Mobile Moments

We’ve partnered with Moment to help you unveil the photographer in you. Smartphones have made photography accessible to many, so we’re asking creators to grab their smartphones and start shooting! We want to see how creative you get, but we also want to hear the unique story that comes along with your photo.

Once you’re happy with your shot, tell us everything about it. Tell us the story behind what you’ve captured—what inspired it? What is the message behind it? Why did you choose to photograph your subject? We also want to know how you got the magic shot! Did you use any third-party apps? Did you edit it a certain way? Did you have HDR on? Include as many details as possible to support your photo. We’re excited to take a peek at who you are behind the lens!

Tips

To help tell the story behind your photo, include any images you have of the process. If you went through rounds of edits before arriving at your final shot, take screenshots of those steps and include them throughout the story! Detail the changes you made as much as possible, it will only help our judges get a better idea of your creative process.

You don’t have to be a professional photographer to enter, so don’t shy away from entering just because you’re not a pro! Experiment with subjects in your day-to-day, people in your life, or places you walk by on your way to work—these all might surprise you if you look at them from a new perspective.

How it’s judged

This challenge is about the photo, but also about the process behind it. Our judges and partners at Moment will pay close attention to the photo, the story behind it, the technique involved, and the overall creative angle of the shot. We’re looking for photos that stand out but that also have a message that goes beyond the actual image. For more on their judging criteria, click here. Read the Official Rules here.

For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 5,000 words, and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until February 21st will be entered for consideration. All submitted photos must be shot on a smartphone. You are welcome to submit an edited photo. To avoid a situation where the source of the image cannot be verified, be sure to use the original picture file on your phone, not a screenshot.

To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or third place prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these 32 countries will not be eligible to win.