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Featured picture candidates

Featured picture candidates are images that the community will vote on, to determine whether or not they will be highlighted as some of the finest on Commons. This page lists the candidates to become featured pictures. The picture of the day images are selected from featured pictures.

Old candidates for featured pictures are listed here. There are also chronological lists of featured pictures: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 and current month.

For another overview of our finest pictures, take a look at our annual picture of the year election.

Formal things

Nominating

Guidelines for nominators

Please read the complete guidelines before nominating.

This is a summary of what to look for when submitting and reviewing FP candidates:

  • Licensing – Images licensed with solely "GFDL" or "GFDL and an NC-only license" are not acceptable due the restrictions placed on re-use by these licenses.
  • Resolution – Raster images of lower resolution than 2 million pixels (pixels, not bytes) are typically rejected unless there are strong mitigating reasons. This does not apply to vector graphics (SVGs).
    • Graphics on Commons are not only viewed on conventional computer screens. They may be used in high-resolution print versions, and the images may be cropped to focus on portions of the image. See Commons:Why we need high resolution media for more information.
  • Scans – While not official policy, Help:Scanning provides advice on the preparation of various types of images that may be useful.
  • General quality – pictures being nominated should be of high technical quality.
  • Digital manipulations must not deceive the viewer. Digital manipulation for the purpose of correcting flaws in an image is generally acceptable, provided it is limited, well-done, and not intended to deceive.
    • For photographs, typical acceptable manipulations include cropping, perspective correction, sharpening/blurring, and color/exposure correction. More extensive manipulations, such as removal of distracting background elements, should be clearly described in the image text, by means of the {{Retouched picture}} template. Undescribed or mis-described manipulations which cause the main subject to be misrepresented are never acceptable. For images made from more than one photo, you can use the {{Panorama}} or {{Focus stacked image}} templates.
    • For historic images, acceptable manipulations might include digitally fixing rips, removal of stains, cleanup of dirt, and, for mass-produced artworks such as engravings, removal of flaws inherent to the particular reproduction, such as over-inking. Careful color adjustments may be used to bring out the original work from the signs of ageing, though care should be taken to restore a natural appearance. The original artistic intent should be considered when deciding whether it is appropriate to make a change. Edits to historic material should be documented in detail within the file description, and an unedited version should be uploaded and cross linked for comparison.
  • Value – our main goal is to feature most valuable pictures from all others. Pictures should be in some way special, so please be aware that:
    • almost all sunsets are aesthetically pleasing, and most such pictures are not in essence different from others,
    • night-shots are pretty but normally more details can be shown on pictures taken at daytime,
    • beautiful does not always mean valuable.
Artworks, illustrations, and historical documents

There are many different types of non-photographic media, including engravings, watercolors, paintings, etchings, and various others. Hence, it is difficult to set hard-and-fast guidelines. However, generally speaking, works can be divided into three types: Those that can be scanned, those that must be photographed, and those specifically created to illustrate a subject.

Works that must be photographed include most paintings, sculptures, works too delicate or too unique to allow them to be put on a scanner, and so on. For these, the requirements for photography, below, may be mostly followed; however, it should be noted that photographs which cut off part of the original painting are generally not considered featurable.

Works that may be scanned include most works created by processes that allow for mass distribution − for instance, illustrations published with novels. For these, it is generally accepted that a certain amount of extra manipulation is permissible to remove flaws inherent to one copy of the work, since the particular copy – of which hundreds, or even thousands of copies also exist – is not so important as the work itself.

Works created to serve a purpose include diagrams, scientific illustrations, and demonstrations of contemporary artistic styles. For these, the main requirement is that they serve their purpose well.

Provided the reproduction is of high quality, an artwork generally only needs one of the following four things to be featurable:

  • Notable in its own right: Works by major artists, or works that are otherwise notable, such as the subjects of a controversy.
  • Of high artistic merit: Works which, while not particularly well known, are nonetheless wonderful examples of their particular type or school of art.
  • Of high historic merit: The historical method values very early illustrations of scenes and events over later ones. Hence, a work of poor quality depicting a contemporaneous historical event can be nonetheless important, even if the artistic merit is relatively low. Likewise, scans or photographs of important documents – which may not be at all artistic – nonetheless may be highly valuable if the documents are historically significant. The reason for the image's historical importance should be briefly stated in the nomination, for those reviewers unfamiliar with the subject.
  • Of high illustrative merit: Works that illustrate or help explain notable subjects, for instance, illustrations of books, scientific subjects, or technical processes. The amount of artistic merit required for these will vary by subject, but, for instance, an illustration that makes the working of a complicated piece of machinery very clear need not be notable as a piece of artwork as well, whereas an illustration for a book might well be expected to reach much higher artistic standards.

Digital restorations must also be well documented. An unedited version of the image should be uploaded locally, when possible, and cross-linked from the file description page. Edit notes should be specified in detail, such as "Rotated and cropped. Dirt, scratches, and stains removed. Histogram adjusted and colors balanced."

Photographs

On the technical side, we have focus, exposure, composition, movement control and depth of field.

