I was invited to judge the Street Photography Challenge for the first week of 2026, focusing on the theme Bicycles. The challenge runs within a well-established and highly active Facebook group, which hosts two street photography challenges every week — a Classic Challenge and a Mini Challenge — attracting hundreds of submissions from photographers around the world.
Having previously taken part, and won a few awards in the group, it was a genuine pleasure to step into the judging role, especially with over 750 entries submitted for the week.
For this challenge, I was looking for candid street photographs of people actively riding bicycles in public spaces. For clarity, this meant standard bicycles with two wheels (or two wheels plus training wheels for children). Bikes were the starting point, but what mattered most was how they functioned within the frame — as part of a wider street narrative, everyday movement, or human interaction.
What I responded to were images featuring:
People clearly riding bicycles
Candid, unposed moments
Real public spaces and street environments
Situations where the bicycle played a meaningful role in the scene
Both colour and black & white images were considered equally.
What I deliberately avoided were:
Parked or unattended bicycles
Bikes without a visible rider
Posed, staged, or directed scenes
Organised cycling events, races, or sports photography
Studio, editorial, or fashion-style shoots
Street photography, for me, is about observation over perfection — real moments, timing, context, and how subjects interact naturally with the street. With that in mind, I selected a Winner and Runner-up in both Colour and Black & White, along with four Commended images across the two formats. Below is a gallery with some of my chosen selections from the #RidingABike_2026 Street Photography Challenge:
Judging this challenge was genuinely inspiring, and it was a privilege to see so many strong, varied interpretations of a deceptively simple theme. I encourage all photographers, street and otherwise to get involved in the Street Photography Challenges over on the Facebook Group. For some street photography insights and inspiration take a look at the Street Photography Challenge Gallery here,
If you’d like to purchase one of my travel or street photography prints, commission a piece, or discuss collaborations, feel free to get in touch via my website, or though my Instagram page here.
👉 You can also license my images directly through my Getty Images portfolio.
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