The monthly photography contest organized by the ComputerBase community has launched its September edition with the theme "Shadow Play," replacing the previous month's "Leading Lines" challenge. The contest, which has been a cornerstone of the ComputerBase community for over a decade, continues to attract both amateur and professional photographers from around the world.

Unlike typical photography where shadows are often considered secondary elements that photographers try to minimize or avoid, this month's theme specifically calls for shadows to take center stage as the primary focus of submitted images. The current winner, community member K P K, described the theme as encompassing "shadows of people, animals, plants, objects, buildings/architecture, vehicles, and more. Whether captured indoors or outdoors, and regardless of whether they're created by natural or artificial light." K P K's winning shadow photograph was notably taken with the first-generation iPhone SE, demonstrating that equipment sophistication is not a barrier to participation.

The photography contest has evolved significantly since its inception over ten years ago, maintaining its position as a beloved community tradition that encourages both lingering appreciation and active discussion among participants. The competition welcomes photographers of all skill levels, from complete beginners to seasoned professionals, with the only requirement being adherence to the monthly theme. Throughout its history, the contest has been managed by various dedicated community members, starting with echoDave, followed by SSD Turbo, Chillkroetchen, and tHE_nICKEL. Currently, longtime ComputerBase member lowrider20 oversees the contest threads and manages photo submissions sent to cb-fotowettbewerb@gmx.net, with participants required to include their forum username and the theme in the subject line.

The contest has produced notable recurring winners, with K P K establishing themselves as a frequent champion, which organizers encourage other participants to view as motivation to create original and compelling photographs that could challenge this dominance. As recognition for community engagement, the editorial team sponsors a consolation prize of three months of ComputerBase Pro membership for the final three participants who don't reach the winner's podium, acknowledging that the top positions may seem distant for some contributors.

Looking back at previous September competitions provides insight into the contest's diversity and evolution. The 2024 September theme was "Long Exposure" (won by Able), 2023 featured "Oldies but Goodies" (won by leboef), 2022 focused on "Mobile Phone Snapshots" (won by Agent 1), 2021 explored "Negative Space" (won by K P K), and 2020 challenged photographers with "Gravity" (won by alehei1969). This historical progression demonstrates the contest's commitment to exploring various photographic techniques and creative approaches.

Participation follows established community guidelines that permit each registered member to submit one personally captured photograph of any age, provided it hasn't been previously entered in any ComputerBase photography contest or published elsewhere in the ComputerBase forum. Images featuring the same subject from slightly different perspectives as previously published photos are discouraged to maintain originality. The contest explicitly prohibits drawings, painted images, AI-generated content, and digital renderings, though it welcomes photographs taken with any type of camera, whether digital or analog, smartphone or professional DSLR equipment.

A significant procedural change emphasizes that contest organizer lowrider20 will only consider the first photograph submitted by each participant. The practice of sending placeholder images with intentions to replace them later is discouraged to ensure equal opportunity for all contestants. Following the submission deadline, a nine-day voting period begins for all entries, with a maximum of 40 photographs accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. All forum members with active accounts are eligible to participate in the voting process.

To maintain photographer anonymity during voting, submitted images are resized to a maximum of 3,840 pixels in height and width, with EXIF data removed when necessary. The month-end winner earns the privilege of selecting the theme for the following month's competition, continuing the community-driven nature of the contest. The editorial team extends best wishes to all participants as they explore the creative possibilities of shadow photography in this month's challenge.