  • Focus – every important object in the picture should normally be sharp.
  • Exposure refers to the shutter diaphragm combination that renders an image with a tonal curve that ideally is able to represent in acceptable detail shadows and highlights within the image. This is called latitude. Images can be on the low side of the tonal curve (low range), the middle (middle range) or high side (upper range). Lack of shadow detail is not necessarily a negative characteristic. In fact, it can be part of the desired effect. Burned highlights in large areas are a distracting element.
  • Composition refers to the arrangement of the elements within the image. The "Rule of thirds" is one useful guideline. Horizons should almost never be placed in the middle, where they "cut" the image in half. Often, a horizon creating a top or bottom third of the space works better. The main idea is to use space to create a dynamic image.
    • Foreground and background – foreground and background objects may be distracting. You should check that something in front of the subject doesn't hide important elements and that something in background doesn't spoil the composition (for example that the streetlight doesn't "stand" on someone's head).
  • Movement control refers to the manner in which motion is represented in the image. Motion can be frozen or blurred. Neither one is better than the other. It is the intention of representation. Movement is relative within the objects of the image. For example, photographing a race car that appears frozen in relation to the background does not give us a sense of speed or motion, so technique dictates to represent the car in a frozen manner but with a blurred background, thus creating the sense of motion, this is called "panning". On the other hand, representing a basketball player in a high jump frozen in relation to everything else, due to the "unnatural" nature of the pose would be a good photograph.
  • Depth of field (DOF) refers to the area in focus in front of and beyond main subject. Depth of field is chosen according to the specific needs of every picture. Large or small DOF can either way add or subtract to the quality of the image. Low depth of field can be used to bring attention to the main subject, separating it from the general environment. High depth of field can be used to emphasize space. Short focal length lenses (wide angles) yield large DOF, and vice versa, long focal lenses (telephotos) have shallow DOF. Small apertures yield large DOF and conversely, large apertures yield shallow DOF.

On the graphic elements we have shape, volume, color, texture, perspective, balance, proportion, noise, etc.

  • Shape refers to the contour of the main subjects.
  • Volume refers to the three dimensional quality of the object. This is accomplished using side light. Contrary to general belief, front lighting is not the best light. It tends to flatten subject. Best light of day is early morning or late afternoon.
  • Color is important. Oversaturated colors are not good.
  • Texture refers to the quality of the surface of the subject. It is enhanced by side lighting… it is the "feel" to the touch.
  • Perspective refers to the "angle" accompanied by lines that disappear into a vanishing point that may or may not be inside the image.
  • Balance refers to the arrangement of subjects within the image that can either give equal weight or appear to be heavier on one side.
  • Proportion refers to the relation of size of objects in picture. Generally, we tend to represent small objects small in relation to others, but a good technique is to represent small objects large contrary to natural size relationship. For example, a small flower is given preponderance over a large mountain…. This is called inversion of scales.
Not all elements must be present. Some photographs can be judged on individual characteristics, that is, an image can be about color or texture, or color AND texture, etc.
  • Noise refers to unwanted corruption of color brightness and quality and can be caused by underexposure. It is not a desirable quality and can be grounds for opposition.
  • Symbolic meaning or relevance … Opinion wars can begin here … A bad picture of a very difficult subject is better than a good picture of an ordinary subject. A good picture of a difficult subject is an extraordinary photograph.
Images can be culturally biased by the photographer and/or the observer. The meaning of the image should be judged according to the cultural context of the image, not by the cultural context of the observer. An image "speaks" to people, and it has the capacity to evoke emotion such as tenderness, rage, rejection, happiness, sadness, etc. Good photographs are not limited to evoking pleasant sensations …

You will maximise the chances of your nominations succeeding if you read the complete guidelines before nominating.

Video and audio

Please nominate videos, sounds, music, PDFs, etc. at Commons:Featured media candidates.

Set nominations

If a group of images are thematically connected in a direct and obvious way, they can be nominated together as a set. A set should fall under one of the following types:

  • Faithful digital reproductions of works notable in their own right, which the original author clearly intended to be viewed as a set. Examples: pages in a pamphlet, crops (puzzle pieces) of a prohibitively large scan, a pair of pendant paintings. Not acceptable: Arbitrary selection of sample works by an artist.
  • A sequence of images showing the passage of time. They could depict frames of a moving/changing object or a static object during different times of day or different seasons. Examples: diagrams illustrating a process, steps of a dance, metamorphosis of an insect, maps/drawings/photos of the same subject over the years (frame of view should be more or less the same).
  • A group of images depicting the same subject from different viewpoints, preferably taken under the same lighting conditions when possible. Examples: Exterior and interior of a building, different facades of a building, different interior views, obverse and inverse of a banknote/coin. Not acceptable: A selection of different rooms in a skyscraper, the facade of a church plus an organ, any images of fundamentally different scopes.
  • A group of images which show all possible variations of a particular class of object. Examples: Male and female versions of an animal (preferably in the same setting), all known species of a genus. Not acceptable: A few breeds of cats (unless they share a defining characteristic and represent all possible examples of that).


Adding a new nomination

If you believe that you have found or created an image that could be considered valuable, with appropriate name, quality, image description, categories and licensing, then do the following.

