Flickr Blog

ICYMI: News and Updates September 2026

2026-09-23T21:52:48Z

Welcome back for September’s Flickr Release Notes recap. We kicked off a new series for our fabulous Flickr Group Admins, contest winners were announced for this year’s World Photography Day 2026 Contest and some product updates are still underway. Check out our September recap to see what you may have missed and then find out what’s ahead!

Admin Resources for you!

Last month we launched our new Admin Resource Hub Series, a collection of articles that will focus on building and running great Flickr groups. We know Flickr groups are where the heart of the Flickr community comes to life and we want to make sure admins know they’re supported and appreciated, while also sharing some tips for members who are thinking about starting off their own new Flickr groups. The first two articles are up on the Flickr blog now, check them out. And stay tuned because we have more admin focused articles and support coming soon!

Product Updates

We mentioned last month that we’re rolling out small design updates and we’re continuing that work this month so you’ll continue to see those changes around Flickr. Just a reminder, these updates are minor and won’t affect your workflow or the way Flickr works on mobile. Enjoy the new views and keep an eye out as we continue to listen to feedback, beautify the neighborhood and continue making Flickr the best place to be a photographer online.

September Moods on Pinterest

With the Autumnal Equinox here and the days getting shorter we decided it was time to get a little extra moody with our monthly mood board. This month we featured photos that captured shadows and light in the way that only the fall can inspire. Don’t miss a scroll through our September Mood Board on Pinterest and comment on some of your faves in the Flickr gallery!

World Photography Day Winners and Honorable Mentions!

We recently wrapped up our World Photography Day contest by announcing the winners and honorable mentions. We wanted to make sure you got a chance to enjoy them too, if you missed the big announcement. You can meet our 5 category winners in our winners announcement blog and then take a look through the tough competition that led us to those top picks, in this Flickr gallery. With over 21.3K photo we felt like we still had some photos to spotlight which is why this month’s Explore Takeover will feature more of the photos entered into last month’s contest. Don’t miss our September Explore Takeover, going live, tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 24th!

Inktober is coming!

Calling all artists and illustrators, it’s almost time for our favorite autumn tradition: Inktober! Every October, artists around the world take on a daily drawing challenge, and the creative Flickr community always shows up. Whatever your style, this is the month to pick up a pen and share your work with people who get it.

Inktober was started in 2009 by illustrator and animator Jake Parker as a personal challenge to build a consistent drawing habit. Since then, it’s grown into a worldwide tradition, and each year Flickr’s own community member run Inktober group becomes a gathering spot for members to post their daily drawings and cheer each other on. Ready to join in? Follow the group, watch for this year’s prompt list, and start sketching.

That’s a wrap for this month. Stay tuned for a MODE Festival recap coming soon!

The Admin Resource Hub: Building Your Team

2026-09-14T15:45:34Z

Welcome to Part 2 of our Admin Resource Hub series, helping you build and run a great Flickr group. This time around we’re talking about creating your dream team of mods and co-admins to help keep your group momentum going.

Running a group solo works fine, right until it doesn’t. If you suddenly see a boost in membership, photos submitted to the queue come pouring in and you think, I could use another set of hands, it might be time. Bringing on a co-admin or moderator isn’t an admission that you can’t handle things, it’s how groups outlast any one person’s bandwidth and carryon to flourish and thrive.

Knowing when it’s time

There are a few signs that it’s time to ask for help:

The photo queue is piling up faster than you can clear it.
Questions in the discussion threads are going unanswered. Remember, when you’re the only admin, you’re the only one who can respond when something goes wrong.
There’s been an influx of membership and you stop recognizing everyone who is regularly contributing.

A backlog, whether it’s a mounting photo or unanswered discussions, doesn’t just slow things down, it can make the group feel unattended and members new and old will notice. Remember, Flickr members check in from all over the world and there are whole groups of members who are never online the same time you are. Knowing when it’s getting to be time to line up some help (before you’re drowning) is important. Bringing someone on early before the group is in catchup mode while things are still manageable gives you room to properly introduce them to the group and show them the way you’d love the group to work, all while giving them time to get settled in.

