What is Show and Tell?
Each week, a host chooses a theme and PBase photographers share their interpretations. The host picks the winners, and the first-place winner is invited to accept hosting for the next contest.
These contests began in the PBase Show and Tell forum. The forum software had become too old to maintain safely, so this dedicated home carries on the contest and preserves its history. Photo entries, results and hosting now have their own controls.
Find a contest
The home page lists contests newest first. Open the first card for the latest contest, or search by theme, host, winner or contest number.
Click a photo to open a larger view without leaving the contest. The viewer loads the original-size photo when available, falling back to the preview if needed. Use the previous and next buttons, arrow keys, or swipe on a phone to browse. Close the viewer or press Escape to return. Open original photo opens its source in a new tab.
Open for entries means you can participate before the displayed deadline. Awaiting results means entries have closed and the host is judging. Results shows the awards and who can start the next contest.
Enter a photo
- Open the latest contest, read its theme and check the closing time. Sign in to participate.
- Open one of your photos on PBase. Copy its page address, or the image number that follows /image/ in the address.
- Choose Enter a photo to open the form below the gallery. Paste the link or number into Photo URL or image ID, check the preview, add an optional caption, then choose Submit photo.
- Repeat for up to three photos. Each appears once in Entries, with Edit caption and Withdraw controls on your own photos. Your entries shows how many of your three slots are filled.
What can I paste?
- Image ID
123456789- Photo page URL
https://pbase.com/your_name/image/123456789- Old forum code
[PB-Image]123456789[/PB-Image]
The image ID is the number after /image/ in the address.
Old forum PB-Image and Img codes also work, as do PBase size links and copied image addresses.
Contest rules
- A paid PBase account is required to submit photos or post comments. Administrators are exempt.
- Enter up to three of your PBase photos; the host cannot enter.
- Your entry must be your own publicly viewable PBase photo and must never have won a contest. Public photos you own can be shared here even when direct linking is disabled.
- Entries close seven days after the contest starts.
- The host chooses the winners and up to five honorable mentions.
- The winner is invited to host next; unanswered or declined invitations pass to the runners-up.
Deadlines are shown in UTC. Check back after entries close to see the results and any offer to host the next contest.
Manage entries & join the discussion
On your photos in Entries, expand Edit caption or Withdraw. Captions and entries can be changed until the deadline. Withdrawing frees a slot, and you can enter that photo again while entries are open.
Use Discussion for questions, photo comments and congratulations. Sign in, write your message in Add a comment, then choose Preview comment to check the message and photos. The preview is not posted and your draft stays editable; after making changes, preview again. Choose Post comment when ready. You can mix text with up to five linked PBase photos per comment. Paste the same photo URLs, [PB-Image] codes or [img] codes accepted by the entry form; put a bare image ID on its own line so ordinary numbers in your message stay as text. Every photo load checks the live anonymous PBase photo page. Someone else’s photo must also allow direct linking; for your own public photos, direct linking may be disabled. Private, protected, missing or unverifiable photos show a placeholder. Additional references after the first five remain text.
A photo in Discussion is a comment, not a contest entry: it cannot receive an award and does not use one of your three entry slots. Hosts can post photo comments too, including after results are published. To compete, use Enter a photo → Photo URL or image ID → Submit photo. Your photo must appear under Entries to be judged. There are no uploads here yet; both comments and entries link to existing PBase photos.
Administrators can hide or restore comments and block an account from further posting in Show and Tell. Moderation does not change the account on PBase.
Host & judge a contest
- If you are offered hosting, open the latest results while signed in as the named account. Choose Accept hosting before the displayed response deadline. After accepting, choose Start the next contest, enter a theme and optional description, then choose Start contest. The number and seven-day entry deadline are set automatically.
- While your contest is open, expand Edit contest details and use Save changes to update the theme or description. You cannot enter your own contest.
- After entries close, choose the winners. First place is required; second and third places are optional. Expand Honorable mentions to select up to five more photos. Each photo can receive only one award. Add your judging comments.
- Choose Review results to check the photos, awards and comments. Keep editing returns to your draft. Publish results finalizes the awards and invites the first-place winner to host. The winner must accept before starting the next contest.
Use Decline hosting if you cannot host, or Release hosting if you already accepted. An unanswered invitation expires at the displayed UTC deadline (48 hours by default). Hosting passes to distinct first-, second-, then third-place winners, then to the previous host. Honorable mentions are unranked and are not in the automatic succession. If everyone declines or times out, an administrator must arrange the next host. Administrators can offer or assign hosting and review the recorded activity through Manage hosting.
Browse the old contests
Historical contests appear in the same list as new contests. Known winners appear first. Results keeps the judging and other awarded photos together. About this contest opens the original rules. Discussion is expanded, with captions and compact photo links opening the viewer; gallery photos are not repeated. Message below a photo takes you to its original post. Imported posts are read only.
Unavailable photos are grouped in a compact list. Their entries, captions, authors, results and original links are preserved. Unavailable means the photo has not been recovered; it does not prove the original is permanently lost.
Common questions
Where do I enter my photo?
On an open contest, choose Enter a photo to open the form below Entries. Use Photo URL or image ID, check the preview, then submit. The form is hidden for the host, after three entries, and once entries have closed. Historical contests are read only.
Do I upload photos here?
Upload your photo to PBase first, then paste its photo URL or image ID here. The contest uses that existing photo; withdrawing an entry does not delete it from PBase.
Why is my preview unavailable?
Use a photo address or image ID, not a gallery address. Before showing a preview, the service checks that the photo is visible without signing in and belongs to your PBase account. A working thumbnail or direct link alone does not establish public visibility. Public photos you own can be entered even when direct linking is disabled.
Why can’t I submit a photo?
Check that you are signed in, the contest is open, and you have fewer than three entries. The host cannot enter. A photo already entered in this contest, or one that has won a previous contest, is not eligible. Read the message above the form; your photo input and caption are kept so you can correct them.
How will I know if I should host next?
Open the latest results or look for Respond to hosting invitation on the contest list. Sign in as the invited account and accept before the response deadline, or decline so the next person can be invited. After accepting you can start the next contest.