Photographic competitions occur monthly and are focussed toward pre-selected categories and within three different member groups. Descriptions of our competitions can be found within our Competitions Page. Our competitions are a means for members to expand and improve their photographic art and stimulate discussion within our membership

Our most recent competiton was a Pictorail competition directed toward Reflections. A pictorial is defined as a visually impactful photograph which projects emotional intent and/or artistic quality, and through the photographer’s efforts, emphasizes beauty of subject matter, tonality and composition.  This category offers artistic freedom: the “digital dark room” is allowed, as long as the compositional reality of the photograph is maintained.  Entries should be a faithful representation of the original scene, and localized adjustments can be used appropriately.This competition was judged by Cara Weston and, discussion and awards were presented on June 7, 2024.

There are three competition groups within Padre Trails Camera Club labeled Red, Green and Blue. This is a peer-grouping mix that has been established to more fairly distribute club members and level the competitive field, giving everyone a more equal opportunity to suceed in our monthly competitions. Club members have been distributed within each of these peer groups based upon their previous year scoring of images by our judges. The groupings will be re-calculated at the end of each Club year by averaging the star rating of each submitted image. Prospective new members may select a peer group placement where that may feel most comfortable in competing.