What to look for in a moderator

The best moderators are often your most consistent community members. Look for people who:

Post and comment regularly so they already know the group’s rhythm and regulars
Have a track record of constructive, kind feedback, especially to newer or less experienced members
Are around during hours you’re not, so coverage actually improves rather than just doubling up on the same ‘shift’
It’s also worth asking directly rather than waiting for someone to volunteer. Many of your best potential mods won’t nominate themselves. Start a discussion thread and get a feel for who is interested.

Admin vs Moderator: Knowing the difference before you promote

Not every extra set of hands needs the same level of access. Flickr offers two roles to promote members to and that difference matters.

Moderators can help manage the pending queue and handle day-to-day content and member issues.
Admins have full control of the group, including access to the Administration tab. All the things like: settings, privacy, appearance and member management. That’s a meaningful amount of trust to hand over so it’s worth being deliberate when choosing who you should give that access to.

Ready to make it official?

To promote someone, head to the Administration tab in your group. Click manage your members, and select Promote next to their name. From there choose Admin or Moderator and save your changes.

For most groups, starting someone as a moderator is the lower-risk move. This will get you real help without permanently handing over the keys. Reserve the admin role for someone you’d trust to run the group in your absence.

Moderator onboarding checklist

A team that communicates well can make a group feel more consistent to members and this will result in members putting in that extra level of care and effort back into the community. As group admins, you are at the heart of this community and your work is important. So make sure to ask for some help, you deserve it!

This is the second post in our Admin Resource Hub series. Missed the first? Check out Setting Up Your Group. Next up: growing and engaging your members. Have a topic you want covered? Let us know.

Not a Flickr member yet? Sign up today to join our community of photographers and find your inspiration.

In Frame with Flickr: Rush Hour

2026-09-16T17:40:25Z

Our last round of featured street photography slowed down the pace for us to enjoy those calmer, in between moments. Now, we’re picking up speed and merging into the fast moving, chaotic moments of rush hour in the city. Street photographers know just how to capture movement in a blurry crowd and the stillness of someone waiting for an approaching train. Join us as we dive into the crowded streets for today’s daily commute on In Frame with Flickr.

Rush Hour Solitude. Frankfurt, main train station. © Brice Dufour

Manhattanhenge in Taipei Aug 2022. Sunset moments in summer are always stunning. It’s a scene around Taipei Main station at rush hours. 2022 懸日. © Vera Hung

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Rush hours. On July 7, 2023, the total passenger volume of the entire Shenzhen Metro network (including trams) was 9.3373 million, breaking through the 9 million passenger flow mark for the first time, setting a record for the highest passenger flow in a single day, and the intensity of subway passenger flow returned to No. 1 in the country. © QuantFoto

rush hour. Exposición · 0,077 sec (1/13), Aperture· f/5.0, Ojo · 50 mm, ISO · 200. © rromer

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Evening rush hour. From the blog post: www.hdrshooter.com/2014/03/27/evening-rush-hour/.

© Miroslav Petrasko

Daily commute. On average, 3 million passengers use the subway system daily in the city of São Paulo.

© Flavio Filipini

Traffic at rush hour on the Grand Canal. © Jose Manuel Sainz de Baranda

Rush Hour. Heavy Traffic at this particular road junction. © Brian Evans

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Lime Street station rush hour. Misty morning in Liverpool. I arrived in Liverpool at just after 8.30am – weekday peak travel time: slow-moving crowds. © gerald murphy

Untitled. Great band at the NYC Herald Square 34th Street subway station during rush hour. Wonderful entertainment, great bandleader; draws a crowd. © Michael Zenilman

Fragments of Hanoi II. Following on from my original image taken back in 2016, I’m pleased to show my latest creation that is an interpretation of the chaos, energy, and character from the busy streets of Hanoi. Using over 100 photos of passing traffic, I select parts from each frame, and with careful masking, build the image together like a jigsaw puzzle. Hanoi, Vietnam. View the original image in the series: Fragments of Hanoi © Peter Stewart

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Rush-Hour. © Heinz-Dieter Schardt

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Blade Runner_Rush Hour Commuter. Chicago — rainy evening. © Jeff Stevenson

Occupied at rush hour. During the rush hour commute in the morning or evening, it can be a long, dull and sometimes monotonous wait for some. And so people find many ways to keep themselves distracted or occupied, such as reading or watching videos on their smartphone as one example. No noise reduction was applied in order to give a filmic look. © Dickson P

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Rush Hour. © Christoph Hetzmann

We have arrived at our destination. We hope you enjoyed the journey. See you next time!

