Round Things Winners Announced | Challenge #416

Round Things was a global online photo contest hosted by cizucu and open to anyone registered on the platform. By selecting outstanding entries, cizucu aims to discover new talent and support photographers through its community.

The theme this time was 〈Round Forms〉.

The moon and sun in the sky, fruit on the table, signs and windows on city streets—once we start looking, we find all kinds of round forms woven into the world around us.

They are not always perfect circles. Gentle curves shaped by nature, outlines picked out by light and shadow, and rhythms created by overlapping circles can all have a powerful presence in a photo. With no beginning or end, these forms can suggest cycles and connection, as well as comfort and familiarity.

The contest brought together photos of everything from circles found in ordinary moments to shapes created by nature and rounded forms found in human life, each captured from a different perspective. Although every photographer responded to the same theme, their choice of subject, composition, and use of light gave each photo its own story.

Here are some of the entries, followed by the winning photos.

Thomas_J

📷 Leica Q2

cizucu editorial team
A vivid yellow circle frames a seaside scene. A person standing against the deep blue sea and sky, along with the birds gathered below, all fit inside the circle, bringing a touch of humor and a sense of story to an ordinary summer moment. Rather than simply making the round form the subject, the photographer uses it as a playful window onto the view.

yNAK

📷 NORITSUKOKI QSS-32/33

cizucu editorial team
Pale circles of dappled sunlight create a gentle rhythm across the ground. The bold use of empty space, with white trousers and black shoes at the edge of the frame, makes the scattered circles of light stand out even more. The soft colors and grainy texture quietly capture a fleeting shape found in everyday life.

LeeDae won

📷 CANON EOS 5D

cizucu editorial team
A bicycle wheel and its reflection sit one above the other, with four circles creating a bold composition. Beyond the dark silhouette, the cityscape and water seem to be held inside the circles, like separate views. The rich monochrome tones and repeating forms turn a familiar bicycle into an abstract arrangement of shapes.

陸祐

cizucu editorial team
Colorful lanterns fill the street, creating a cheerful rhythm overhead. The large circle in the foreground leads the eye toward a trail of smaller circles in the distance, while the people below bring the bustle and excitement of the scene to life. The repeating round forms connect the cityscape with the people moving through it, turning an everyday street into a festive space. The photo vividly captures the warmth and sense of connection associated with round forms.

pointy

📷 FUJIFILM X-T10

cizucu editorial team
A single persimmon rests on a wide stretch of asphalt, picked out by low light. The rounded fruit, its long shadow, and the shadows of branches crossing the ground work together to give depth to an otherwise ordinary surface. The generous empty space makes the small fruit’s color and texture—and the feeling of the season—stand out even more. By looking closely at a familiar round form, the photographer brings out its presence in a vivid and memorable way.

What did you think?
Photographers from around the world sent in a wonderfully varied range of responses to the theme of 〈Round Forms〉.

Even though everyone photographed something round, each photographer approached the theme differently. Some focused quietly on a single circle, others explored layers of overlapping forms, and some used a round shape as a symbol around which to build a story. Each photo revealed something that could only have come from that photographer’s unique way of seeing.

Simply paying a little more attention to the shapes around us may be enough to make familiar surroundings feel new again.

Thank you to everyone who entered and shared such wonderful photos. We look forward to discovering more fresh perspectives in the next contest.