Rules and judging
The short version: one free photo a month, taken on your phone, judged head to head by people who don't know who took it.
- Does it cost anything to enter?
- No. Entering, voting and winning are free — no purchase is necessary. Free accounts enter 1 photo a month; Pro ($4.99/month) enters 3 and gets a critique of each. Paying never changes how a photo is judged.
- How are photos judged?
- Head to head. Voters see two photos from the same division, without titles or names, and pick the stronger one. Each result moves both photos' scores (the chess rating method): beating a strong photo counts more than beating a weak one.
- Who wins?
- When the month closes, each division's photos are ranked by score. A photo needs at least 5 head-to-head votes to place. The top three in each division are circled; the winner gets that month's prize.
- What are divisions?
- Rising, Seasoned and Master. Everyone starts in Rising. After each month the top 10% of a division move up, and the bottom 25% of an upper division move down, so you always compete with people near your level.
- Why can't I see how my photo is doing?
- Vote on 10 pairs in the same month and your photo's standing unlocks. Everyone who enters helps judge — that's what keeps it fair. Pro members see it straight away.
- Does it have to be a phone photo?
- Yes. We read the camera details the phone writes into the file; photos without them, edited past recognition, made by AI, or taken on a dedicated camera are reviewed by hand and may be turned away. Normal edits (crop, light, colour) are fine.
- Who owns my photo?
- You do. By entering you let us show it on the site and in our posts about the contest, and — only if you leave “allow prints” ticked — sell prints of it, paying you 15% of every sale. Withdraw it any time.
The official rules
- Open to people 13 and over. Prize winners under 18 need a parent or guardian to accept the prize.
- Each theme runs for one calendar month (dates on the theme's page). Entries and votes close at 23:59 UTC on the last day.
- Enter only photos you took yourself, on a phone, that you have the right to share — including permission from anyone recognisable in them.
- No purchase is necessary to enter or win. A paid plan allows more entries and extra feedback but has no effect on judging.
- Votes from accounts created to vote for a particular photo, or any attempt to manipulate scores, void the entries involved.
- We may remove a photo that breaks these rules or the law. Removed and withdrawn photos keep their number, which is never reused.
- Prizes are as stated on each theme's page. They can't be exchanged for cash unless stated. Winners are contacted by email within 7 days of the close.
- Your photo stays yours. You grant us a licence to display it on 1 Million Photos and in posts about the contest, and — if you allow prints — to print and sell copies, paying you 15% of each sale as account credit you can cash out.