18 photo scavenger hunt prompts for your next walk

A good photo scavenger hunt prompt leaves room for a discovery. “A red car” has one fairly obvious answer. “Something that stands out” invites people to notice different things.

For a homemade hunt, choose six to nine prompts from the list below. Give everyone the same list and agree on a meeting point. These are ideas for a DIY round, not a list you can upload into Seek.

Start with things you can spot quickly

1. Something round.
2. A bright colour against a dull background.
3. Something made of wood.
4. A repeating pattern.
5. Something with wheels.
6. A shadow with an interesting shape.

Use these to get a group moving. If someone is new to photo hunts, a concrete prompt helps them understand what counts before you introduce more open-ended ideas.

Add a little interpretation

7. Something older than it looks.
8. A tiny detail you would normally miss.
9. Something reflected in something else.
10. A useful object in an unexpected place.
11. Two things that almost match.
12. Something that suggests a story.

Finish with a creative choice

13. Nature finding a way through.
14. A colour that changes in the light.
15. An accidental face in an object.
16. Something repaired rather than replaced.
17. A detail that sums up the place.
18. Your favourite discovery of the walk.

Decide how the round ends

For a relaxed version, finish when everyone has six photos. For a timed version, agree a return time before you separate. Keep finds in places everyone can access; the photo should be the challenge, not getting somewhere difficult.

At the end, let each person explain one surprising match. You can award one point per accepted find and settle ambiguous answers together. Keep that homemade scoring separate from Seek’s own photo judging and points.

If you would rather have prompts and scoring handled for you, try Daily Seek or pick a mode from Seek’s ways to play.

Explore Seek for scavenger hunts for ways to take this idea into the app.