądecki mountain range, Poland.
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  Overgrown living hollow willow (Salix). Location Natuurterrein The Famberhorst.
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  A burl on a sequoia, in Sequoia National Park (USA).
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  Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in Sequoia National Park (USA).
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  Coast Redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument (California).
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  A burl on a tree in Central Park (New York).
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  Climbing hydrangea trunk and tendrils growing against a brick wall.
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  Awaiting at the edge of a bark
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  Himalaya glancing through the barks of terrace railing
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  Tiny creature at tree bark
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  Tiny insect resting on tree bark
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  Tree leaning towards the end
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  Tree in sepia tone
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  Design generated by fungus on tree bark
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  Tree bark taken over by tiny insects
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  Water sprout of formosan gum trunk in the morning
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  Baum in Großpösna. Landkreis Leipzig in Sachsen.
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  American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) trunk and bark, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
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  Pine tree bark, Knoxille, Tennessee, USA.
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  Sequoiadendron giganteum (souches) Parc national de Kings Canyon Californie du sud.
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  Corteccia di una pianta di vite, parco di Villa Ruspoli a Vignanello (Viterbo)
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  Alles Natur
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  A tree stump
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  A tree stump
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  Green algae on tree bark
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  Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) bark and blooms in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
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  in der Streuobstwiese ist der Baum im Fokus, Pilze wachsen auf ihm und der Hintergrund zeigt die Weite der Wiese
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  am Max -Eyth See fotografiert an einem Februartag, die Farbenscala ist beeindruckend
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  das Monbachtal ist eine begehbare Schlucht mit einer zauberhaften Natur von Wald und Wasser
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  die Birke steht im Killesbergpark im Herbst im Farbenlicht der Astern
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  Strong ivy branches circling around this old oak, in Western France.
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  Alder (Alnus) in a flooded, frozen grassland. Location: De Famberhorst Nature Reserve.
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  Baumrinde. Aufgenommen am Schlossteich in Chemnitz. Sachsen.
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  Burnt bark of a Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) after a forest fire
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  Bark of a Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) with two knotholes
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  Bark with thorns of a white floss-silk tree (Ceiba insignis (Kunth) P.E.Gibbs & Semir) in the Botanical Garden of the University of Heidelberg
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  Bark of a European hop-hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia Scop.) in the Botanical Garden of the University of Heidelberg
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  Fossilised tree trunk (Molveno - Italy)
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  The rabbit's foot fern clinging to the bark of Bischofia javanica, photographed in Banqiao District, New Taipei City.
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  The tree taxon signs of roadside trees in Taipei City
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  A nature hiking experience and a visual memory
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  A railing grown into the trunk of a lime tree
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  Bark or upper tissue of a tree
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  Baumrinde. Aufgenommen in Waldenburg im Grünfelder Park.
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  healed defect in the bark of a birch tree
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  Tree bark and greenery
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  Birch forest
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  flaking bark on an deciduous tree
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  trunk of an cherry tree
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  Tronco de Árvore em 2025 no Parque Ibirapuera
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  Árvore Cortada no Parque Ibirapuera em 09 de agosto de 2025
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  Tronco de Árvore no Parque Ibirapuera em 2025, 09 de agosto
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  Tronco de Árvore no Parque Ibirapuera em 2025
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  Rinde Boskop-Apfelbaum
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  Tree - bark - hole
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  Trees in winter
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  Old tree
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  Axes on trunk of long fallen birch tree
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  Poplar bark
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  Kiss kiss
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  multiplied tree
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  Willow trees on the bank of the river Windrush at Witney, Oxfordshire, UK
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  Я хотел бы опираться о платан
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  Installation in bark
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  Bark as Artwork
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  Burl on an old birch tree
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  Arecaceae bark in Santa Barbara, California
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  Corteccia di un faggio, Faggeta vetusta del Monte Cimino (Viterbo)
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  Corteccia di un faggio caduto, colpito da funghi. Faggeta vetusta del Monte Cimino (Viterbo)
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  Бобры поработали
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  Наросты на английском клене
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  "Лохматая" береза. Нью-Джерси. США.
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  Дуб (Подмосковье)
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  Bark of Carambola Tree, Malaysia
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  Texture on bark
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  Bark of Mango tree
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  Felled sequoia tree, (Sequoiadendron giganteum), Heidelberg, D
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  Birch bark round dance, (Betula pendula), Læsø island, DK
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  Torn wild cherry bark, (Prunus avium), Königsstuhl, Heidelberg, D
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  Ginkgo foot in fall foliage, (Ginkgo biloba), Heidelberg, D
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  Symphonia globulifera in Gishwati
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  Bugs on a tree
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  Bugs on a tree
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  Chronoxyle in East cimetery at Lille, France.
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  A tree on a rainy day
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  A pine sawyer sits on cleared of bark section of a felled pine tree.
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  Русские сувениры - лапти из бересты.Традиционная обувь предков в России. Снято в Великом Новгороде на базаре.
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  Bark
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  Barks
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  Bark 114
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  Bark 113
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  Close up of birch bark, photo from nature preserve North of Stockholm
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  a timber train in Jyväskylä, Finland
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  Bark of an old oak tree
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  Small White Bell-Shaped Mushrooms on a dead tree in Parque Nacional Volcan Tenorio in Costa Rica
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  Tree on Lake Gunn Nature Walk in Fiordland National Park in Southland on South Island of New Zealand
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  Plane tree in city park in Neufeld an der Leitha, Austria
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  bark of a sycamore tree
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  bark of a tree with moss and mushrooms, seen in the New Forest
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  mushrooms on a trunk, seen in the New Forest, England
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  Andrews Mare, Lyndhurst, New Forest, Hampshire, England, UK
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  Tronco e corteccia di un albero Guayabo (Feijoa sellowiana) al Parco Torre di Lavello a Tuscania
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  Prunus zippeliana. The bark constantly peels off.
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  The tree taxon signs of roadside tree in New Taipei City
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  A red maple leaf on a fallen paper birch trunk
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  Trees wrapped with biodegradation tapes to prevent deer debarking damage in Japan
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  Ulmus parvifolia
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  Tree shot in Thessaloniki, Greece
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  Olive tree bark, shot in Halkidiki, Greece
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  Sun, sea and tree, shot in Halkidiki, Greece
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  Aftermath of a storm, shot in Halkidiki - Greece
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  Aristolochia arborea in tropical greenhouses in the Parc de la Tete d'Or in Lyon
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  Maclura pomifera in Parc de la Tete d'Or in Lyon, France
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  Acer opalus in Parc de la Tete d'Or in Lyon, France
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  Catalpa ovata in Parc de la Tete d'Or in Lyon, France
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  Barc of Coconut Tree at Oval Maida, Mumbai
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  Barc of Myrtaceae tree (planted in 1869) in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu
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  Felled-tree found in a city park, Belgium
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  Euphorbia in Nairobi National Park
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  To submit your photos please click here