Not a Flickr member yet? Sign up today to join our community of photographers and find your inspiration.

Congrats to Our World Photography Day 2026 Contest Winners

2026-08-26T14:36:27Z

Another World Photography Day is in the books and once again the community brought some serious competition to our annual contest. Our category regulars like Nature, People, Animals and Urban were joined this year by Film, and with so many incredible submissions, our judges had their work cut out for them.

This year’s contest winners are taking home a MODE Festival Mystery Box that includes 3 Day VIP passes to our inaugural photography festival happening September 18-20 in Minneapolis, MN. We’ll also be featuring their winning photos at the festival for the whole community to enjoy. Each winner is getting a year of Flickr Pro. So let’s meet the people and the photos that took top spots this year!

Nature Category

Bernd Leicht with Dangerous lighthouse trip

Meet the photographer:

Bernd is a passionate hobby photographer from southwestern Germany and focuses his photography on landscapes. He shared with us a bit more about this dangerous trip that brought him to his winning lighthouse photo. “It was a trip with a Zodiac boat from the port of Audierne (Bretagne) to the lighthouse Phare de Tevennec (also called Hell). The trip took place under rough seas and was at the limit of feasibility. The guide had everything well under control, you are not allowed to drive there alone, too dangerous.”

“The tour led through the Raz du Sein, also known as the Cape Horn of Europe. There are a lot of wrecks and drowned sailors here. The tidal current is incredibly strong in the passage. It was not easy to photograph because I had to hold on to not be thrown around in the boat. Taking a picture in Libra was almost impossible. The trip passed the Phare de la Vieille and had a total time of 3 hours. At first we were accompanied by a large dolphin school that jumped next to the boat.”

Animals Category

Per Thyrén with Muskox with calf – Myskoxe med kalv

Meet the photographer:

Per Thyrén is retired journalist who lives outside of Nyköping, a small town 100 kilometers south of Stockholm, Sweden. “I have been interested in animals and nature since I was young and I am often out in nature with my camera. My longest photo trip was to British Columbia where I photographed spirit bears and coastal wolves.”

We asked him to share about how he came to find this lovely pair. “I took the picture in Dovrefjell, a large wilderness area in Norway. After a couple of hours of tough hiking, we found a group of five musk oxen on a mountain slope. We approached the group cautiously when the cow with her one-month-old calf came walking from another direction close enough for a photo. When they both turned around and looked at me curiously, it was one of those moments when you feel a strong sense of connection with nature. They looked kind and harmless, but I kept a good safe distance. It has happened that photographers have been attacked when they got too close.”

Urban Category

Giorgio Ghezzi with Man at the window in I3 / Uomo alla finestra in I3

Meet the photographer:

Giorgio lives in Rome, Italy, where he was born 76 years ago. He’s retired after working in the insurance industry and now we are lucky enough to enjoy the photography he takes in these years of retirement. Giorgio loves this building and shares, “I took the photo in St. Julian, Malta, nine years ago. I used an old smartphone. I love this crazy and colourful building!”

Film Category

Byron Segraves with we met in a parking lot…

Meet the photographer:

Byron is a self-taught photographer based in California. “My work is rooted predominantly in the streets of Los Angeles, where I developed my style through endless hours of walking, seeing, shooting, and editing. I shoot mainly candid, looking for the unpredictable theatre of the everyday. My work has primarily been shared and developed through Flickr and online communities, rather than galleries or formal education. I’ve also had my work shown and reviewed on several episodes of the podcast The Candid Frame.”

