Image Challenge Dates for 2026
| Month |
Theme |
Zoom Meeting - Digital Images Only |
Submission Deadline |
Club Night |
| January |
Street |
|
3-Jan-26 |
15-Jan-26 |
| February |
Black & White
|
|
7-Feb-26 |
19-Feb-26 |
| March |
Negative Space |
|
7-Mar-26 |
19-Mar-26 |
| April |
Macro
|
|
4-Apr-26 |
16-Apr-26 |
| May |
Shape with Light
|
*
|
9-May-26 |
21-May-26 |
| June |
Grunge |
|
6-Jun-26 |
18-Jun-26 |
| July |
Bokeh |
|
4-Jul-26 |
16-Jul-26 |
| August |
Steps or Stairs
|
* |
8-Aug-26 |
20-Aug-26 |
| September |
Reflections |
|
5-Sep-26 |
17-Sep-26 |
| October |
High Key |
|
3-Oct-26 |
15-Oct-26 |
Note:
- Meetings indicated with an asterisk (*) are Zoom meetings. Only digital images can be submitted for these competitions
- Submission deadline is 11.30 pm on the 'Submission Deadline' date listed above. This cutoff is enforced by Visual Pursuits and it is not possible to upload or change images after this time
Definition of Themes for 2026
At any of the monthly image challenges you may enter an image in the set theme competitions (print or digital competition) or you may enter an image in the open competitions (print or digital). Across all image challenges for the month, you may enter up to two images.
The themes are:
January - Street
A photographic practice of shooting people’s involvement in everyday life in everyday environments. Photographers typically aim to capture spontaneous moments in a candid state. Street photography is not directed or staged. Rather, it is unmediated and spontaneous.
Street photography is observation. It is a way of connecting with the world and bringing back the moments that stand out.
Street photography must include life, or evidence of life.
February - Black & White
Black and white photography is the art of using different tones of grey, ranging from white to black, to create compelling images. No colour should be included.
March - Negative Space
Negative space photography is related to minimalist photography. It emphasises not just the subject but also the empty space around the subject.
April - Macro
Macro photography is all about showcasing a subject larger than it is in real life — an extreme close-up of something small. If you do not have a designated macro lens, search Google for an alternative technique.
May - Shape with light
Shape your image by strategically using light and shadows. Use the direction and intensity of light to control light and shade within your image and to create distinct shapes and forms.
June - Grunge
Grunge photography is a style characterised by its gritty, raw and often melancholic aesthetic. The genre frequently incorporates elements of decay, texture, and a muted colour palette. All elements including overlays and textures must be your own work.
July - Bokeh
Bokeh refers to the way the lens renders out of focus points of light in an image. It can take on various shapes, often circular with highlights – it is the effect of a soft out-of-focus background that you get when shooting a subject, using a fast lens, at the widest aperture.
August - Steps or stairs
Any genre but the stairway must be the strong, unmistakable focal point of the image.
September - Reflections
Reflection photography involves photographing any kind of reflections. You can use common reflective surfaces resulting in a perfect reflection or murky reflections using less reflective surfaces thereby creating something new. The reflection may form the whole image or part of it but must be the unmistakable subject.
October - High Key
High key is a style of photography that uses unusually bright lighting to reduce or completely blow out dark shadows in the image.
November - End of Year