Staircases. Photo contest theme for May 2026.

Hello

This month’s photo contest theme for May 2026 is "Staircases"

Plural or singular? Does it really matter as long as you’re told you’ve gone up or down them well?

Anyway, it’s not that complicated, even though I’m sure some will manage to overcomplicate it—after all, why keep things simple when making them complicated is so much more fun (as an Indian proverb goes).

To participate: Submit your photos until Monday, May 25 at 11:59 PM You can post up to 3 photos, numbered and shared in separate messages, along with a short description of the location and the story behind it.

To vote: From Tuesday, May 26 at 12:01 AM until Saturday, May 30 at 11:59 PM After the deadline, it’s too late.

Please include the photo number, username, and the points awarded: Photo #1 = 3 pts Photo #2 = 2 pts Photo #3 = 1 pt

All VF members can vote (even those who didn’t submit photos). In case of a tie for first place, the winning photo will be the one with the most first-place votes, then second-place votes! The lucky winner will get to organize June 2026’s photo contest.

For discussions about the theme, click here: Discussion thread for May 2026’s theme: Staircases

Photo 1:

Djenné/Mali: main entrance of the Great Mosque



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Photo 2:

In a village near Sévaré, Mali: wooden "staircase," Malian style



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Photo 1: Montmartre, July 2024



Lots of people on this iconic staircase on the eve of the Olympic closing ceremony

Photo #1: Dakar, Senegal



Walking down the bridge that crosses over the northern bypass of Dakar and connects the Parcelles Assainies neighborhood to Diamalaye Beach.

Photo #2: Ankara, Turkey



In Ankara, all roads lead to Atatürk. One of the staircases leading to the top of the Ankara Citadel.

Photo #3: Underground city of Derinkuyu, Cappadocia, Turkey



Diving into the staircases and narrow labyrinths of the underground city of Derinkuyu—the largest in Turkey—is one of the most claustrophobic experiences you can have: it reaches 85 meters deep across thirteen levels. Active from the 3rd to the 20th century, it served as a refuge for Orthodox Christians fleeing persecution and could shelter around 10,000 people!

Good evening

Photo 1: staircase of the Barberini Palace, Rome, Italy Work by Bernini, 1630. Catherine

Photo 2: the staircase leading to the National History Museum, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.



The black marks are the channels formed by melting snow. Catherine

PHOTO 1: Naples, Duomo metro station

The Naples metro is a true art gallery—Italian and international artists have "decorated" it and installed works of art. I "visited" it in December 2020, and since then, new stations have been taken over by world-renowned artists.

Photo 1: Outdoor staircase of Noravank Monastery, Armenia

Staircase leading to the statue of Napoleon. Iconic spot in Ajaccio.

Photo 1

Brava Raga Okay, without trying to overcomplicate things, do you see a staircase on this tree?

xrctn-1 - Staircase to splashes, Woodbridge, WA, Australia

Hi there

Photo #1: Orgosolo, a town in Sardinia known for its many (and varied) murals.

Hello,

Photo 1: Gustave Moreau Museum, Paris

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Hi,

Photo #1: a simple staircase used daily to access one’s home. Rue Proudhon, Besançon, in the Doubs region.

Photo 2: Wieliczka Salt Mines, Poland

Photo 3; Valparaiso

xrctn-2 - Offset staircases, Haapsalu Fortress, Estonia



According to the guide, this unusual arrangement of the steps allowed soldiers weighed down by their gear to climb up to the ramparts more quickly?!

Staircases are a much richer theme than they seem at first glance! What I love is that a staircase always tells a story: a transition, an effort, an ascent… or sometimes a deliberate descent. It’s almost a symbol of personal journey. In Quebec, for example, some staircases aren’t just functional—they become an experience in themselves, blending history, panoramic views, and movement. It completely changes how you frame a photo: you’re not just capturing a structure, but a trajectory. Can’t wait to see how everyone interprets this! 😊

Photo 1: Suspended staircase at the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec (MNBAQ), in Quebec. What struck me here was this sense of balance and lightness. You climb almost in suspension, as if each step shifts your perspective—not just of the place, but of what you’re looking at.

During this trip, I realized how some staircases don’t just connect two points—they transform the journey itself into an experience. This one definitely fits the bill.

Photo no. 2

Military Cemetery of Redipuglia. Municipality of Fogliano Redipuglia. Province of Gorizia (Friuli Venezia Giulia)

Italy’s largest military cemetery is a monumental staircase (at the foot of the staircase lies the tomb of the Duke of Aosta). Each riser is made up of bronze plaques engraved with the names of the identified soldiers buried there, along with a stone band bearing the word "presente." The unidentified soldiers are buried in mass graves on the platform at the top of the staircase. Architect: Giovanni Greppi. Sculptor: Giannino Castiglioni. Inaugurated in 1938.

