Sustainable Travel Photo Competition Launch!
Our photo competition is now closed! More information on voting coming soon.
To celebrate 15 years of the Bike Hub, we’re inviting all staff and students to get involved in a sustainable travel themed photo competition!
Submit a photo that demonstrates how getting from A to B in a sustainable way can connect you to a place, to your community, to your body, or can just be a bit of fun!
Sustainable travel encompasses such things as walking, wheeling, cycling, running, car sharing, or travelling by public transport such as bus, tram, or train to get to a destination.
There are five categories you can submit your photo under, and six prizes up for grabs - one for each category winner and a People's Choice Award winner
The prizes are six sustainability hampers that are each worth up to £50! The hamper features sustainable goodies selected by the Sustainability Service including bespoke KeepCups, Fairtrade chocolate, organic tea, tote bags, and wildflower meadow kits.
Plus, all submitted photos that fit the criteria will be displayed at an art installation as part of our Bike Hub Birthday Celebration on October 8.
Whether your photo is silly, serious, atmospheric, informal, or professional, we want to see it! Show us what sustainable travel looks like through your lens!
How to Enter:
The overarching theme of the competition is 'Sustainable Travel through Your Lens'. We've got five categories within this that you can submit a photo to – enter as many categories as you like!
- Sustainable travel for fun
- Sustainable travel for wellbeing
- Sustainable travel for connection
- Sustainable travel for getting to campus
- Sustainable travel for all
Submit your entry via our submission form where you will upload your photo and include a short explanation to go with it.
All submitted photos that meet the guidelines will be displayed at the Bike Hub Birthday event on 8th October 2025. On the day visitors will be invited to vote for their favourite photo as part of our People’s Choice Award.
The competition closes on Sunday 7 September. Winners will be contacted shortly after, in time for the Bike Hub Birthday event on 8 October.
Prompts and ideas for each theme
- Fun: photos of cycling with your friends, walking on your commute and it bringing a smile to your face, dogs on public transport
- Wellbeing: photos of relaxing on a morning train ride, of seeing a beautiful sunset as you jog to your destination, of yourself post-active travel when you know you've done something good for your body
- Connection: photo where travelling by bus made you feel connected to your city, of nature where travelling connected you with the environment, or your journey to visit friends or your family
- Getting to campus: photos from your commute to study or work, photos of sustainable travel with iconic University of Leeds landmarks in
- For all: photos of people from all ages, demographics, and walks of life partaking in sustainable travel, e.g., your first bike ride as a child, or a photo of your favourite sustainable travel memory
Key Rules & Guidelines
Image Specifications
- Name your file as follows: Lastname.Firstname.Category. For example: Smith.Jane.Fun
- Competition entries must be submitted by Sunday 7 September
- Submit your photo in JPEG (.jpg) format, and the size of the files should not be less than 1 Mb or more than 5 Mb.
- Provide a short description of your photograph and how it relates to sustainable travel.
- If your photo includes identifiable people, you must confirm that you have their permission to use and submit the image. Parental/guardian consent is required for anyone under 18.
- All photos must be taken, or composed, by you. You can’t submit someone else’s work, even if you edited it.
If you are shortlisted, you may need to provide:
- A high-resolution version of the final image (if available).
- An extended caption or description.
Editing Rules
- Basic editing (cropping, contrast, sharpening, etc.) is fine — but don’t alter the image to deceive or misrepresent reality.
- You can use:
- HDR, stitched panoramas, focus stacking, in-camera multiple exposures.
- Basic denoise and sharpening tools (e.g. Lightroom, Topaz).
You cannot:
- Use AI tools to generate, extend, or modify image content (e.g. sky swapping, removing objects).
- Use clone/spot tools (except for cleaning dust or lens marks).
- Submit fully composited or AI-generated images.
Judging & Prizes
Judges will select category winners. The categories are:
- Sustainable Travel for Fun
- Sustainable Travel for Wellbeing
- Sustainable Travel for Connection
- Sustainable Travel for Getting to Campus
- Sustainable Travel for All
On the day of the Bike Hub Birthday event, participants and the wider University Community will be invited to submit their votes for:
- People’s Choice Winner
If shortlisted, you may be asked to send high-resolution files. Missing this deadline will result in disqualification.
Winners must keep results confidential until the official announcement.
Publicity
If you’re a Category Winner or Highly Commended, your name and photo may be used (with credit) in materials promoting the competition. No payment will be made for this.
Intellectual Property & Usage
- You must own the full copyright to your photo or video.
- By entering, you give the competition permission to use your work (with credit) for things like:
- Promoting the competition
- Featuring in printed/digital books or calendars
- Exhibition displays
- Press, social media, and future promotional content
You keep ownership of your work, and we’ll always credit you when your image is used.
Liability
- Submission does not guarantee receipt. Double-check your email settings to allow messages from the competition.
We are not responsible for:
- Missed or lost communication
- Any loss or damage related to prize acceptance
- How third parties use your work after licensing it (they must follow the same rules)
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. Our work on Sustainable Travel is linked to the following SDGs:
- Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Goal 13: Climate Action
Find out more about our impact on the SDGs.