“As far as the actual photo itself, and like most all my work, it’s a candid street shot. I love the thrill of finding little moments that others seem to miss, and sharing them with my loyal friends on Flickr. I love the community, support and inspiration they all provide. This was made with a recently acquired 1971 Nikon F2 and shot on Tri-X 400. I had noticed the VW and little pug approx 1/2 block away, from my car, as I was sitting at a red light, near Sunset Blvd and Western Ave, in Hollywood, California, where I live. I always have my camera with me, for moments like this, so I fired off a shot from distance. As the light changed, I noticed the little dog was still waiting for it’s owner, legs out, still in the same position as before, so I pulled into the parking lot, I think it was Walgreens, positioned my car directly in front of the VW and prayed the dog would hold it’s position, refocused and fired off one shot, never leaving my drivers seat. The owner of the VW happened to be coming out of the store as I pulled up, laughed at his pups pose, and pleasantries were exchanged. Having never left the driver seat, I then pulled out of the parking lot and headed west on Sunset Blvd.”

People Category

Daniels Stramkaļs with Untitled

Meet the photographer:

Daniels is an up and coming photographer based in Riga, Latvia. “I started out with football photography after ending my players career last year, which lasted for 9 years. Now, I have opportunities that I could only dream of such as photographing Latvian national team and UEFA games.”

“This photo was taken at FK Auda vs FC Dinamo City Conference League, 3rd qualifying round. The atmosphere was moody and it was towards dawn, so I knew that the photos were going to be good. I spent quite some time on this edit but it was definitely worth it, because this is now one of my favorite football photos I ever took.

Celebrating photography everyday!

Congratulations to this year’s contest winners and everyone who participated in the contest. Each year we look forward to seeing the beautiful shots you all share to our World Photography Day contest and this year definitely raised the bar. To see more of our favorites, stay tuned for our Honorable Mentions gallery that will go live here on the Official Flickr site. We’ll also be featuring so many other great submissions in our upcoming September Explore Takeover so don’t miss it!

Until next time!

The Admin Resource Hub: Setting Up Your Group

2026-08-24T21:15:51Z

Welcome to our new series: The Admin Resource Hub. These articles will focus on building and running great Flickr groups, where the heart of the Flickr community comes to life.

Starting a Flickr group is simple. Running one you’re proud of a year from now takes a little more thought and effort and we’re here to help you along that journey. Before you invite your first member, there are some decisions worth slowing down for: who can find your group, what’s expected once they’re in it and how you introduce the whole thing to a stranger scrolling past. Get these right early and eliminate some moderation headaches down the line.

Choosing the right privacy setting

Flickr gives you three levels to choose from and picking the right one from the start will save you from an awkward migration later.

Public groups are open to everyone meaning anyone can find the group and join, no approval needed. This is the right setting for your group if growth and discoverability are a top priority. Think broad interest groups: street photography, black and white, a specific camera model.

Invite-Only groups show up in a search and anyone can view the group page but joining requires an invitation from an admin. This is a nice middle ground if you want visibility without letting everyone into your group without any upfront moderation. You can also make an Invite-Only group fully unsearchable if you want it to stay off the radar entirely.

Private groups are the most closed: they’re hidden from search, invisible on member profiles and invite-only to join. These are good for tight-knit groups like camera clubs, a small circle of collaborators or a family/friend project.

One thing worth flagging: once you switch a group from public to private, you can’t undo it. So make sure to choose this setting with some intention.

Writing rules people will follow

It’s overwhelming to be met with a wall of text before joining a group. Groups that lead with a focused set of 2-3 rules, ones you actually plan to enforce, tend to get a lot more attention from members than groups that bury the important stuff in a long list. A few things that make group rules land:

Lead with the spirit of the group, not just a list. For example, “This is a space for constructive feedback” tells people more than a generic “no rude comments” ever will.
Be specific about what’s off-topic. Vague guidelines create vague enforcement. If your macro photography group doesn’t want landscapes, say so plainly.
Say what happens when rules aren’t followed. A single line like “posts that don’t fit the group may be removed” sets expectations before you ever have to act on them.

You don’t need a complicated legal document to get everyone on board with the guidelines of your group. A consistent yet inviting start to a new group can be delivered in three or four lines that a new member can read in ten seconds and then actually retain.

