1. Introduction:
As Local Guides it’s often amazing which one of all of our photos contributed to Google Maps is the one that attracts the most views. We’ve come to refer to this photo as our star photo and this post, which follows on from the Local Guides’ 2025 Album of Star Photos post, is where Local Guides can join in and share their star as we all have one. So if you’d like to share yours then jump on board because regardless of how many views it has or how good a photo it is, or even what Local Guide level you are or where in the world you are located, we’d all love to see your star! Together we can build a photo album of 2026 stars from every corner of the world.
As well as adding your star photo in this album, if you wish, you can also have more fun and learn a lot more about star photos by joining the Top 100 Local Guides Star Photos leaderboards, and details on how to do this are provided below.
2. Questions:
We want this post to very much look like a photo album. Therefore, if you have any questions or wish to comment about star photos generally, or a specific Local Guide’s star photo in this album or how to participate here or on the star photos leaderboards, then please do not add them in comments in this post. Instead, post them in a comment on the Discussion on Local Guides 2026 Star Photos post, a post specifically setup for this. Please note that any such comments added here will be moved to the special discussion post.
3. How to add your star photo in this album:
3.1 Star Photo Screenshot, Caption and Description:
To participate, you need to take a screenshot of your star photo and add it in a comment on this post. Because we want a consistent format of entries in this album, the image below includes the 4 basics that you should follow when adding your star photo. Talking about a consistent format and how you should add your star photo, just take a look at the entries immediately following this introduction post. As you move from one star to the next, you’ll readily see the formatting style required and because of the consistent format, how easy it is to read through the album.
3.2 Star Views History Table:
As well as the basic star photo details mentioned in section 3.1, many Local Guides include a star views history table. This is very useful in showing the reader how your star has performed over recent months.
3.3 Notes:
- If you’re participating on the star photo leaderboards, both the caption to be used and the star views history table table will be automatically generated for you
Simply copy and paste into your post; - If you’re adding your screenshot on a desktop PC then add the caption as part of the Insert Photos process (
) so that it is better integrated with the screenshot itself. - For a good general read on uploading a photo on Connect, read the guidelines here.
4. Updating your star photo post:
From time to time you might wish to edit or update your star photo post. For example, you have made a mistake in your post or the views (referred to as star views) may have increased or you might even have a new star photo. Simple! There are two different scenarios here, (a) editing or updating your existing star photo post and (b) adding a new star photo post!
4.1 Editing or updating your existing star photo post:
It’s important to note that when editing or updating your existing star photo post you must not start a new comment and add an updated screenshot showing the new star views. Instead you simply re-visit your existing entry in this post, and update your update the details. If you’ve added your star photo to the Top 100 Leaderboards then you can easily and quickly find your star post from any of the posted star photo leaderboards or even easier from your Local Guide HUB.
4.2 Adding a new star photo:
If you’re adding a new star photo, you add it in a new comment on this post following the steps detailed in Section #3 above and a good idea is to add a permalink back to your original star post. Perhaps something like: “This is my new star photo and it replaces my previous star which you can see here.”
5. Should you update your album entry if the star views did not change?
(a) If your star photo’s views did not change from one month to the next then you must update the “as at” date on the last date in the month that you checked your star. This is important to maintain the correct history of your stars’ views in both the T100 Leaderboard System and posts on Connect, including the respective Leaderboard posts.
(b) Do you need to take and add a new screen shot, even if the number of views are the same as last month?
No! There is no need to update the screenshot if the star views remains unchanged. However, it is still necessary to update the caption on the screenshot and this is to clearly indicate that the views are still what they are on the “as at” date. You will have the caption automatically generated for you after performing the step mentioned in (a) above and it will take no more than a minute or two, to add this new caption to your star post.
6. The Top 100 Local Guides Star Photos Leaderboards:
As well as adding your star photo in this album, if you haven’t already done so, if you wish you can also register to participate on the Top 100 Local Guides Star Photos leaderboards. You will find the register link on the Leaderboards Index. You will also see links there to all the current Leaderboard posts as well as other related posts.
If you’re participating on the Top 100 Local Guides leaderboards then you’ll need the permalink to your post. Here are the basic steps to find your permalink:
(a) Select the “share a like to this post” icon at the bottom of your post
(b) Select the copy icon on the right hand side of the link
(c) Close the “Share a link to this post” window
(d) Add this link when requested on the Leaderboard System
7. Conclusion:
This post is an “album” of Local Guide star photos. It’s the place to showcase our “best” photos and is fundamental to and an integral part of the monthly Star Video leaderboards focused on the performance of these photos. By sharing our best in this way, we can learn together on how we can improve on the quality of our photo contributions to Maps. Together we can do more.
This photo was taken with my iPhone 13