2025 – August – Interior Home Decorations

The new challenge features Interior Home Decorations or interiors of houses and other residential buildings, contemporary or from the past.

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 August 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. August 2025 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 12 days 0 hours left before this challenge ends. (refresh)

Examples

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  building is a museum now but it was a home
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  malaysia. now a museum but shows what a home was like.
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  Japan
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  Japan
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  Canton
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  Turkey
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  India
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  Nepal
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  Estonia
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Entries

Submit your photos

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  Янтарная комната Екатерининского дворца, Санкт-Петербург.
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  Cupboard with lamps in the lobby of the ANA Hotel in Tokyo
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  Uma escrivaninha em uma casa, agosto de 2025
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  Itens de decoração de uma casa em 2025
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  Uma cozinha em uma casa no ano de 2025
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  Old heritage interior piece conserved at Museum 1
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  Old heritage interior piece conserved at Museum 2
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  Old heritage interior piece conserved at Museum 3
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  Old heritage interior piece conserved at Museum 4
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  Vestibule of a holiday home in Mallorca
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  Decoration in front of a window with ornamental glass
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  Chandelier
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  Christmas decoration
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  Colorful Interior of a dhaba style restaurant
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  Interior of a dining area
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  Interior of a house for rent
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  Green balcony with lower sitting
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  Contemporary blue and white bathroom.jpg
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  Sala della Trattoria del Cimino dal 1895, situata in un Palazzo degli Anguillara a Caprarola
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  Der Weiße Speisesaal im Katharinenpalast in Puschkin,St. Petersburg. Russland.
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  Inneneinrichtung. Burg Stolpen in Stolpen, Sachsen.
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  Interior design in the hallway of the Hotel Cabaña del Lago in Puerto Varas, Chile
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  Lobby at the Meliá Hotel Jinan
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  Home interiors style of a military family housing from the 1980s period at Air Force Sanchong 1st Village in New Taipei, Taiwan
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  Bedside chest decoration style of a military family housing from the Mid-20th century at ​Beitou Heart Village in Taipei, Taiwan
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  Interior, Amuri
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  Interior, Louhisaari
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  Decorative chandelier - Wilanów Palace; Poland
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  Decorative tiles - early 20th century; Lublin
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  Kitchen Reconstruction - Pieskowa Skała, Poland
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  Kitchen - equipment from the 80s; Poland
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  Интерьер в доме Н.И. Чичерина (Елисеевых) в Санкт-Петербурге. 2H1A4037WI
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  A family room interior decoration of 1940s style designed inside the Four Joined of Japanese-Style Residence at New Taipei City Gold Museum.
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  Menorah - a symbol used in Jewish cult art; Castle, Szydłowiec
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  Interior of the church in Stegna; Poland
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  Red pouf in the living room
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  Copper pots in the kitchen; restaurant, Warsaw
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  Черногория. Будва. Ресторан Vista
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  Покровский собор (Храм Василия Блаженного). Москва
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  Кремль в Измайлове. Москва
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  The lobby in Brosundet Hotel. Aalesund. Norway
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  Kitchen fireplace at the Gulf Station historic farm, Victoria
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  2nd floor of "Tour d'Argent" in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Vaucluse, France, with acces to the roof top
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  Wall decor with flowers
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  Wall decorated by sticker and lightened by lamps
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  A pattern used for interior designing
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  Former residence of Japanese novelist Ōgai MORI in Kitakyushu
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  The "Duke's study", interior of Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo Italy
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  A cozy corner at my home in Thessaloniki, Greece - rooster picture painted by my late mother
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  Il Castello Orsini-Odescalchi di Bracciano, presenta diverse sale arredate in stile storico. La sala del Letto Siciliano è arredata con un letto in ferro battuto di manifattura siciliana risalente al 1700
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  The guest house of Nikko botanical garden in Japan
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  Handmade custom brass pipe lamp
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  The Winter Garden, The Mariano Fortuny House Museum, Venice
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  The Village Market
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  To submit your photos please click here

