This annual photo competition is a way for the Flickr community to show off its best work across all genres of photography. Submissions will be accepted from December 1, 2016, through January 7, 2017, and although the photo must’ve been uploaded to Flickr in 2016, it doesn’t have to have been captured in 2016.
Only one photo can be submitted, so cull and curate your favorite images of the year very carefully. As noted by Flickr in the announcement post, “what qualifies as ‘best’ is surely in the eye of the beholder (or the shooter), so we leave themes entirely up to you.”
Although there are no defined themes or genres for submissions, Flickr will start looking at submitted photos throughout December and share themed collections across its social media channels and the Flickr Blog to promote the competition.
As for the always-questionable terms of the competition, Flickr notes that the rules of the group allows Flickr to share your work across social media networks and its blogs. That said, your images will never be used for monetization or commercial purposes. Essentially, the terms are the standard legalese that protects Flickr from lawsuits for using your photos, while also protecting your rights and work as a photographer.
You can join the group now so you’re ready to go on December 1. Start sorting through your archives and see what photos of yours throughout the year stand out to you.