Step 1: copy the image name into this box, after the text already present in the box, for example, Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:Your image filename.jpg. Then click on the "create new nomination" button.

All single files:

For renominations, simply add /2 after the filename. For example, Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:Foo.jpg/2

All set nomination pages should begin "Commons:Featured picture candidates/Set/", e.g. "Commons:Featured picture candidates/Set/My Nomination".


Step 2: follow the instructions on the page that you are taken to, and save that page.

Step 3: manually insert a link to the created page at the top of Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list: Click here, and add the following line to the TOP of the nominations list:

{{Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:Your image filename.jpg}}

Nominations are time-sensitive and for one-time use only. An automatic clock starts as soon as they are created. Do not create them in advance, save them for later or re-activate them.

Galleries and FP categories: Please add a gallery page and section heading from the list at Commons FP galleries. Write the code as Page name#Section heading. For example: Commons:Featured pictures/Sports#Individual sports An image will only appear ONE time in the galleries. After a successful nomination, the image can be placed in several of the Featured pictures categories.

Optional: if you are not the creator of the image, please notify them using {{subst:FPC-notice|Your image filename.jpg}} -- ~~~~.

Note: Do not add an 'Alternative' image when you create a nomination. Selecting the best image is part of the nomination process. Alternatives are for a different crop or post-processing of the original image, or a closely related image from the same photo session (limited to 1 per nomination), if they are suggested by voters. They should be added by, or at the request of, the nominator.

An 'Alternative' is created by adding a sub-section to the nomination page: ====Alternative==== [[File:Foo.jpg|300px]] *{{info}} A short description.

Voting

Editors whose accounts have at least 10 days and 100 constructive, stable edits on Commons (excluding user and talk pages) can vote. Everybody can vote for their own nominations. Anonymous (IP) votes are not allowed.

You may use the following templates:

  • {{Support}} ( Support),
  • {{Oppose}} ( Oppose),
  • {{Neutral}} ( Neutral),
  • {{Comment}} ( Comment),
  • {{Info}} ( Info),
  • {{Question}} ( Question),
  • {{Request}} ( Request).

You may indicate that the image has no chance of success with the template {{FPX|reason - ~~~~}}, where reason explains why the image is clearly unacceptable as a FP. The template can only be used when there are no support votes other than the one from the nominator.

A well-written review helps participants (photographers, nominators and reviewers) improve their skills by providing insight into the strengths and weaknesses of a picture. Explain your reasoning, especially when opposing a candidate (which has been carefully selected by the author/nominator). English is the most widely understood language on Commons, but any language may be used in your review. A helpful review will often reference one or more of the criteria listed above.

Unhelpful reasons for opposing include:

  • No reason
  • "I don't like it" and other empty assessments
  • "You can do better" and other criticisms of the author/nominator rather than the image

Remember also to put your signature (~~~~).

Over time, featured picture standards change. It may be decided that for some pictures which were formerly "good enough", this is no longer the case. This is for listing an image which you believe no longer deserves to be a featured picture. For these, vote:

Text to use Displays as Meaning
{{Keep}}  Keep It deserves to remain a featured picture.
{{Delist}}  Delist It does not deserve to be a featured picture anymore.

This can also be used for cases in which a previous version of an image was promoted to FP, but a newer version of the image has been made and is believed to be superior to the old version, e.g. a newly edited version of a photo or a new scan of a historical image. In particular, it is not intended for replacing older photos of a particular subject with newer photos of the same subject, or in any other case where the current FP and the proposed replacement are essentially different images. For these nominations, vote:

Text to use Displays as Meaning
{{Keep}}  Keep Do not replace the old image with the new image as a FP.
{{Delistandreplace}}  Delist and replace Replace the current FP with the proposed replacement.

If you believe that some picture no longer meets the criteria for FP, you can nominate it for delisting, copying the image name into this box, after the text already present in the box:


In the new delisting nomination page just created you should include:

  • Information on the origin of the image (creator, uploader);
  • A link to the original FP nomination (it will appear under "Links" on the image description page);
  • Your reasons for nominating the image and your username.

After that, you have to manually insert a link to the created page at the top of Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list.

As a courtesy, leave an informative note on the talk page(s) of the original creator, uploader(s), and nominator with a link to the delisting candidate. {{subst:FPC-notice-removal}} can be used for this purpose.

