Enter These Clever Photo Challenges On 500px!

Participating in photo contests and challenges can help you improve your photography and your sense of confidence too. There are many types of photography contests and some of them come with monetary awards for winners. When it comes to 500px, their photo challenges are rather simple and user-friendly, you can submit more than one photograph and win a monetary award of $200 to $1000, depending on the theme and criteria.

I find their challenges very versatile and as a portrait photographer, I often submit my work whenever there's a challenge I can address well.

The following 5 photo quests are active now – feel free to check them out and submit your work in case they match your interests and style!

1. Windows From The Street

This is an excellent theme for street photographers as well as those that enjoy shooting architecture. The only requirement is that your images need to feature windows photographed from outside. Of course, the judges are looking for something extraordinary, so you have to pay attention to colors, perspective, lighting, and possibly storytelling.

The quest starts on Feb 24, 2022, and ends on Mar 25, 2022. The prize is $200.

2. Self-Portraiture

I'm sure this quest will have many contenders and the judges will probably have a hard time choosing the winner. Self-portraiture can be done in so many ways and it can be very close to abstract photography if you enjoy taking it to another level. It can also be conceptual, with a clear or hidden message – it is totally up to you! Smartphone self-portraits are also welcome.

This quest starts on Feb 17, 2022, and ends on Mar 18, 2022. The prize is $200.

3. Reimagining Mental Health: Commercial Grant

This quest is more serious – it aims at destigmatizing mental health through photography. The images should depict emotions in a powerful, impactful way as well as struggling with or overcoming various mental issues. It's also important to mention that these photos should look natural, with minimal editing.

The quest starts on Feb 15, 2022, and ends on Mar 08, 2022. In this quest, five photographers will be chosen as winners and they will each receive a $1,000 Commercial Grant to develop a series that will be featured on 500px.

4. Minimal Vibes

Minimalist photography might sound easy to capture, but it's more complicated than just using a lot of negative space around your subject and sticking to simple color schemes. You need to consider the nature of the subject meticulously as well as its relevance in the frame. Minimalism can be practiced in any genre of photography so your options are boundless.

The quest starts on Feb 10, 2022, and ends on Mar 11, 2022. The prize is $200.

5. Wide Angles

This quest is as straightforward as it gets – it applies to photographs taken with an 18-35mm lens or a fisheye lens. The genre doesn't matter much but typical contenders are landscape, street, and architectural photographs. It might be a great idea to surprise judges with a great wide-angle portrait!

The quest starts on Feb 03, 2022, and ends on Mar 04, 2022. The prize is $200.