Photo Contest Monthly Themes

BetterPhoto's photo contest is the most fun, most objective, and most inspiring photography contest on the Web.

And the incredible photo contest winners will inspire you to pick up your camera and head out photographing!

Each month, several categories will be a specific, new twist on an old theme. Other themes will remain more general.

Contest Theme Suggestions:

If you have ideas for upcoming specific contest themes, contact us and let us know your thoughts and suggestions.

CURRENT Categories: MAY 2024

  • Nature / Landscape
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques & Toy Camera Photography
  • Travel / Place
  • Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • AI and Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: APRIL 2024

  • Spring (Nature / Landscape)
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques & Toy Camera Photography
  • Travel / Place
  • Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • AI and Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: APRIL FOOL'S DAY 2024

  • Invisible Worlds (Nature/Landscape) - capture the elusive landscapes of imaginary planets or dimensions. Think along the lines of "the colors of the wind on Mars."
  • Mythical Creatures in Their Natural Habitat (Animals/Pets) - accepted subjects include dragons napping in their lairs or unicorns prancing through forests
  • Historical Figures' Selfies (People) - historical figures might have taken a selfie like this if they had smartphones. E.g. "Napoleon snapping a selfie at a battle".
  • Invisible Architecture (Elements of Design) - photograph structures that can't be seen with the naked eye, like the layout of internet data flowing through the air or the intricate framework of dreams. Accepted alternatives: photos that defy the laws of physics, like a waterfall flowing upwards or a car floating mid-air.
  • Time Warp (Techniques) - Photos that convey impossible moments, such as the break of dawn and twilight happening simultaneously in the same photo.
  • Fictional Destinations (Travel/Place) - shots of places from books, movies, or imagination. Entries could include "A day trip to Mordor" or "Weekend getaway at Hogwarts".
  • Emotional Blooms (Flowers/Still Life) - photos of flowers that don't exist but convey specific emotions through their imagined shapes and colors, such as "joy", "melancholy", or "surprise".
  • Microscopic Marvels (Details / Macro) - think patterns on a butterfly's wings as seen through an electron microscope.
  • Retro-Futurism (AI and Man-Made) - shots of modern tech as if it existed in the past, like a 1950s household with a vintage-style smart speaker, blending nostalgia with a twist of anachronistic technology.
  • Catch-All - Anything goes. Think "pets ruling the world" or "what if the sky was green?"

PAST Categories: MARCH 2024

  • Nature/Landscapes
  • Animals
  • People I Love
  • The Color Green (Elements of Design)
  • Techniques
  • I Want to Go To There (Travel/Place)
  • Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • AI and Man-Made
  • Catch-All

PAST Categories: FEBRUARY 2024

  • Nature/Landscapes
  • Animals
  • My Valentine (People I Love)
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • AI Self-Portraits and Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: JANUARY 2024

  • Nature/Landscapes
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • AI and Man-Made
  • Catch-All

CURRENT Categories: DECEMBER 2023

  • Nature/Landscapes
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • AI and Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: NOVEMBER 2023

  • Nature/Landscapes That Make Me Feel Grateful
  • Thank You for Animals
  • People I'm Grateful For
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Places I Love
  • Still-Life / Flowers I Appreciate
  • Small Things with Big Impact (Details / Macro)
  • Man-Made and AI
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: OCTOBER 2023

  • Nature/Landscapes
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • AI and Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: SEPTEMBER 2023

  • Nature/Landscapes
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Mimic Favorite Photo, Artwork, or Song (Techniques) - think of a famous photo or piece of art you love and recreate it photographically. Alternatively, express a favorite song photographically.
  • Travel / Place
  • Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • Back to School (Man-Made)
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: AUGUST 2023

  • Storms and Inclement Weather (Nature/Landscapes)
  • County and State Fairs (Animals) - Or animals you might see at an event like this.
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: JULY 2023

  • Nature
  • Animals
  • People
  • Leading Lines (Elements of Design) - lines ideally leading to a payoff or reward
  • Fireworks and Other Moving Subjects (Techniques) - intentional blur, ideally camera stationary, subject moving
  • Travel / Place
  • Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: JUNE 2023

  • Signs of Civilization (Nature/Landscapes) - Landscapes of nature with signs, bridges, roads, structures, etc.
  • Wildlife (Animals)
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Super Blooms (Flowers) - Sweeping views of superblooms OR incredibly beautiful blooming flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: APRIL 2022