General rules

  1. The voting period is 9 complete days counted from the nomination. After the end of this period the result will be determined. Votes added on day 10 and after are not counted.
  2. Nominations by anonymous contributors are welcome.
  3. Contributions to discussion by anonymous contributors are welcome.
  4. Only registered contributors whose Commons accounts have at least 10 days and 100 constructive, stable edits on Commons (excluding user and talk pages) can vote. Exception: registered users can always vote in their own nominations no matter the account age and number of edits.
  5. Nominations do not count as votes. Support must be explicitly stated.
  6. Nominators and authors can withdraw their nominated pictures at any time. This is done by adding the following template: {{Withdraw}} ~~~~. Also, remember that if more than one version is nominated, you should explicitly state which version you are withdrawing.
  7. Remember, the goal of the Wikimedia Commons project is to provide a central repository for free images to be used by all Wikimedia projects, including possible future projects. This is not simply a repository for Wikipedia images, so images should not be judged here on their suitability for that project.
  8. Rules of the 5th day based on vote counts on day number 5 (day of nomination + 5):
    1. Pictures are speedy declined if they have fewer than two support votes.
    2. Pictures are speedy promoted if they have 10 support votes or more and no oppose votes. (Note that if it takes more than five days to reach this threshold, the picture can be promoted as soon as it is reached.) This does not apply to nominations containing at least one ‘Alternative’ image – because it is possible that another image can overtake the one in the lead during the last days, such nominations are never closed early.
    3. Once either speedy criterion is reached, the voting period is considered closed, and no more votes may be added.
  9. Pictures tagged {{FPX}} may be removed from the list 24 hours after the tag was applied, provided there are no support votes other than that of the nominator.
  10. Pictures tagged {{FPD}} (FP-Denied) may be removed from the list 24 hours after the tag was applied.
  11. Only two active nominations by the same user (that is, nominations under review and not yet closed) are allowed. The main purpose of this measure is to contribute to a better average quality of nominations, by driving nominators/creators to choose carefully the pictures presented to the forum.

Featuring and delisting rules

A candidate will become a featured picture in compliance with following conditions:

  1. Appropriate license (of course)
  2. At least seven  Support votes (or 7  Delist votes for a delist) at the end of nine days
  3. Ratio of supporting/opposing votes at least 2/1 (a two-thirds majority); same for delist/keep votes
  4. Two different versions of the same picture cannot both be featured, but only the one with higher level of support, as determined by the closer. Whenever the closer is not sure which version has consensus to be featured, they should attempt to contact the voters to clarify their opinions if not clear from the nomination page.
  5. Only two active delisting nominations per user, which is in addition to the limit of two active regular nominations.

The delisting rules are the same as those for FPs, with voting taking place over the same time period. The rule of the 5th day is applied to delisting candidates that have received no votes to delist, other than that of the proposer, by day 5.

The FPCBot handles the vote counting and closing in most cases, current exceptions are candidates containing multiple versions of the image as well as FPXed and withdrawn nominations. Any experienced user may close the requests not handled by the bot. For instructions on how to close nominations, see Commons:Featured picture candidates/What to do after voting is finished. Also note that there is a manual review stage between when the bot has counted the votes and before the nomination is finally closed by the bot; this manual review can be done by any user familiar with the voting rules.

Above all, be polite

Please don't forget that the image you are judging is somebody's work. Avoid using phrases like "it looks terrible" and "I hate it". If you must oppose, please do so with consideration. Also remember that your command of English might not be the same as someone else's. Choose your words with care.

Happy judging… and remember… all rules can be broken.

See also

Table of contents

List may contain works considered Not Safe for Work (nudity).

Nominators are requested, out of courtesy, to include the {{Nsfw}} template with such images. Users may select the gadget in user preferences "Deferred display of images tagged with {{Nsfw}} on COM:FPC" to enable the template's effect of hiding the image until selected.

Refresh page for new nominations: purge this page's cache
⚠️ Important notice ⚠️
A vote is currently underway to decide whether the FPC promotion rules should be changed by requiring more than seven votes for an image to be promoted and/or by increasing the required support ratio above 2:1. The number of votes to apply the fifth day rule is also under discussion.

All users eligible to vote on FPC are invited to vote on this page.

The voting is open until 17 March 2026 23:59:59 (UTC).

This temporary notice will be removed after the vote is over.
Shortcut

File:The Malaysian-Swedish Music Moments (444).jpg

Voting period ends on 25 Mar 2026 at 10:17:33 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

A conductor leads his band in a spectacular orchestral performance shared between Malaysia and Sweden.

File:Global Sumud Flotilla volunteers return to KL - 20251007 (7).jpg

Voting period ends on 25 Mar 2026 at 10:10:22 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Hundreds of media personnel surround a team of humanitarian flotilla volunteers as they hold a press conference upon returning to their homeland.

File:Rotbrauner Milchling (Lactarius rufus) Bruderwald-20251112-RM-162004.jpg

Voting period ends on 25 Mar 2026 at 09:40:49 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Red-brown milk cap mushroom (Lactarius rufus) in the Bruderwald forest in Bamberg

File:Indian boar in Kaziranga National Park March 2025 by Tisha Mukherjee 01.jpg

Voting period ends on 25 Mar 2026 at 08:50:09 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Indian boar (Sus scrofa cristatus)

File:Поглед на Вешала 2.jpg

Voting period ends on 25 Mar 2026 at 07:50:37 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

An aerial view of the village of Vešala

File:Model lifting Styrofoam log - DPLA - 2c9e291ab0f81e375f2a12a1a75beb6c (cropped and retouched).jpg

Voting period ends on 24 Mar 2026 at 23:23:27 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Woman holding a Styrofoam log

File:Prayer in St Marko church, Belgrade, Serbia.jpg

Voting period ends on 24 Mar 2026 at 14:56:52 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Prayer in St Marko church, Belgrade, Serbia

File:Antigua ciudad de Herculano, Italia, 2023-03-27, DD 123.jpg

Voting period ends on 23 Mar 2026 at 19:53:56 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Mosaic in the nymphaeum of the house of Neptune and Amphitrite, ancient city of Herculaneum, Italy.

