Challenge: Fix Joe's Busted Images, 2026 Edition

Calling all digital artists, Photoshop Gurus, and owners of Photography Editing Software: UP FOR GRABS IS A $25 STARBUCKS GIFT CARD AND A YEAR OF BRAGGING RIGHTS!

It's too hot outside. Time for our annual Fix Joe’s Busted Images contest!

CLICK READ MORE to see contest details and rules.

DOWNLOAD THE BUSTED IMAGES:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6mxnxydktn78v7x2ujftw/joes-busted-images-2026.zip?rlkey=lq6ug6ab10k1hz8dvmzca1fq9&dl=0

POST YOUR ENTRY IMAGES HERE:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D1EEtRKAW/

Download some of my image screwups and use your favorite photography app to "fix" them, or turn them into a unique bit of art! Upload your best edits to our FB group page for a chance to win $25 in caffeinated goodness (WOW, that's enough for 1 or 2 cups of coffee!!).

DETAILS AND RULES:

After many years of photography, I have mastered the art of bad angles, dead flash batteries, wrong shutter speeds, strange color balance, unwanted people in the background, and pressing the shutter button by accident while pointing in random directions.

This has given me an impressive collection of absolutely terrible photographs that should be deleted.

So each year, I throw a bunch of these gems into a zip file and challenge HoustonPhotowalks members to try and fix them! The person with the most interestingly and creatively edited photo wins $25 in cold hard Starbucks card money.

Everyone starts with the same group of photographs, and the resulting vast scope of creativity and talent is a lot of fun!

The goal is to practice your image editing skills, to exercise creativity and artistic talent, using images that should be deleted. MAKE ART OF MY SCREWUPS. The challenge starts as soon as this event is published on meetup, and ends August 31, 2026.

DOWNLOAD THE BUSTED IMAGES:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6mxnxydktn78v7x2ujftw/joes-busted-images-2026.zip?rlkey=lq6ug6ab10k1hz8dvmzca1fq9&dl=0

POST YOUR ENTRY IMAGES HERE:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D1EEtRKAW/

CONTEST RULES

• This is not a "prompt engineering" contest. Edit images in a photo editor. Do not drop them in Grok or ChatGPT and start typing.
• AI tools within a photo editor are allowed (AI Noise Reduction, AI Masking, AI removal, etc, etc, etc are all allowed).
• Edit as many of Joe's busted images as you want, but only submit ONE SUBMISSION PER BUSTED IMAGE. Please don't make more than 1 version of the same file.
• Use any desktop, tablet, or mobile image-editing software.
• Photo repairs, composites, major changes, and wild creative edits are all welcome. If the spirit moves you, go nuts.
• Keep submissions SFW and in the spirit of the HPW community please.
• Upload your finished work as a comment to the Dedicated Facebook Group page by August 31, 2026. Images uploaded outside of that FB post will likely not be included.
• Mention the main software, tools, and techniques you used.
• It will be fun to read a brief explanation of your work, your thought process, and your artistic vision for the edits you upload. These will be considered during judging.
• (Joe picks the winner.)

WHY FIX JOE’S BUSTED IMAGES?

Working with a difficult-to-repair file can teach you a great deal about your editing software. Challenging images make you think carefully, solve problems, and explore tools you may normally ignore.

This challenge has been part of HoustonPhotowalks’ summer fun for many years. Past entries have included careful photo repairs, unusual artwork, composites, and wild transformations.
Everyone starts with the same source files, which makes it fun to see how differently each person approaches the challenge.
This is an at-home activity with no meeting place or set schedule. Work at your own pace, experiment freely, and have fun fixing Joe’s busted images!