Symmetry Photography Competition (October 2026)

About this call

The Motif Collective's monthly photography competition for October 2026 takes Symmetry as its theme, inviting amateur and professional photographers worldwide to explore balance, repetition, reflection, structure, pattern and visual harmony. Entries are judged blind on creativity, composition, technical execution, visual impact and originality of vision. Cash awards go to the top three photographers and grow with the number of entries, up to $10,000: first place receives 25% of all entry fees in the theme, second 15% and third 10%. First place also receives a copy of ON1 Photo RAW, and each of the top three receives three Retouch4me retouching plugins. Winners are shown in The Motif Collective's Artists Showcase winners gallery and promoted on social media; winners are announced on 14 November 2026.

Who can apply

• Open to applicants of any nationality
• Medium: Photography
• Entry fee: See official site
• Open to amateur and professional photographers worldwide aged 18 or over; staff of The Motif Collective and their immediate family members cannot enter. Entry fees are listed in $ without a currency code: 1 entry $12, 2 entries $18, 3 entries $24, 4 entries $28, 5 entries $32, 6 entries $36. Entries must follow the theme; JPG or PNG, no larger than 10MB, no watermarks; files named in the form Your Name - Image Name. Images must be created from photographs taken by the entrant; AI images or AI parts worked into a photograph are not allowed, and you should keep the original file to prove authenticity. An image that won a Cash Award in a previous Motif Collective competition cannot win another. Each work must be your original work and you its sole copyright holder; you need the permission of any persons in it (a parent's or guardian's consent if under 16), and it must not identify celebrities or other public figures. Entries cannot be modified or removed once paid and uploaded; refunds are issued only before a competition has ended or if it is cancelled. Fees can be paid by credit or debit card, PayPal, Google Pay or Apple Pay. Winning and shortlisted works may be used, under a non-exclusive licence, to promote this and future contests. Cash awards are paid only by PayPal, with currency transfer fees possibly deducted, and winners have 45 days to provide a PayPal address or the award is forfeited. Taxes on any award are the winner's responsibility.