File:DSC09851 Search and Rescue Dog, Austrian Red Cross Perchtoldsdorf, 2024-10.jpg

Voting period ends on 23 Mar 2026 at 18:54:09 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

A labrador retriever of the Austrian Red Cross search and rescue dog unit.

File:Lighthouse in Chania. Crete, Greece.jpg

Voting period ends on 23 Mar 2026 at 15:46:21 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
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Lighthouse in Chania, Crete, Greece.

File:075 White rhinoceros mother and her newborn baby in the Kalahari Desert of Namibia Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg

Voting period ends on 23 Mar 2026 at 13:26:37 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

White rhinoceros mother and her newborn baby in the Kalahari Desert of Namibia

File:155 Southern yellow-billed hornbill in Etosha National Park Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg

Voting period ends on 23 Mar 2026 at 13:24:52 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
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Southern yellow-billed hornbill in Etosha National Park

File:Uyuni Salt Lake (Salar de Uyuni), Bolivia, 12-2022.jpg

Voting period ends on 23 Mar 2026 at 09:57:30 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
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  •  Comment I agree that the scene itself is visually striking, but the technical processing appears to be the main limiting factor here. In the mid-distance and towards the horizon the texture appears heavily smoothed, suggesting rather aggressive noise reduction. This smoothing seems to be followed by strong sharpening, producing brittle edge contrast and fragmented micro-structure already visible just before the distant shoreline. As a result, genuine fine detail appears to have been removed and replaced by artificial sharpness, giving the distance a somewhat "gritty" or brittle appearance rather than natural texture.
While it is technically possible to soften these artefacts by re-introducing noise or grain, this only simulates structure rather than restoring lost detail. For demonstration, I made a small test edit using this method, slightly reduced saturation, and added subtle grain across the image to compensate for the overly smoothed sky and foreground. This reduced the gritty artefacts towards the horizon and gave a slightly more natural appearance, but the original micro-detail is not recovered. Example edit for demonstration: preview; Full download available here (changes visible at 100% view).
A clean reprocessing would likely require the original raw file, as lost micro-detail cannot be recovered from the current jpeg. The uncropped alternative shows the same processing issues, indicating they originate from the source image post-processing. The scene and perspective are beautiful, but the current processing keeps the image below typical FP technical standards. Best regards, -- Radomianin (talk) 17:40, 14 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Additional note: After reviewing the original Flickr file, it is now clear that the uploader applied denoising, which was indeed appropriate given the extreme "gritty" artefacts present across the entire image. The remaining coarse areas in the mid-distance were likely preserved to avoid removing whatever detail could still define the scene. From a technical standpoint, this approach is understandable. However, because such extensive denoising was necessary to address the widespread artefacts, the resulting image becomes noticeably softened and loses much of its photographic texture, moving closer to a graphic or illustrative appearance. Thanks to the uploader for these adjustments, but the technical limitations of the source material remain significant. Best regards, -- Radomianin (talk) 19:50, 14 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
For reference: I have included a 100% crop (1150 × 850 px) from the original Flickr file illustrating the pronounced "gritty" artefacts; this coarse texture is present across the entire original image: preview. -- Radomianin (talk) 09:33, 16 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Radomianin: Thanks, I've reprocessed both versions from Flickr file. Юрий Д.К. 18:15, 14 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
  • I have now reviewed the original Flickr version, which I had not examined before. This version appears heavily processed across the entire frame, showing widespread artefacts: the image is extensively "gritty" and strongly oversharpened. It is really unfortunate that we have such poor source material to work with. Best, -- Radomianin (talk) 18:29, 14 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
  • @Юрий Д.К.: I would kindly suggest adding a {{Retouched picture}} to both files that were transferred from Flickr, to indicate that you have applied some post-processing. This would make it immediately clear to anyone viewing the file pages that edits have been made, supporting transparency and understanding. Thank you very much in advance! Best, -- Radomianin (talk) 20:08, 14 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Alternative

File:Moscow - 2025 - St. Basil's Cathedral from Middle Trade Rows.jpg

Voting period ends on 23 Mar 2026 at 09:57:18 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

File:Baumstumpf-Zwischen-Frühlingsheide-Grugapark-Essen-Frühjahr-2026.jpg

Voting period ends on 23 Mar 2026 at 01:17:35 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
Voters must check: File name · Quality · Image description · License · Categories (what, where, who, when)
Visit the nomination page to add or modify image notes.

