How to Run a Healthy Habits Photo Challenge for Remote Teams

Remote teams struggle with two things: staying healthy and staying connected. When your coworkers are scattered across time zones, it’s easy to skip the gym, eat lunch at your desk, and feel isolated from the people you work with.

A healthy habits photo challenge tackles both problems at once. You create a scavenger hunt with wellness-focused prompts, and team members submit photos as they complete each one. It’s asynchronous, so people participate on their own schedule. It’s visual, so everyone sees what their teammates are up to. And it’s fun, which means people actually do it.

This guide shows you how to set up a photo scavenger hunt that gets your remote team moving, eating better, and feeling more connected.

Why Photo Challenges Work for Remote Wellness

They Create Accountability Without Pressure

Telling remote employees to “exercise more” doesn’t work. But asking them to snap a photo on their morning walk creates a gentle nudge. The act of taking the photo makes the habit real. Submitting it to a shared gallery adds a layer of social accountability that a personal fitness app can’t match.

The key is keeping it low-pressure. Nobody’s tracking reps or counting calories. You’re just asking people to show they did something healthy today.

They Build Connection Through Shared Experience

Remote teams miss the casual moments that build relationships: the walk to grab coffee, the chat about weekend plans, the “nice shoes” comment in the hallway. A photo challenge recreates some of that texture.

When someone posts a photo of their hiking trail, you learn something about them. When you see a teammate’s home-cooked meal, you might ask for the recipe. These small interactions add up to real connection over time.

They Work Across Time Zones

Traditional team wellness activities like group fitness classes or lunch-and-learns fail when your team spans multiple continents. Someone always gets stuck with a 6 AM or 11 PM meeting.

A photo scavenger hunt is inherently asynchronous. People complete prompts on their own schedule and browse submissions when it’s convenient. The challenge can run for a week, a month, or longer, giving everyone time to participate regardless of their time zone.

15 Healthy Habits Photo Prompts for Remote Teams

Here are prompts that work well for a distributed team wellness challenge. Mix physical activity, nutrition, mental health, and outdoor time to keep things varied.

Physical Activity Prompts

1. Trail selfie - Take a photo during a hike, walk, or run outdoors
2. Gym check-in - Snap a pic at the gym, home workout space, or yoga mat
3. Active commute - Show us your bike, walking shoes, or skateboard
4. Stretch break - Catch yourself mid-stretch during the workday
5. New movement - Try a new form of exercise and document it

Nutrition Prompts

6. Home-cooked meal - Show off something healthy you made yourself
7. Farmers market haul - Share your fresh produce finds
8. Hydration station - Prove you’re drinking enough water today
9. Meal prep moment - Document your weekly meal prep session
10. Healthy snack - Show us what’s fueling your afternoon

Mental Wellness Prompts

11. Morning routine - Share one part of how you start your day
12. Workspace with a view - Show us your outdoor or non-desk workspace
13. Digital detox - Capture a moment without screens (book, puzzle, craft)
14. Meditation spot - Share where you go to decompress
15. Gratitude moment - Photo of something you’re grateful for today

These prompts work because they’re achievable for anyone, regardless of fitness level or schedule. A walk around the block counts just as much as a marathon training run.

Setting Up Your Challenge with Gather Shot

Create Your Event and Customize Branding

Start by creating an event in Gather Shot. Add your company logo, pick a color scheme that matches your brand, and write a welcome message that explains the challenge.

Your branded event page becomes the central hub. When team members scan the QR code or click the link, they see your company’s identity, not a generic upload form.

Add Your Scavenger Hunt Prompts

Build your prompt list using the scavenger hunt feature. You can add up to 15 custom prompts. For a healthy habits challenge, consider organizing them into categories so participants can mix and match.

Write prompts that are clear and specific. “Take a photo on a hike” is better than “Show us your outdoor activities.” Specificity reduces confusion and increases completion rates.

Set a Flexible Timeline

Remote wellness challenges work best when they run for at least a week. This gives people time to complete prompts around their schedules. Use the flexible scheduling feature to keep uploads open for the full duration.

A month-long challenge with 15 prompts means people can complete one prompt every two days. That’s sustainable without feeling like a burden.

Share the Link and QR Code

Distribute the event link through Slack, email, or your team communication tool. Include the QR code in a Notion page or internal wiki so people can easily access it from their phones.

No app download means zero friction. Team members scan the code, see the prompts, and start uploading immediately.

Running a Successful Challenge

Encourage Participation Without Being Pushy

Post occasional reminders in your team channel. Share highlights from the gallery to spark interest. But avoid guilt-tripping people who haven’t participated. The goal is to make wellness feel inviting, not mandatory.

Consider having a few team leaders or culture champions complete prompts early. Seeing submissions from others makes people more likely to join in.

Use the Gallery to Build Community

The shared gallery becomes a window into your teammates’ lives. Encourage people to browse and react to photos. A quick comment like “That hike looks amazing!” goes a long way toward building connection.

You can feature standout submissions in your weekly all-hands or team newsletter. This recognition motivates future participation.

Keep Moderation Light

With the moderation tools, you can review uploads before they go public. For an internal team challenge, you probably won’t need to filter much. But it’s good to have the option in case someone uploads something off-topic.

Consider Light Incentives

Prizes aren’t required, but they help. Offer a gift card to the person who completes the most prompts, or enter everyone who finishes into a drawing. Keep the stakes low so it feels like a game, not a competition.

Measuring Impact

Track Participation Rates

How many team members scanned the link and uploaded at least one photo? How many completed all 15 prompts? These numbers tell you whether the challenge resonated with your team.

Gather Qualitative Feedback

At the end of the challenge, ask participants what they thought. Which prompts were their favorites? Did they try anything new? Would they do it again? This feedback helps you improve future challenges.

Look for Ripple Effects

The real impact of a wellness challenge often shows up in unexpected ways. Team members might start a running group, share recipes in Slack, or simply feel more connected to colleagues they’ve never met in person.

Beyond the First Challenge

A one-time challenge is good. A recurring program is better. Consider running quarterly wellness challenges with different themes: outdoor adventures in summer, home cooking in fall, mindfulness in winter, spring cleaning for workspaces.

Each challenge adds to the shared photo gallery, creating a visual record of your team’s culture over time. New hires can browse past submissions to get a sense of who they’ll be working with.

Start Your Remote Team Wellness Challenge

Remote work doesn’t have to mean disconnected or sedentary. A photo scavenger hunt gives your team a reason to move, eat well, and share their lives with each other.

Gather Shot makes it simple with QR-based photo collection and scavenger hunt prompts. No app downloads, no complicated setup. Just create your event, add your prompts, and share the link with your team.