Single images can be proposed for valued image (VI) status. Candidates must be proposed as being the most valuable of all Commons' images within a specified scope. Judging is carried out according to the valued image criteria.
A Most Valued Review (MVR) is opened where there are two or more candidates competing within essentially the same scope.
An image which has previously been declined can be renominated within the same scope only if the issues leading to the original decline have been addressed. Previously nominated images that were closed as "undecided" can be renominated at any time. Once a candidate achieves VI or VIS status it can normally be demoted only if some better candidate replaces it during an MVR.
If you would like to nominate an image for VI status, please do so following the instructions below. If you are proposing a better candidate within essentially the same scope as an image which already has VI status, please open an MVR.
Nominations will be evaluated using the criteria listed at Commons:Valued image criteria. Please read those criteria before submitting an image to help cut down on the number of candidates that have a low chance of success. Make sure you understand the concept of scope and how to choose the correct scope for your nomination.
Please make sure that your proposed image fulfills all of the necessary criteria before nominating it. For example, if it needs to be geocoded, do that in advance. If no appropriate categories exist, create and link them beforehand. Although some reviewers may help by fixing minor issues during the review process, it is your responsibility as nominator to ensure your image ticks all the necessary boxes before you propose it. If you nominate an image that ignores one of the criteria, don't be surprised if it fails VI review.
Step 1: Copy the image name into this box (excluding the File: prefix), at the end of the text already present in the box, for example, Commons:Valued image candidates/My-image-filename.jpg. Then click on the "Create new nomination" button.
Step 2: Follow the instructions on the page that you are taken to, and save the resulting VIC subpage.
Step 3: Manually add the candidate image towards the end of Commons:Valued image candidates/candidate list (under the heading "New valued image nominations"), as the last parameter in the VICs template. Click here, and append the following line as the last parameter of the relevant section:
DeclinedVICs can be renominated by any registered user, but only after one or more of the root cause(s) leading to a decline has/have been addressed. UndecidedVICs can be renominated as is although it is still recommended to consider and fix issue(s) which may have hindered a promotion of the candidate in the previous review.
Besides fixing issues with the previous nomination the following procedure shall be followed upon renomination.
There must be at least two candidates competing within essentially the same scope to open an MVR. Each needs its own VIC subpage, which should be created as above if it does not already exist, but with status set to "discussed". Then, add the following section at the end of the page Commons:Valued image candidates/Most valued review candidate list:
where Scope is the scope of both images, and candidate1.jpg and candidate2.jpg are the respective candidates. If need be, also remove the relevant image(s) from the list in Pending valued image candidates
If one of the candidates is an existing VI within essentially the same scope, the original VIC subpage is re-opened for voting by changing its status to status=discussed and new reviews are appended to the original VIC subpage. However, any original votes are not counted within the MVR.
The status parameter of each candidate should remain set to "discussed" while the MVR is ongoing.
Any registered user can review the valued image candidates.
Comments are welcome from everyone, but neither the nominator nor the original image author may vote (that does not exclude voting from users who have edited the image with a view to improving it).
Nominations should be evaluated using the criteria listed at Commons:Valued image criteria. Please read those and the page on scope carefully before reviewing. Reviewing here is a serious business, and a reviewer who just breezes by to say "I like it!" is not adding anything of value. You need to spend the time to check the nomination against every one of the six VI criteria, and you also need to carry out searches to satisfy yourself on the "most valuable" criterion.
On the review page the image is presented in the review size. You are welcome to view the image in full resolution by following the image links, but bear in mind that it is the appearance of the image at review size which matters.
Check the candidate carefully against each of the six VI criteria. The criteria are mandatory, and to succeed the candidate has to satisfy all six.
Use the where used field, if provided, to study the current usage of the candidate in Wikimedia projects. If you find usage of interest do add relevant links to the nomination.
Look for other images of the same kind of subject by following the links to relevant categories in the image page, and to any Commons galleries.
If you find another image which is already a VI within essentially the same scope, the candidate and the existing VI should be moved to Most Valued Review (MVR) to determine which one is the more valued.
If you find one or more other images which in your opinion are equally or more valued images within essentially the same scope, you should nominate these images as well and move all the candidates to an MVR.
Once you have made up your mind, edit the review page and add your vote or comment to the review parameter as follows:
You think that the candidate meets all of the six mandatory criteria.
If the nomination fails one of the six criteria, but in a way that can be fixed, you can optionally let the nominator know what needs to be done using the {{VIF}} template.