Writing a description that does its job

Your group description is doing double duty. It provides that important first impression for someone deciding whether to join, and it’s also the reference point you’ll point back to later when a post doesn’t belong. Name your niche down to the detail that makes it yours. Whether that is referring to format, subject or an aesthetic, the group will read as curated rather than a catch-all. Say who you’re posting for: a group built for critique reads differently than one built for sharing. If there’s a rhythm to the group, like a weekly theme or monthly challenge, mention it here so it doubles as an invitation, and not just an FAQ.

Ready to get started? Take the tips above and start building out your community today! Our help page, Get started with Flickr groups, will walk you through the process step by step as well!

This is the first post in our ongoing Admin Resource Hub series. Next up: building your moderation team. Have a topic you want covered? Let us know.

Not a Flickr member yet? Sign up today to join our community of photographers and find your inspiration.

ICYMI: News and Updates August 2026

2026-08-19T23:06:15Z

Happy World Photography Day!

It felt right to send this one out today, a day the whole community shows up for, and this issue is packed with proof of that. We’ve got a contest closing tonight (still time!), a shoutout to a great cause, some eclipse photos that’ll stop your scroll, and a few small product updates along the way. Let’s get into it.

Today is World Photography Day and every year we celebrate the day by hosting our popular World Photography Day photo contest! The contest closes tonight but there is still time to get your submissions in and join the party. This year’s winners will take home a MODE Festival Mystery Box that includes a 3-day VIP Interactive Pass for MODE, a brand new photography festival taking place in Minneapolis, MN Sept. 18th – 20th. Winners will also receive a year of Flickr Pro and have their photos featured at MODE for the community to enjoy.

We celebrate photography everyday here at Flickr but taking some time out for World Photography Day and shouting out our love and appreciation for this community is something we’ll never pass up. Happy World Photography Day everyone! Join us over in the contest group today to get your submissions in by the end of the day, before the contest closes!

Product Updates

We’ve rolled out a few small design updates here and there on the desk top view and in the iOS app that you’ll start seeing. Nothing major, your workflow and the way you use Flickr on mobile stay exactly the same. Just some visual updates we wanted you to know about ahead of time. We’ll be sure to give you a heads up as new product updates are made so you know what to expect while we continue to make Flickr the best place to be a photographer online.

Weekly Snapshot, your weekly round up

Have you heard about Weekly Snapshot? Every week, we spotlight some of our favorite shots from the Flickr Social group in a Flickr gallery and on our socials. Flickr Social is our home base for photo sharing, community discussions and Flickr announcements. If you’d like to see your own photos featured, head over to Flickr Social and share some of your favorite shots to the photo pool. You might just find your photos being enjoyed by an awesome photography community and even make some friends along the way. Stay tuned for this week’s Weekly Snapshot, dropping on Thursday, August 20th!

Tagging your Photos

We recently published a refresher on tagging photos on Flickr. We know that tagging photos is one of the highest value things you can do when uploading your photos. It directly improves your photos’ discoverability, builds photo views and your community. If you’d like to learn about how tags work, tips for mixing broad and specific tags and more, then check out the Flickr blog.

Public Lands. Hand ’em down. Not over.

We’re not the only ones hosting awesome photo contest opportunities this month. Our friends at The Wilderness Society have less than two weeks left for their photo contest celebrating the preservation of Public Lands and we don’t want you to miss a chance at taking home some amazing prizes while also supporting a cause that deserves our attention.

The Wilderness Society has a vision of creating, “A future where people and wild nature flourish together, meeting the challenges of a rapidly changing planet.” We know that photography serves an important role in this vision which is why we’re giving a special shout out to this photo contest opportunity.

To learn more about them and the contest, ending on August 31st, visit: photocontest.wilderness.org.

Solar Power

Parts of the world were recently treated to a total solar eclipse and it did not disappoint. Last week’s total solar eclipse brought out some incredible shots from our community, from full totality in Greenland and Spain to partial views across Europe and North America. Check out our favorites in this gallery. Thanks to everyone who shared their photos with us. Visit the gallery here!

That’s a wrap. See you next month!