Hi there!

Photo 1 - Staircase climbing one of the limestone peaks around Mua Cave, Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Photo 2 - Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Photo #3: inside the Batu Caves (near Kuala Lumpur)

Photo No. 2 Staircase of the Promenade des Gouverneurs, still in Québec. 310 steps connecting the Dufferin Terrace to the Plains of Abraham. Here, it’s not just a staircase—it’s a suspended path between history and landscape. Each step runs alongside the river, with a view that gradually unfolds, like a reward for every climb. I remember taking my time, just to savor that progression. It’s exactly the kind of place where you realize climbing stairs can become a real travel experience.

Thanks to Jérôme (Beajourbrez) for keeping such a close eye and noticing that my photo 2 was missing 😮.

Here it is: Photo #2: hike in Madeira (Sao Lourenço)

Photo no. 3

Agricultural staircase "straight up the slope".



Municipality of Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre). Province of La Spezia. Liguria (Italy).

In the "Cinque Terre", the only possible agriculture, due to the terrain, is terrace farming. To access the cultivated terraces, staircases run straight up the slope, from the lower terrace to the upper one. Generations of farmers created this landscape (terraced crops, staircases). Today, some tourists use these staircases to hike from one village to another (a small portion, most stay in the villages and travel between them by train or boat). These brave tourists get a sense of how tough farming was in this region. This staircase is a section of the trail connecting Riomaggiore to Manarola, located on the terraces above Riomaggiore.

Pagal mentioned it in the discussion, which immediately reminded me of that incredible feeling anyone who "visits" Varanasi—formerly Benares—experiences. It’s a place where every good (and wealthy) Hindu is supposed to be cremated on a Ghat by the Ganges to achieve Moksha and break the cycle of reincarnation.

The photo shows the most important one, Manikarnika, in the background because photography isn’t allowed on the site.

Photo 2: Varanasi, India



You can still see the remains of the previous day’s ceremonies, and if you zoom in, in the distance, the piles of wood for the next ones…

All that’s missing are the smells :/

Photo 3 Stone staircases on the hiking trail in Cape Verde.

During this solo hike, these steps seemed to go on forever. They wound through sugarcane fields, clinging to the mountainside between the ocean and cliffs. But that’s exactly what I loved about it: moving step by step, without rushing. On this kind of trip, the staircase almost becomes a moving meditation. You go up, you go down, you doubt sometimes… then the landscape reminds you why you keep going.

PHOTO 2: Lisbon, metro station

Lisbon’s metro is also a true art gallery, with its walls covered in azulejos of different styles (classic, modern, realistic, etc.).

Photo 2: The stairs of Kerlingarfjöll, Iceland

We’re in the heart of summer. A glacial wind freezes hikers lost in this paradise-hell of hot springs and rhyolite. The steam escaping here and there helps warm the photographer’s numb fingers as they try to capture the magical moment.

Photo 3: Borobudur, Indonesia



The sun will rise soon. Workers are busy erasing the traces left by the hundreds of visitors from the previous day. In a little while, there’ll be a scramble up this majestic stone staircase leading to the temple terraces! 😊

Photo #2

Staircase of a ksar in Medenine, Tunisia. Grain silos. In the colors of the desert.

xrctn-3 - Emergency Stairs, Los Angeles

Photo 1: Doï Tapang, Chumphon, Thailand. Gain some elevation to admire one of the region’s most stunning viewpoints.

PHOTO 3: NAPLES, Palazzo Reale

Photo 3: the stairs of the Epidaurus theatre, Greece.



Catherine

Photo no. 1 In the streets of Chefchaouen, the Moroccan one

Photo #2



To go with Montagnard’s one 😊.

When I saw the theme, I also thought of those otherworldly staircases near the cremation ghats in Varanasi. Between the smell of burning bodies, the howling dogs, and the kids running barefoot through cow pee, I really felt like I’d landed on another planet 😵

Photo no. 3



Maybe this is the way to paradise 😊

Hi there,

Photo No. 1

Maybe paradise is this way 😊

These folks are coming back from the paradise promised by Mao.



Staircases at Jiuhuashan Temple (Anhui, China)

Photo 2: Somewhere near Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Hi there! 🙂

Photo number 1 Camondo Stairs, Istanbul

Photo number 2

Circular staircase at the Petit Palais, Paris

Photo number 2

In the park of the Mahabalipuram archaeological site, India.

The previous photo (India) is number 3 (not 2 😕)

Staircase with an uncountable number of steps! In Pasaia Bay, Spain.

Photo #3

Hello,

Photo 1: former administrative building of the Nowa Huta steelworks, Kraków, Poland

Photo 2: the same view from below – former administrative building of the Nowa Huta steelworks, Kraków, Poland

Photo 3: Economic, Social and Environmental Analysis Council, Place d'Iéna, Paris