Introducing the AO2 Bugout

Over the past few years, Aroundsquare has hosted a lot of contests, but they've almost all been video contests of one sort or another. Throughout 2025, I began to realize how much I missed, and still love, the straightforward artistry of still photography. Over the break I decided to rebalance our priorities a little and create a program to bring some recognition to some of the incredible photographic content our community members are putting out. 

Starting this month, January 2026, Aroundsquare is going to be running a monthly still photography contest we're calling the AO2 Bugout. This is an opportunity for all of you shutterbugs out there who love taking the time to compose, frame, and edit photos that feature our products. The process is going to be simple: Just post a photo into the Gallery space at www.invisiblecollege.com Each month, we'll be picking a winner, with a prize of $100 store credit. I'm planning to work with a rotating panel of guest judges, with hopes of involving some new people in that way, as well as giving those who judge a chance to also post their own photos to compete in off months. For January 2026, I've invited our friend Nate M. @g2nate84, whose beautiful photos (and videos) I've enjoyed immensely over the years. Anyone wanting a bit of inspiration, please check out his Instagram feed. 

There are no specific requirements for the photos at this point. You're welcome to post anything from raw shots to heavily filtered, phone camera to pro studio setup, and any aspect ratio. I may change these guidelines at some point, but I'm happy to keep open for now. And a reminder, judging will be based on submissions to the Gallery space on www.invisiblecollege.com You're welcome to post on Instagram too (use hashtag #ao2bugout) but since hashtags don't work well anymore these days, we're committed to the Invisible College platform for the actual contest. 

Much love everyone! Get those shutters snapping!

Matt