cizucu Presents 'One Time Only' Award Announcement | Challenge #368

'One Time Only' is a global online photo contest organized by cizucu, open to any creator registered on cizucu. Outstanding works are curated from the submissions, aiming to discover new talent as a platform and to support the community as a whole.

The theme for this edition was ‘Unrepeatable Moments’.

Moments of light, expression, and serendipity that will never occur under the same conditions again—these are the singular instances that cannot be staged, and thus leave a vivid impression within the photograph.

The works submitted this time each captured the strength of such uniqueness from their own perspectives.
Now, let us introduce the submissions and the awarded works.

Walter Leung

cizucu Editorial Team
The mortarboards soaring into the blue sky and the children gazing upward together elevate the scene into a 'moment of celebration.' The distant cityscape is softly blurred, while the vivid blue of the gowns and the green of the grass stand out in the foreground, evoking the colors that become more vivid in memory. The scattered caps, like traces of chance, seem to chart the future paths of each individual. This image captures a once-in-a-lifetime milestone with both lightness and certainty.

Sara Lim

cizucu Editorial Team
The presence of a figure framed only within the window brings both anonymity and intimacy. The reflections and scratches on the glass create layers of time, leaving a quiet sense of distance—'visible, yet untouchable.' The weight of an arm resting on a shoulder suggests fatigue, relief, or perhaps a resolve to move on. The softly lit interior of the vehicle feels like a temporary sanctuary, momentarily separated from the world's bustle, capturing a fleeting moment of rest.

jelly white
Flying Beach Umbrella

📷 RICOH GRIII X

cizucu Editorial Team
A solitary yellow umbrella floats against a boundless blue, its distance alone conveying the strength of the wind and the fleeting nature of the moment. The straight lines of the buildings and power lines anchor us to the 'ground,' while the softness of the clouds draws the gaze upward, placing us between reality and dream. The composition skillfully embraces the serendipity that cannot be orchestrated, including the negative space. This image captures a singular moment of freedom, opened up above.

emo
Graduation

cizucu Editorial Team
With the gradation of the evening sky as a backdrop, the leaping silhouette embodies the strength to seize the 'now' with immediacy. The cap and diploma in hand are like proof of the time and effort invested, stirring the heart. The line of clouds crossing the sky stretches out like the lingering echoes of cheers, capturing even the speed at which the moment unravels. This image transforms the colors of an ending into a signal for a new beginning.

Andy Chan

📷 RICOH GR III

cizucu Editorial Team
The motion blur as someone dashes down an alley captures even the breath of that instant. The white 'makeshift roof' atop the head is a one-off improvisation, transforming a pinch into playfulness. The contrast between the dark walls and the streaming light simultaneously suggests a one-time escape route and a tailwind. The irreproducible humor of the moment is preserved with palpable immediacy.

We hope you enjoyed this feature.

How honestly can we respond to 'unrepeatable moments'? The works gathered for this contest each addressed that question from their own perspectives, capturing light and presence that will never appear in the same form again in a single, definitive image. Not only the awarded works, but all submissions are imbued with the unique gaze that only creators can encounter in those singular moments.

We look forward to your participation in the next photo contest!