cizucu Presents “October Diary '26” Winners | Challenge #433

“October Diary '26” was a global online photo contest run by cizucu and open to every creator registered on the platform. By selecting outstanding entries, cizucu aims to discover new talent and support photographers through its community.

This edition’s theme was October Diary.

For the Diary series, creators share photos from their everyday lives along with what happened that day and whatever was on their minds. It might be a moment when a change in the wind or light made the season feel different, or a special day spent with someone. Once captured in a photo, each moment becomes a page in that person’s diary.
The entries gave us glimpses of October in many different places. Here are some of the submissions, followed by the winning photos.

Mushi
“—Departure—”

📷 SONY α7 III / FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 OSS

cizucu editorial team
On an afternoon beneath low clouds, a white passenger ship pulls away from shore. The name painted on its stern and the rows of windows stacked across its decks suggest just how far it is about to travel.

Julie wei

📷 NIKON D850

cizucu editorial team
A blue window frame stands out against a green wall, with vines hanging down around it. The colours come together in a way that feels far removed from familiar streets, like a glimpse into an afternoon somewhere far away. Branches growing from a flowerpot wind around the window bars, making it look as though the building itself is slowly changing with the season.

kazkaz

📷 SIGMA fp

cizucu editorial team
Tents line the grass on an afternoon when a Ferris wheel fills almost the entire sky. Small figures scattered across the frame look up at the yellow and pale-blue gondolas. The trees have already started to change colour, and the photo holds onto both the sounds of people at play and the autumn light.

7no
“Yabusame, a Shinto ritual giving thanks for the harvest and praying for abundant crops”

📷 OLYMPUS OM-3

cizucu editorial team
The horses stand in line, and the archers sit tall with their bows ready. No arrow has been released yet. The movement of the manes, the colours of the ceremonial clothing, and even the sound of hooves seem frozen in the air. In yabusame, mounted archers shoot at targets while riding at speed as a prayer for a rich harvest. The riders assemble, the horses snort, and the crowd holds its breath. Those few seconds before the arrow flies seem to contain the whole festival. What this photo diary preserves is not the speed of the ride, but the tension of the pause before it begins.

danceforallthepain

cizucu editorial team
Droplets shine at the tips of the grass as light filters through the hazy air beyond. In shades of black and white, this small world underfoot glows quietly. By noticing a scene that would be easy to walk past, the photo lets us feel both the chill of the season and the gentle flow of time in that place.

Takeshi Furuhashi

cizucu editorial team
A screen floats against the autumn night sky, with a neat row of people seen from behind. Nobody is talking. Only the glow of the small screens in their hands faintly lights the outlines of their faces. Even after Ryuichi Sakamoto’s death, people still come to a screen at night to hear his music. Seen that way, they look less like an audience and more like people waiting together for the same sound.

RafiAN
“Even in the deepest solitude and darkness, a tiny spark of hope or kindness always has the power to bring warmth and peace.”

📷 SONY α7 IV

cizucu editorial team
At the centre of the dark frame, light picks out the wall of a single house. One window is lit; almost everything else is black. Yet the longer you look, the more you sense that someone inside is still awake. It is a night photo, but even when you close your eyes, the outline of the light remains.

Tatsuya Fukui
“The couple registered their marriage in Japan and asked me to photograph them for the occasion. Osaka in October, when it was still a little hot.”

📷 FUJIFILM SP-3000

cizucu editorial team
They asked to be photographed on the day they officially registered their marriage, in Dotonbori while the lingering October heat could still be felt. The signs shine the same way every night, but that evening they looked like spotlights falling on the couple. You do not need words to understand how close they are—it is right there in the photo. Congratulations!

What did you think?

Even though everyone lived through the same October, the days they chose to preserve in their diaries were completely different. These photos show more than autumn scenery. They carry the slight unease that comes as the days grow shorter and the morning and evening air begins to cool. Perhaps that feeling is exactly why a light in a window or the presence of another person can feel so comforting. The end of one season and the beginning of the cold seem to appear faintly in every frame.
What each photographer wanted to remember—and the choice itself—is what makes the photo part of their diary.

That may be why the Diary series is less about taking a perfect photo than preserving the feeling that made you want to remember a particular day. Even an ordinary day becomes a page of someone’s own story when a photo and a few words are placed together.
Thank you for sharing your October with us.

We hope to see you again in the next contest!