Most people make art to be appreciated by others. Photo contests are a way for their art to find an audience, and to possibly get appreciation for their work. There may be a lot of categories, but if there was a painting competition there would similarly be lots of categories based on the medium used, age and experience of contestants, subject of the art, etc.
National Geographic for their picture of the year 2022 chose 49 photos out of +2.2 million submissions.
Most people make art to be appreciated by others. Photo contests are a way for their art to find an audience, and to possibly get appreciation for their work. There may be a lot of categories, but if there was a painting competition there would similarly be lots of categories based on the medium used, age and experience of contestants, subject of the art, etc.
National Geographic for their picture of the year 2022 chose 49 photos out of +2.2 million submissions.