How to Tag Your Photos on Flickr (and why it matters)

2026-08-12T15:08:38Z

Flickr was tagging photos before tagging was cool. We’ve always believed that a good tag does more than just labeling a photo, it connects that photo to the right audience. If you want your photos to actually be found, tagging is the highest value thing you do when uploading them to Flickr.

The Basics

Think of tags as the keywords that tell Flickr (and anyone searching it) what’s actually in your photo. Someone hunting for “bokeh” or “dogs” finds your work because you tagged for it. Tags add meaning to your photos, which means better search results, better discoverability, and more people coming across your work who might not have otherwise.

Want a visual walkthrough? This quick video covers how to add tags step by step.

https://blog.flickr.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/taggingfaq.mp4

Quick tip: After typing a tag, hit the enter key, not the blue “Done” button. Enter locks the tag in; done just closes the modal.

Tags do a lot of silent work behind the scenes at Flickr by helping:

Drive engagement
Get your work featured on our daily Explore page and our monthly Explore takeovers
Populate the Trending tags page
Surface groups and communities that match your interests
Determine eligibility for contests and challenges, like our current World Photography Day contest.
And so much more!

Best practices

Mix general and specific. A broad tag like “dogs” puts you in a big pool of searches. A specific one like “pug” or “pittie,” gets you in front of the people specifically looking for that breed. Bonus: Flickr’s search will often suggest related tags once you start typing, so the more accurate tags you use, the more of these helpful suggestions you’ll see.

Tag your location. Continent, country, city, even the specific venue or trailhead, location tags are some of the most useful ones you can add. People browsing Flickr are often looking for a specific place, whether that’s research for a future trip or just curiosity about somewhere they’ve never been. Make their journey a little easier by providing some location specific and your audience will come to you.

Read the fine print for contests and groups. If you’re submitting to a contest, Explore takeover, or group challenge, tagging requirements usually aren’t optional meaning that missing the required tag could result in your photo not being considered at all.

Skip the following:

Generic filler tags like “photo” or “image”, they don’t help anyone find anything
Spam or excessive tagging can actually hurt discoverability rather than help it
Avoid popular tags that have nothing to do with your photo and keep it relevant

For more information on tagging, check out:

Not a Flickr member yet? Sign up today to join our community of photographers and find your inspiration.

Flickr’s World Photography Day contest is officially open!

2026-08-03T09:41:49Z

Our annual World Photography Day contest kicks off August 3rd and if you haven’t joined us in Flickr contest festivities before, this is a great time to get started. Every year, we gather the community together to celebrate World Photography Day by hosting a contest that offers an opportunity for photographers to show off their own work while also being inspired by incredible photography submitted by photographers all over the globe. This year’s contest will offer members 5 different categories to compete in. Which means 5 chances at winning some awesome prizes and showing off your finest work to the Flickr community. So let’s get started. Introducing our categories!

Nature – Tag your photo with WPD26Nature – This category is for our nature lovers. If you find yourself trekking through the woods, pausing to appreciate a bird at your backyard birdfeeder, or enjoying the velvety petals of a houseplant, you can find a place in this category. Nature photos including landscapes, flowers and foliage, seascapes, astrophotography and more can be added to this one.

People – Tag your photo with WPD26People – The people category invites you to show off your people skills. Candids, studio work, as long as there are people around, tag them for this category. Some frequent visitors in this category range from portraits, family shoots, documentary style shoots, weddings and so much more, get creative!

Animals – Tag your photo with WPD26Animals – All animals, from wild to domestic (so pets are welcome here) should be added under this category. From your adorable dog sleeping on the couch to a colony of penguins you spot on an adventure to the Bay of Isles (see below), submit your animal shots in this category.

Urban – Tag your photo with WPD26Urban – Our urban category is a fan favorite. This category celebrates city scenes, architecture and structures, still life, and street art just to name a few.

Film – Tag your photo with WPD26Film – Something new! This year we’re adding a special category for all of the film enthusiasts in the community. No matter the subject, if your photo is shot on film, then it can be entered into this category. We can’t wait to bring some more attention to the community’s gorgeous film photography.

How to join?