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.

July 2025

• Waterside structures
• Vending machine

Previous challenges

June 2025

• One stands out -> Commons:Photo challenge/2025 - June - One stands out/Winners
• Vapor (Steam) -> Commons:Photo challenge/2025 - June - Steam/Winners

May 2025

Flowers: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	2	3
image
Title	Sunflower field in Burgundy	Waterlily	Hasenglöckchen eingerahmt
Author	Ibex73	Peterdownunder	Englandfan~commonswiki
Score	12	8	8

Flags: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	2	3
image
Title	Rettungsschwimmer im Parque Natural de Corralejo, Fuerteventura	Flag of Namibia on an airplane winglet	Paracadutista della Brigata Folgore con bandiera italiana sopra Livorno
Author	Fischer1961	Mozzihh	Marcxosm
Score	18	7	5

April 2025

Meadows: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	2	3
image
Title	A hill dream	Sunset over a green meadow with forest in foreground and layered mountain silhouettes in the distance, under a glowing orange sky.	Fioritura a Castelluccio di Norcia. Italia
Author	Anna.Massini	Martinovmejl	Repuli
Score	14	12	9

Camelidae: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	2	3
image
Title	Camel at toni's zoo - B&W	Kamel am Strand in Ägypten.	Ägyptische Motive mit Kamel. Strand des Grand Makadi Hotels am Roten Meer.
Author	Roy Egloff	Kora27	Kora27
Score	16	11	10

March 2025

Hiking: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	1	3
image
Title	Silhouette of a female hiker in front of the Massif du Mont-Blanc	A hiker on the last meters before reaching the summit of the Schneespitze in the Stubai Alps	A picture of three people hiking the path called "Dragon's Back" in Brecon, Wales. Taken by Lauren Moon in June of 2024.
Author	Stephan Sprinz	Milseburg	Lighting-design-lila
Score	15	15	11

Newspapers: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	2	3
image
Title	Newspapers are living history	Newspaper reader in Naples, Italy	Rolled up newspaper delivered to a home in Redan, Victoria.
Author	Sindugab	Mozzihh	Peterdownunder
Score	14	12	10

February 2025

Absence: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	2	3
image
Title	Absence of essence	Automatic river lighthouse. Yenisei River, Krasnoyarsk	Linden alley at Kalevankangas Cemetery in Tampere, Finland
Author	Tn.kuvat	VSerebrenikov	Xannima
Score	18	17	12

Healthy living: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	2	3
image
Title	Heal thy life.	Sun salutation for healthy living	Young athletic girl
Author	Tn.kuvat	Sneha G Gupta	VSerebrenikov
Score	12	11	10

January 2025

Leatherwork: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	2	2
image
Title	Tanners at work in one of the old tanneries of Fez, Morocco	Pilot with Leather Aviator Helmet	Handmade shoes
Author	Lusi Lindwurm	Roy Egloff	AK-Bino
Score	24	11	11

Ovals: Entries • Votes • Scores

Rank	1	2	3
image
Title	Horseshoe Bend (Arizona)	Underpass of Michelinstraße in Hallstadt	Fontana in un giardino storico in Roccalvecce (Viterbo)
Author	Gzzz	Ermell	Albarubescens
Score	15	12	11

Previous years

• Photo challenge in 2024
• 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