Apple has launched a macro photography challenge for iPhone 13 users

Apple’s got a new challenge for iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max users: macro photography.

The challenge, which kicks off on Jan. 25 and ends on Feb. 16, requires users to take macro photos with their iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max (other iPhone models are not eligible as they don’t have macro mode), and share them on Instagram, Twitter, or Weibo, using the hashtags #ShotoniPhone and #iPhonemacrochallenge.

Get close up.
Credit: Apple

To take a macro photo on your iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max, you should get very close to your subject (you can get as close as two centimeters, any closer and the photo will get blurry), and place the primary point of focus near the center of the frame to get the sharpest focus. You can take photos at 0.5x or 1x, both will work in macro mode, with the former giving you a wider field of view. Here’s our overview of what the iPhone 13 Pro’s cameras are capable of.

The 10 winning photos will be judged by a 10-person panel consisting of award-winning photographers, filmmakers, and Apple’s own experts.

The winning images will be showcased on Apple’s website, in a gallery on Apple Newsroom, and on Apple’s Instagram channel. The photos might appear in digital campaigns, at Apple Stores, billboards, or even a public exhibition, Apple said.

It also appears that this time around, Apple will compensate the contest winners for their work right from the get go. In 2019, Apple launched a photo contest in which the winners essentially gave the company the rights to use their photos for free, even for commercial purposes. The company later changed its mind, saying that it would offer contest winners a licensing fee for use of their work. This time however, the licensing fee was baked into the contest rules right away.

Winners of the challenge will be announced sometime in April 2022; Apple will announce the exact date later. For the full rules of the contest and exact timing for submissions, go to Apple’s website.