Now you’ve got all the details, it’s time to join the fun. Head over to our World Photography Day Contest 2026 group and read through the full contest rules. Once you’ve got a handle on those, start looking for those photos that you want to enter into the running. Tag and share them to the photo pool to make your submissions official! The contest kicks off on Monday, August 3rd and will end at 9pm PT on World Photography Day, August 19th with winners being announced the last week of August!

The prizes!

This year’s category winners will each win a MODE Box that includes a VIP Pass to MODE, a brand new, unique photography festival that is taking place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 18th – 20th. We know your winning photos will be enjoyed by others so we’re also featuring your winning photo at MODE for the photography community to see your work! Winner’s will also take home a year of Flickr Pro. An amazing prize package that captures the World Photography Day spirit! So don’t wait, the contest is open today and runs through August 19th.

More questions? Find answers in the contest FAQs.

ICYMI: News and Updates July 2026

2026-07-22T19:50:12Z

July was packed with big news, if you missed it, here’s your ICYMI roundup. We kicked off our grant program with Black Women Photographers, and it’s bigger than ever. We also celebrated the 4th of July (a special 250th one), plus rolled out some important policy updates to help keep Flickr safe. Lots to celebrate this month, let’s dive in!

BWP Photographers Grant

Our partnership with the Black Women Photographers community is back and bigger than ever! We’re offering a $10,000 grant along with a year of Flickr Pro AND SmugMug Pro to the lucky winner. This is not one to miss! Ten lucky runners up will also win a year of Flickr Pro and a year of SmugMug Pro. To learn about Black Women Photographers, join the community and find out all of the grant details for a chance to win a truly awesome opportunity to grow your photography practice. The grant recipient will be announced live at MODE by Flickr in September so don’t wait!

Analog Photography Spotlight with this month’s MODE Challenge

The Analog photo challenge is still open in our MODE by Flickr group and the lucky winner will be able to bring their love of film photography to MODE in September. The submissions are already showing how many ways one prompt can be seen and there is still plenty of time to add your own photos to the pool for a chance to win! Head over to the group, tag your photos with #MODEanalog and join the photo challenge fun! We can’t wait to see your your take on Analog.

Explore Takeover: Curated by the community, glowing in orange

For this month’s Explore Takeover we’re getting inspired by summer sunsets, zesty citrus, & refreshing tropical drinks by curating a takeover celebrating the color orange! Whether it’s a close-up shot of a marigold or a campfire gathering with friends – we want to see all things orange! Head over to Flickr Social and join the July Explore Takeover discussion to put your orange photos in the running for a summery feature on Explore this month!

The United States of America turns 250

This month, we celebrated the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America through photography. The archives on Flickr are rich with history and noting that history is the best way to pay homage to this great experiment. Visit the Flickr blog to take a stroll back in time through the photography that has captured so many important moments over the last 250 years.

Inactive Account Policy

At Flickr, we’re committed to maintaining a platform that’s secure, trustworthy, and built for photographers who are passionate about sharing their work. As part of that ongoing commitment, we’re introducing a policy to remove inactive accounts that have never been used. These are free accounts that have been inactive for at least 90 days and contain no photos, no comments, no favorites, and no group activity – but they do represent real security risk, including potential for account takeover, spam, and abuse. Learn more about our Inactive Account Policy on the Flickr blog.

That’s a wrap. See you next month!

Keeping Flickr Safe: Our Inactive Account Policy

2026-07-15T14:23:17Z

Why this matters

Dormant, empty accounts are a target for bad actors. Keeping millions of unused accounts in our system creates unnecessary exposure for our platform and, by extension, for the active community members who depend on Flickr. Cleaning up these accounts helps us run a safer, healthier platform.

What happens next

Starting July 15th, 2026, we will:

Publish this blog post as public notice of the policy
After 30 days from the go-live date, we will begin locking affected accounts
14 days after locking, permanently delete accounts where no reclaim has been made

If you think your account might be affected

Simply log in to your Flickr account at flickr.com before August 31st, 2026. Logging in is all it takes to keep your account active. If your account has been locked and you’d like to reclaim it, contact our support team at flickrhelp.com – we’re happy to help.

What gets deleted

For accounts that are removed, all associated data – including profile information and account credentials – will be permanently deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Because these accounts contain no photos, no comments, no groups, and no social connections, the data involved is minimal: essentially an email address, a username, and authentication credentials.

