Does the auto-select feature in New Pokémon Snap take challenges into account?

The auto-select feature always prioritizes photos of star ratings that you do not already have. Many requests are for getting 4-star photos of a Pokémon, and are often the only way to acquire that rating, so in these instances, any auto-selected photo will fulfill the request.

However, some requests are for unique poses or situations that give a star rating that are not unique to that Pokémon, especially when that Pokémon is featured in multiple courses such as Pikachu, Finneon, or Wingull. If you already have a photo with that star rating, the auto-select will choose a photo of a star rating you do not have (such as a missing one-star or two-star rating), or otherwise one of the photos with highest star rating available for that run, which may be a higher rating than one that will fulfill the request.

When aiming to complete requests, it's best to always double-check after clicking the auto-select button to ensure that it selected the photo you want.