Weathered tree stump covered with moss and lichen, surrounded by blooming Spring heath (Erica carnea) in the Grugapark in Essen, Germany

File:ОУ „Христијан Тодоровски Карпош“ - Челопек 7.jpg

Voting period ends on 22 Mar 2026 at 21:38:38 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Two broken and two intact arched window glasses on Hristijan Todorovski Karpoš Primary School's building in the village of Čelopek

File:Campamento de ganado de la tribu Mundari, Terekeka, Sudán del Sur, 2024-01-28, DD 165.jpg

Voting period ends on 22 Mar 2026 at 20:29:32 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Cattle camp of the Mundari tribe, Terekeka, South Sudan

File:Konark Sun Temple Puri district, Odisha, India 3.jpg

Voting period ends on 22 Mar 2026 at 10:27:26 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Konark Sun Temple, Odisha, India

File:Nfis Valley Upstream Ouirgane Oct25 A7CR 08623-4-6 HDR2.jpg

Voting period ends on 22 Mar 2026 at 08:29:43 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Oued N'fis river valley upstream from the Yacoub el Mansour reservoir, Ouirgane, Morocco

File:Meirelles-bacante.jpg

Voting period ends on 22 Mar 2026 at 01:25:48 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Bacchae

File:Wat Pariwat Bangkok Thailand by Don Ramey Logan (1) copy 6.jpg

Voting period ends on 21 Mar 2026 at 11:32:29 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Wat Pariwat Bangkok Thailand
  • @SyntaxysI would never reject this beautiful photo, but I think that from this angle it would look more natural if the outer verticals were angled inwards just a tiny bit.In the previous photo, the verticals were corrected way too much in my opinion.--Famberhorst (talk) 05:57, 14 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
    It’s fine, I’m just asking out of general interest. When I stand in front of a building in real life and look up at it, I see lines that are 100% vertical — nothing tilts backward or converges. To me, that’s the most natural view of a building.
    I learned photography over 30 years ago from an architectural photographer. Back then, we used 4x5 inch and 8x10 inch bellows cameras from Linhof for our work, which allowed us to easily make corrections even for shots on celluloid; nothing could be corrected digitally at that time. And such perfect corrections were expressly requested by the clients — it was a must. Achim Lammerts • Syntaxys (talk) 06:21, 14 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
    EDIT: I was looking through some old photos and found a good example of how architectural photos were taken correctly as far back as 140 years ago. It serves as an excellent comparison to this photo here. In both images, the viewpoint is from ground level! In the old photo, the photographer at least shifted the lens to avoid converging lines. If that wasn’t enough, the Scheimpflug principle was used:
    The rear standard (the film plane) was tilted backward until it was exactly vertical again (parallel to the building wall). Since tilting the film plane caused a loss of sharpness, the front standard (the lens) also had to be adjusted accordingly to bring the plane of focus back onto the building. The building is now depicted without converging lines, even though the camera is actually “looking up.” Today, this very photographic principle is achieved through digital correction. The result is the same. --Achim Lammerts • Syntaxys (talk) 08:48, 14 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
  • Photography is much more than a dry depiction of reality based on rigid technical rules, it is an interpretation of reality. And this fashionable obsession of making all verticals parallel, which has invaded QIC, is particularly irritating to an old photographer like me. -- Alvesgaspar (talk) 12:36, 14 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
    Of course, I can understand your point of view, and in a way you’re right — after all, when it comes to art, anything goes. But this photo has more of a documentary character, so it should be technically accurate. In my opinion, that’s precisely what contributes to the “wow” factor, along with the beauty of the temple. Achim Lammerts • Syntaxys (talk) 15:55, 14 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
    Well, apparently not because the result looks artificial, at least to me. -- ~~ Alvesgaspar (talk) 18:00, 14 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]

File:Tapirus terrestris por Luiz Alves (01).jpg

Voting period ends on 20 Mar 2026 at 23:36:18 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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File:Interior da catedral Metropolitana de Porto Alegre.jpg

Voting period ends on 20 Mar 2026 at 23:32:33 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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File:Hatta Dam - UAE.jpg

Voting period ends on 20 Mar 2026 at 22:47:06 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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SHORT DESCRIPTION

File:Moscow - 2025 - The Kremlin Wall.jpg

Voting period ends on 20 Mar 2026 at 12:36:12 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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SHORT DESCRIPTION

File:Abduvohid Nematov 3.jpg

Voting period ends on 20 Mar 2026 at 10:34:52 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Uzbek footballer Abduvohid Nematov in 2025

File:20250701 veery pleasant valley wildlife sanctuary PD206433.jpg

Voting period ends on 20 Mar 2026 at 09:37:25 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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SHORT DESCRIPTION

 Comment There is one existing FP of this species, which I think is a bit better than this, with more detail in the feathers: File:Veery in CP (43277).jpg. There are also some excellent QIs. My favorites are File:20250701 veery pleasant valley wildlife sanctuary PD206480.jpg or the similar File:20250701 veery pleasant valley wildlife sanctuary PD206488.jpg, which show the bird singing and have excellent details on the tail feathers. All that said, this is a good photo and would be fine as an FP. I'll live with it longer and consider whether to vote for it but certainly won't oppose. -- Ikan Kekek (talk) 14:56, 11 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]

File:Hydrangea paniculata 07-02-2026. (actm.).jpg

Voting period ends on 20 Mar 2026 at 08:09:44 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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SHORT DESCRIPTION
  • ✓ Done. Small correction.Thank you for your comment and support. I've made a small correction. The background is a natural backdrop of the shrub border, fallen leaves, and such. I won't be changing the size during the voting period.--Agnes Monkelbaan (talk) 16:53, 12 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]

File:Sharof Mukhitdinov 5.jpg

Voting period ends on 20 Mar 2026 at 07:46:22 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Uzbek footballer Sharof Mukhitdinov in 2025

File:Baton-practice-Manzanar-Adams.jpeg

Voting period ends on 19 Mar 2026 at 21:02:50 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Baton practice, Florence Kuwata, Manzanar Relocation Center / photograph by Ansel Adams.