  • Nature / Landscape
  • Animals
  • People
  • Framing in Photography (Elements of Design)
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Still-Life / Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: MARCH 2022

  • Nature / Landscape
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Quotes that Inspire or Make You Laugh (Techniques)
  • Travel / Place
  • Still-Life / Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: FEBRUARY 2022

  • Nature / Landscape
  • Animals
  • Selfies (People)
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Still-Life / Flowers
  • Fire or Ice (Details / Macro)
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: JANUARY 2022

  • Snow and White (Nature / Landscape)
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Black and White Photography (Techniques)
  • Travel / Place
  • Still-Life / Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • Food Photography (Man-Made)
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: DECEMBER 2021

  • Nature / Landscape
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Still-Life / Flowers
  • Holidays (Details / Macro)
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: NOVEMBER 2021

  • Fall Colors (Nature / Landscape)
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Still-Life / Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • Man-Made
  • Thank You (Catch-All - What are you grateful for? Describe your gratitude in the Photo Title or Description)

Past Categories: OCTOBER 2021

  • Nature / Landscape
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Remember When (Still-Life / Flowers)
  • Remember When (Details / Macro)
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: SEPTEMBER 2021

  • Nature / Landscape
  • Animals
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Still-Life / Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • Man-Made
  • Song, Book, or Movie Title (Catch-All - Got a fav book, song, or movie? Do a photo that represents it. Include title in the Photo Title or Description)

Past Categories: AUGUST 2021

  • Nature / Landscape
  • Dog Photography (Animals)
  • People
  • Elements of Design
  • Photography Tricks (Techniques - Looking for Super Cool Hacks... Tell us about it in the Description)
  • Subjects that begin with "B" (Travel / Place)
  • Still-Life / Flowers
  • Subjects that begin with "P" (Details / Macro)
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: JULY 2021

  • Photographing Water (Nature / Landscape)
  • Animals
  • People
  • Dynamic Diagonal Lines (Elements of Design)
  • Creative Aperture and F Stop (Techniques)
  • Travel / Place
  • Still-Life / Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: JUNE 2021

  • Nature / Landscape
  • Zoos (Animals)
  • Work or Leisure (People)
  • Elements of Design
  • Photography Tips (Techniques - Share a Tip with Your Peers in the Photo's Description)
  • Travel / Place
  • Still-Life / Flowers
  • Details / Macro
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: MAY 2021

  • Golden Hour (Nature / Landscape)
  • Animals / Pets
  • People
  • The Rule of Thirds (Elements of Design)
  • Techniques
  • Travel / Place
  • Still-Life / Flowers
  • Close-up of Eyes (Details / Macro)
  • Man-Made
  • Catch-All

Past Categories: APRIL 2021 (one month rest on the sub-themes)

Past Categories: MARCH 2021 (The Party Continues! Join us in celebrating BetterPhoto's 25th Anniversary on March 23rd)

Past Categories: FEBUARY 2021

Past Categories: JANUARY 2021

Past Categories: DECEMBER 2020

Past Categories: NOVEMBER 2020

Past Categories: OCTOBER 2020

Past Categories: SEPTEMBER 2020

Past Categories: AUGUST 2020

Past Categories: JULY 2020

Past Categories: JUNE 2020

Past Categories: MAY 2020

Past Categories: APRIL 2020

Past Categories: MARCH 2020

Past Categories: FEBRUARY 2020

Past Categories: JANUARY 2020

Past Categories: DECEMBER 2019

Past Categories: NOVEMBER 2019

Past Categories: OCTOBER 2019

Past Categories: SEPTEMBER 2019

Past Categories: AUGUST 2019

Past Categories: JULY 2019

Past Categories: JUNE 2019

Past Categories: MAY 2019

Past Categories: APRIL 2019

Past Categories: MARCH 2019

Past Categories: FEBRUARY 2019

Past Categories: JANUARY 2019

Past Categories: DECEMBER 2018

Past Categories: NOVEMBER 2018

Past Categories: OCTOBER 2018

Past Categories: SEPTEMBER 2018

Past Categories: AUGUST 2018

Past Categories: JULY 2018

Past Categories: JUNE 2018

Past Categories: MAY 2018

Past Categories: APRIL 2018

Previous Monthly Themes: March 2018 and Before
 
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