Questions?

Visit our Help Center at flickrhelp.com or review our Terms of Service for more information.

We appreciate your understanding as we work to keep Flickr a safe and vibrant home for photography.

— The Flickr Team

In Frame with Flickr: The In-Between

2026-07-14T19:48:14Z

In a world that never stops moving, street photography can remind us to to look closer at the moments in between the rush. Waiting rooms, bus stops, doorways, pauses, any moment when street photographers focus on those moments when time seems to stop. This edition of In Frame with Flickr, our street photography series, is dedicated to those quiet transitional moments. Join us for some candid contemplation.

Untitled by Alek S.

outside by Michael Teuber

on reading by Alexandre Dulaunoy

Pure Happiness by Dimitar L. Panayotov

Untitled by Alex DMT

Ladies by schoene.pixel

Sidebench-ers by Thomas Cizauskas

sunk by Michael Teuber

Island of calm byPer Gosche

Enjoying the view by Robert Clinton

Mo peace by Ian Sane

Sun bath by Shawn Harquail

Wave Rider by Chris

If you enjoyed the break in the middle of your day to slow things down a bit, find some more inspiring street and documentary photography in last month’s Explore Takeover. See you next time!

Partnering with Black Women Photographers to Elevate Black Creatives

2026-07-08T15:15:34Z

Flickr and the Black Women Photographers community are teaming up for round four of our grant partnership, and this year we’re going bigger than ever.

The grant recipient will receive $10,000 to invest in their practice, along with a two-year Flickr Pro membership and a one-year SmugMug Pro membership. Ten additional recipients will each receive a one-year Flickr Pro membership and one-year SmugMug Pro membership. The grant recipient will be announced live at MODE by Flickr!

“Traces of Connection”

This year’s theme, “Traces of Connection,” was chosen by Éléonore Menga, recipient of the 2025 Flickr x Black Women Photographers grant and this year’s guest judge.

Connection is often felt more than seen. It lives in gestures, in absence, in the quiet that people and places leave behind. It can be held in light, carried through landscapes, or embedded in the spaces between individuals.

There is no single definition of connection. It may be tender or tense, visible or implied, human or environmental. What matters is the trace it leaves behind. This is an invitation to notice what remains after a moment, a meeting, or a presence has passed.

Wanna join? Here’s how to apply!

You must be a member of the Black Women Photographers community
You must also join the Black Women Photographers group on Flickr
Next, submit a photo aligned with the theme “Traces of Connection” to the BWP Flickr Group
Here are some tips on how to add photos to the group
Share a brief description of how your photo connects to this theme
Be an active member on Flickr (completing the steps above fulfills this requirement!)

Applications will close on August 6, 2026. Please apply and spread the word before the deadline!

This grant is open to Black women and non-binary photographers who are new and longtime members of Black Women Photographers and Flickr. The grant recipient will be selected by Polly Irungu, the founder of BWP; Éléonore Menga, an esteemed member of both BWP and Flickr and winner of the 2025 grant; and MacKenzie Joslin along with the Flickr Community team.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

Join the community

Over the last few years, we’ve had the privilege of working closely with Polly Irungu and getting to know the BWP community firsthand. Founded by Polly Irungu and launched in July of 2020, Black Women Photographers (BWP) is a global community, directory, and hub of over 2,100 Black and African women creatives, spanning over 60 countries and 35+ U.S. states.

Black Women Photographers exists to ensure Black women receive proper recognition and, most importantly, get hired. It supports members by promoting their work through an active database distributed to photo editors, directors, curators, and art buyers, while also offering free educational resources including webinars, workshops, training, grants, and portfolio reviews. To date, BWP has awarded over $230,000 in financial grants and provided an additional $80,000 in cutting-edge camera equipment to help empower their members.

If you’re a Black woman photographer looking to connect with a larger community, you can learn more and apply to be part of Black Women Photographers. New to Flickr? Check out Flickr 101 and say hello in the Black Women Photographers group.

Note: The photo included in this blog post and in communications about this grant was taken by Éléonore Menga. You can see her work on Flickr and Instagram.