File:Hamburger Planetarium bei Nacht.jpg

Voting period ends on 19 Mar 2026 at 06:30:07 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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View of the Hamburg Planetarium reflected in the lake

File:Traditional pirogue in Nouakchott.jpg

Voting period ends on 18 Mar 2026 at 08:43:48 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Traditional fishing with pirogue in Nouakchott in Mauritania.

File:Bagrati Cathedral in 2026, Kutaisi, Georgia.jpg

Voting period ends on 18 Mar 2026 at 06:53:26 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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SHORT DESCRIPTION

Alternative

File:DSC03739 Blast Furnace 1 at Night, voestalpine Donawitz, 2026-02.jpg

Voting period ends on 17 Mar 2026 at 13:49:04 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Nightly view of blast furnace no. 1 of the Donawitz steelworks, Leoben, Austria.
 Comment @Aciarium for compo: edge-left tower is spoiling to concetrate on right-interesting part. So i tried crop and is better to see. But despite that, i think its unsharp - not a camera problem but think "user mistake". 5 second exposure, could be shake and 600mm on f/7.1 is (almost) more portrait than landscape mode. --Mile (talk) 18:58, 10 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Mile: I think the two towers are helpful in conveying the perspective and in framing the actual furnace - but composition is certainly a debatable topic. Sharpness could definitely be better, on this one I agree with you: The culprit was a cheap tripod, in combination with the high focal length that you mentioned. Due to the furnaces being located in a somewhat narrow valley, it is not too easy to find a good perspective with little obstruction. The few good spots are quite far away, requiring the use of such focal lengths. --Aciarium (talk) 19:49, 10 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]

File:Bienenfresser Paarung.jpg

Voting period ends on 16 Mar 2026 at 22:38:41 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Mating pair of European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster)

Alternative

File:Used 135 film cartridges.jpg

Voting period ends on 16 Mar 2026 at 20:49:25 (UTC) (unless closed by the 5th-day rule)
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Used 135 film cartridges, workshop in Belgrade, Serbia. My shot.


Timetable (day 5 after nomination)

Wed 11 Mar → Mon 16 Mar
Thu 12 Mar → Tue 17 Mar
Fri 13 Mar → Wed 18 Mar
Sat 14 Mar → Thu 19 Mar
Sun 15 Mar → Fri 20 Mar
Mon 16 Mar → Sat 21 Mar

Timetable (day 9 after nomination, last day of voting)

Sat 07 Mar → Mon 16 Mar
Sun 08 Mar → Tue 17 Mar
Mon 09 Mar → Wed 18 Mar
Tue 10 Mar → Thu 19 Mar
Wed 11 Mar → Fri 20 Mar
Thu 12 Mar → Sat 21 Mar
Fri 13 Mar → Sun 22 Mar
Sat 14 Mar → Mon 23 Mar
Sun 15 Mar → Tue 24 Mar
Mon 16 Mar → Wed 25 Mar

Closing nominations manually

The following description explains how to close nominations manually. Normally this is not necessary, as FPCBot takes care of counting the votes, closing and archiving the nominations. When the Bot has counted the votes, a user needs to check and approve the result; everything else is done by the Bot. Therefore, the following instructions are normally only needed for delist-and-replace nominations that the Bot cannot (yet) process, and in case the Bot malfunctions. The closing can be done by any experienced user. If you need help, just ask on the FPC talk page.

