Apple has just relaunched the ‘Shot on iPhone‘ challenge, this time highlighting the macro function from the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. This campaign has gone on for years and resulted in many Malaysians getting their photography featured by Apple. In 2019, Dinie Aiman from Perlis used an iPhone 7 Plus and got featured on Apple’s Instagram account six months later. The following year, Muhammad Faris from Selangor also got featured on Apple’s Instagram page, and most recently, Badrul Akram Badaruddin’s photo of his son got chosen to be highlighted by Apple.
Now that Apple is actively reviewing submissions again, here’s your chance to be selected. There will be a panel of judges that will review submissions from around the world to select ten winning photos. These photos will be displayed on Apple Newsroom, Apple’s website, Apple’s Instagram, and their other social pages. They might also be displayed in digital campaigns, Apple Stores, billboards, or even a public photo exhibition. Malaysia is full of bright talent, as proven by our previous winners, so I urge you to submit your macro photos if you want. There’s nothing to lose (except for the fact that you’re basically posting an Apple ad)!
The judges are quite varied, ranging from National Geographic senior photo editor Pamela Chen to photography YouTuber Peter McKinnon. To impress them, your photos have to be stunning, so if you need some tips on iPhone macro photography, you can check out our guide here.
How to submit your macro photography
Submitting your photos is quite easy. Firstly, the photos have to be taken on an iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max, since they have the macro mode. Once you’ve taken them, you can post them on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtags #ShotoniPhone and #iPhonemacrochallenge to join the challenge. If you’re on Weibo, you can also post them there with the tags #ShotoniPhone# and #iPhonemacrochallenge#. You must also note the iPhone model you used to take the picture in the caption.
Since social media compresses photos, you might want to submit higher resolution images. Apple is letting you do this by submitting your highest resolution macro images to them via email to [email protected], with the file format ‘firstname_lastname_macro_iPhonemodel.’ The email’s subject line must be: ‘Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge Submission.’
The rules regarding editing are pretty loose. They will allow you to edit your photos using the Photos app or any third-party software, but the photo must be taken with an iPhone, of course. Submissions will be accepted from 10:01 p.m. local time on January 25, 2022, to 3:59 p.m. local time on February 17, 2022, which means you can start submitting now. The final rules are that you must be at least 18 years old and Apple employees and immediate family members are not allowed.
The winners will be announced in April, so I wish you the best of luck if you’re participating. I recommend submitting on Instagram, Twitter, and via email to maximise your chances, and feel free to submit multiple photos, since that’s not against the rules.