Your comment goes immediately before the final closing braces "}}" on the page.
How to update the status
Finally, change the status of the nomination if appropriate:
status=nominated When no votes or only neutral votes have been added to the review field (blue image border).
status=supported When there is at least one {{Support}} vote but no {{Oppose}} votes (light green image border).
status=opposed When there is at least one {{Oppose}} vote but no {{Support}} votes (red image border).
status=discussed When there is at least one {{Oppose}} vote and one {{Support}} vote (yellow image border).
Remember the criteria: 1. Most valuable 2. Suitable scope 3. Illustrates well 4. Fully described 5. Geocoded 6. Well categorized.
The nominator is allowed to make changes in scope as the review proceeds, for example in response to reviewer votes or comments. Whenever a scope is changed the nominator should post a signed comment at the bottom of the review area using {{VIC-scope-change|old scope|new scope|--~~~~}}, and should also leave a note on the talk page of all existing voters asking them to reconsider their vote. A support vote made before the change of scope is not counted unless it is reconfirmed afterwards; an oppose vote is counted unless it is changed or withdrawn.
You can submit new nominations starting on COM:VIC.
Comment While there are thousands of species of animals, insects or birds that I will never see, I have encountered a "Wet Paint" sign several times as a means of communicarion about a universal condition that requires warning. When I uploaded the image, there was already an existing category with many similar images from around the world.
"To become a valued image (VI) or a valued image set (VIS) the candidate must be the most valuable illustration of all images on Commons which fall within the scope of the nomination. Value is judged on the basis of the candidate's potential for online use within other Wikimedia projects."
Per COM:VIV, an VI nom does not have to be of the highest encyclopedic value. It must always be well done but can illustrte a common condition. I believe this qualifies. --GRDN711 (talk) 03:55, 28 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]
I cannot think of any objective critria by which you can use to assess this as the 'most valuable illustration'. I find this image more valuable as it shows which colour is wet, but I don't think it's a sound scope. Charlesjsharp (talk) 13:08, 29 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Comment The example you cite is a good one taken at a hotel in Hong Kong and displaying its warning in the two official HK languages - Cantonese and English. Mine is in English only, as stated in the scope. I like the splash of the painted color on the HK warning sign - that's a nice touch.
What makes mine more valuable is that it was taken at the height of the sign, not at human height from above. This perpsective lets the sign fill the frame and better illustrate what it is - a cautionary sign indicating there are freshly painted objects (of any color) nearby. --GRDN711 (talk) 06:29, 30 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose "in the Porsche-Museum (2009}" in the scope is superfluous description making the scope too narrow. I suggest putting this phrase in the reason for nomination.
Also, please explain the 2009 year reference. I know that the Porche Museum was opened to the public in 2009 but this image was taken in 2022. --GRDN711 (talk) 06:13, 29 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose Image is fine but "in the Porsche-Museum (2009}" in the scope is superfluous description making the scope too narrow. a good place for this phrase in the reason for nomination. --GRDN711 (talk) 06:19, 29 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]
CommentThis is the best photo, but it's not the same color as the others. The FrWiki says, "It's a stocky, medium-sized bird with dark brown to black plumage." Is it a juvenile? Thanks. -- JackyM59 (talk) 15:32, 28 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Comment Although megapode means large feet, its feet are not large. This species is IUCN red list NT, endemic to Palau and the only other image shows a bit of the feet. Perhaps a more restricted VI scope? Charlesjsharp (talk) 08:31, 30 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Reason:
I think this one is the best in scope among other candidates, mainly due to his size and restoration. Achille Fould was one of the ministers of Finances of emperor Napoleon III -- Jebulon (talk)
Comment This isn't conclusive. There are many photos in the scope, and some at 100% have a similar rendering:this one. I'll leave the decision to the specialists. -- JackyM59 (talk) 07:53, 1 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Reason:
Cultural heritage monuments in Wallonia in Belgium -- JackyM59 (talk)
Open for review.
I have added the following to the VI Nomination ProcedureːPlease ensure you have the FastCCI gadget enabled. You should use this to identify existing VIs with similar scopes. Note that if an image shows up as FP or QI it may also be a Valued Image.Charlesjsharp (talk) 11:10, 12 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
All open candidates in an MVR have to have their status set as "discussed" while the review is ongoing. Only when all candidates are due for closure can the MVR be closed.