Is PHOTOFRI.DAY the same thing as photofriday.com?+
No. That one's much older — the original contest, open to everyone, off the fediverse. This one is fediverse-only. You don't put your photos on someone else's server — you do it through follows and hashtags. We're here to boost you, help people find you (in the fediverse and out on the regular net), and promote the fediverse itself. Different thing entirely. Nothing to do with the other contest.
When does it start?+
First prompt ships August 28, 2026. First submissions open September 4, 2026. First results — and the next prompt — land September 11, 2026.
Is there a 24-hour submission window?+
No. We know everyone's sick of being forced to live on North American time. Friday spans a total of 50 hours worldwide — starting in the UTC+14 zone on the Line Islands of Kiribati at 10:00 AM UTC Thursday, and finally wrapping up in the UTC−12 zone at Baker Island at 12:00 PM UTC Saturday. Our software boosts each entry during its own sliding 24-hour Friday — which, added up across every time zone, spans that full 50 hours. Fair to participants everywhere on the globe. We've got your back.
What kind of photos are allowed?+
AI-generated images — please don't. All entries should look like an actual photograph, not a composite, not mixed media. We get it: image editors touch up, fix noise, use a bit of generative fill — that's the reality in 2026. A little AI help, sure. AI doing your heavy lifting for you? Be ashamed. You can add hashtags letting people know what was and wasn't used in your entry.
How do I participate?+
Follow @[email protected].
Post on-theme images using the week's hashtag while the 50-hour posting window is open. Notice is published to your feed when the window opens and closes.
How do I participate if I'm not part of the fediverse?+
Join the fediverse — it's free. You sound like our kind of person — come on in, get comfy. Here's more to get you started: fediverse.info.
What if I want my photos removed?+
Delete the photo (or the whole post), or just pull the hashtag off it. We periodically check back on everything listed — post's gone, or the tag's gone, either way we catch it on the next pass and clear it from our board. No extra step needed on your end.
How do I leave the challenge?+
Who is running this?+
Sean McCormick. Canadian, 57. I own about twenty times as many cameras as you've got fingers and toes — yes, you too, people in Alabama — and I use every one of them relentlessly. I hate closed platforms and the dickhead billionaires trying to monetize us.
Day job: insurance broker, so basically boring as hell. I pretend I'm interesting by writing spicy things online; my friends know better. Passable photographer, unintentional gap coder. No company behind this, no ad team, nobody in a meeting arguing about engagement metrics — just one person who thinks the fediverse deserves an easier on-ramp for photographers. Something breaks, that's on me.
What are Pixelfed, Mastodon, Vernissage, and SNAPSMACK?+
Different doors into the same room. Pick whichever already fits how you post — any of them gets you a fediverse handle, and a handle is all you need to follow @participate.
- Pixelfed — a throwback to what Instagram was, and a beautiful vision of what it could be — with some limitations (discoverability, namely). No ads, no algorithm, and plenty of good photography to be found. Worth supporting, and we plan to do our part. pixelfed.org
- Mastodon — a decentralized, Twitter-like experience, but without Herr Douchebag calling the shots. Mostly text-forward, but some photographers live and share here. joinmastodon.org
- Vernissage — fediverse image sharing with some varnish added. A curated experience focused on high-quality image sharing with rich detail through EXIF information. Participate through the iOS app or their web instance. vernissage.photos
- SNAPSMACK — blogging software built specifically for hobbyist photographers. Share the way photographers always did, before the work got co-opted by social media and paid platforms — but free. Proud participant of the fediverse. snapsmack.ca
This site is run by the same person behind the SNAPSMACK software. Do I need to use SNAPSMACK to participate?+
No. In fact, SNAPSMACK is a niche software platform and probably not for you. It requires having your own domain name, your own web hosting account or hardware, and a mild pain tolerance at the very least. That's not most people — you should be looking at all the options available to you at fediverse.info. If the fediverse platform you choose can follow other accounts and share a post with a photo and a #hashtag, you're in.
Can I enter my five images as a carousel from Pixelfed or SNAPSMACK?+
No. The carousel may not render properly in some fediverse apps — single images are safer. Posts using carousels from either platform aren't boosted by our software.
What's this about a Starter Kit?+
Part of our mission is to help photographers and photography lovers find each other on the fediverse. We make all followers' handles available in a Starter Kit for others to use to populate their own follow lists. If you unfollow the contest, you disappear from the list — but any friends you made while participating stay your friends. We're doing this to help people find you on Friday, and on every other day.
Does it cost anything to participate?+
It costs nothing in terms of money to enter this photo competition. It will cost you your honour if you're a photographer and you don't. Choose wisely.