  1. On Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list click on the title/link of the nomination, then [edit].
    • Add the result of the voting at the bottom (on a new line):
      {{FPC-results-reviewed|support=x|oppose=x|neutral=x|featured=(“yes” or “no”)|gallery=xxx|sig=~~~~}}
      (You can leave the gallery parameter blank if the image was not featured. If the nomination contains alternatives, you must add the alternative=xxx parameter with the name of the selected image between the gallery and the sig parameter. See {{FPC-results-reviewed}} for examples and more explanations.)
    • Edit the title of the nomination and add featured or not featured after the link – for example:
      === [[:File:XXXXX.jpg]] ===
      becomes
      === [[:File:XXXXX.jpg]], featured ===
    • Save your edit.
  2. If it is featured:
    1. Add the picture to the list of the four most recently featured pictures of an appropriate gallery of Commons:Featured pictures, list as the first one and delete the last one, so that the number is four again.
    2. Add the picture to the appropriate featured picture gallery page and section. Click on the most appropriate link beneath where you just added it as one of the four images on Commons:Featured pictures, list to find the gallery page, and search for the correct section. (An image should only appear ONE time in the galleries. After a successful nomination, the image can be placed in several of the Featured pictures categories.)
    3. Add the template {{Assessments|featured=1}} to the image description page.
      • If it was an alternative image or part of a set nomination, use the com-nom parameter. For example, if File:Foo.jpg was promoted in the nomination Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:Bar.jpg, use {{Assessments|featured=1|com-nom=Bar.jpg}} You also need the com-nom parameter if the image gets renamed.
      • If the image is already featured on another Wikipedia, just add featured=1 to the {{Assessments}} template. For instance, {{Assessments|enwiki=1}} becomes {{Assessments|enwiki=1|featured=1}}
    4. Head over to the structured data for the image and add the “Commons quality assessment” claim (P6731) “Wikimedia Commons featured picture” (Q63348049).
    5. Add the picture to the chronological archives of featured pictures. Place it at the end of the gallery using this format:
      File:xxxxx.jpg|# '''Title'''<br>created by [[User:xxxxx|xxxxx]], uploaded by [[User:xxxxx|xxxxx]], nominated by [[User:xxxxx|xxxxx]]<br> {{s|xxx}}, {{o|xxx}}, {{n|xxx}}
      • The # should be replaced by 1 for the first image nominated that month, and counts up after that. Have a look at the other entries on that page for examples. (If you want to do everything perfectly, link that number to the nomination subpage, just like FPCBot does this. It allows users to jump directly to the nomination.)
      • The Title should be replaced by the bare name of the featured picture, without the ‘File:’ or the file extension (such as .jpg .tif .svg).
      • The x in {{s|x}}, {{o|x}}, {{n|x}} should be replaced by the count of support, oppose, and neutral votes respectively.
      • If the nomination was a set nomination, use this format:
        File:xxxxx.jpg|# '''Set: Title (Z files)'''<br>created by [[User:xxxxx|xxxxx]], uploaded by [[User:xxxxx|xxxxx]], nominated by [[User:xxxxx|xxxxx]]<br> {{s|x}}, {{o|x}}, {{n|x}}
        Replace the Z in (Z files) by the count of images in the set, and use the name of the first image from the set instead of File:xxxxx.jpg and for the title.
    6. Add == FP promotion ==
      {{FPpromotion|File:XXXXX.jpg}} to the talk page of the nominator. For set nominations, use:
      == Set Promoted to FP ==
      <gallery>
      File:XXXXXX.jpg
      File:XXXXXX.jpg
      </gallery>
      {{FPpromotionSet2|YYYYY}}      , using the names of the set files instead of the XXXXXX and the title of the set instead of YYYYY.
    7. Add == FP promotion ==
      {{FPpromotedUploader|File:XXXXX.jpg}} to the talk page of the user who has uploaded the image, if that user is not the same as the nominator.
    8. Add == FP promotion ==
      {{FPpromotedCreator|File:XXXXX.jpg}} to the talk page of the creator, if the author is a different Commons user than nominator and uploader.
  3. As the last step (whether the image is featured or not; including {{FPX}}-d, {{FPD}}-d and {{Withdraw}}-n nominations), you have to move the transclusion (the {{ }} and the text within those) of the nomination to the current log page.
    • To find the current log page, visit the first page of the log for this month. If the header of that page contains a link with the text “Next part of this month”, the log for this month has been split into several parts because it contains too many entries. Click on the “Next part …” link and repeat this until you reach a page where the header does not offer a “Next part …” link; that’s the last and current log page.
    • Now open Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list, click on [edit], and find the transclusion of the nomination you are closing. It will be of the form: {{Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:XXXXX.jpg}} or: {{Commons:Featured picture candidates/Set/XXXXX}}.
    • Copy that line to the bottom of the current log page and save that page. Then remove the same line from the candidate list and save that page.

Closing a delisting nomination

  1. On Commons:Featured picture candidates/candidate list click on the title/link of the candidate image, then [edit].
    Add the result of the voting at the bottom (on a new line):
    {{FPC-delist-results-reviewed|delist=x|keep=x|neutral=x|delisted=yes/no|sig=~~~~}}
    (for example see Commons:Featured picture candidates/removal/File:Ensifera ensifera (22271195865).jpg)
  2. Edit the title of the delisting nomination and add delisted or not delisted after the image title; for example:
    === [[:File:XXXXX.jpg]] ===
    becomes
    === [[:File:XXXXX.jpg]], delisted ===
  3. Move the transclusion of the nomination to the current log page; please see above for an explanation how to find the current log page and how to move the nomination to it.
  4. If the outcome was not delisted, stop here. If it is delisted:
    1. Remove the picture from Commons:Featured pictures, list and any subpages.
    2. Edit the picture's description as follows:
    3. Add a delisting-comment to the original entry in the chronological archive of featured pictures in bold-face, e. g. delisted 2007-07-19 (1–6) with (1–6) meaning 1 keep and 6 delist votes (change as appropriate). The picture must not be removed from the chronological archives.
  5. If this is a Delist and Replace, the delisting and promotion must both be done manually. To do the promotion, follow the steps in the section above. Note that the assessment tag on the file page and the promotion tag on the nominator's talk page won't pick up the /replace subpage that these nominations use.

Archiving a withdrawn nomination

If a nomination has been withdrawn by the nominator by using {{Withdraw}} or is cancelled with {{FPX}} or {{FPD}}, wait 24 hours after the nomination was last edited. If there has been no objection to the cancellation within this time, the nomination can simply be archived. Just move the transclusion of the nomination to the current log page; please see above for an explanation how to find the current log page and how to move the nomination to it.

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