Competition Themes
Club Competitions | Competition Rules and Process | Special Contests Rules | Competition Themes | How To Enter a Competition | What Contest Judges Look For
2025-2026 Themes | 2026 Special Contests | 2026-2027 Themes | 2027-2028 Themes
2025-2026 PPC Competition Year
All competitions listed below are for images in a digital/electronic format unless otherwise noted.
About the 2026 Special Contests
The SPECIAL CONTESTS do not count in end-of-year standings. The themes are Cell Phone, Nature, Photojournalism, and Portraits.
These contests are outside of the annual competition. No points will be awarded. Awards will be presented to the first three places in each contest.
Entry, Intermediate, Advanced, and Master submissions will be judged together.
You may enter all four special contests, but you may only submit a single image for each.
Entries must be uploaded to the PPC Competition Site before midnight on April 16, 2026.
Retired Images
Please note that images awarded a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or HM in ANY previous Plano Photography Club contest (monthly or special interest) in any format or level are not eligible for submission to the Special Contests. Review the contest rules and guidelines before submitting.
Descriptions
Cell Phone
Entries to this contest must have been captured using a cell phone. Photos captured with tablets are not eligible, even if the tablet acts as a phone.
They may be of any subject, and they may be edited on any device using any software.
Images must be in JPEG format, and the file name must be Windows-compatible (i.e., the file name may not contain any of the characters \ : / * ? " [ ]| ).
Nature
Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict observations from all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archaeology, in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject material and to certify as to its honest presentation.
The storytelling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality. Human elements shall not be present, except where those human elements enhance the nature story. The presence of scientific bands, scientific tags, or radio collars on wild animals is permissible.
Photographs of artificially produced hybrid plants or animals, mounted specimens, or obviously set arrangements are ineligible, as is any form of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement. No techniques that add to, relocate, replace, or remove pictorial elements except by cropping are permitted.
Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the nature story or the pictorial content are permitted. All adjustments must appear natural. Color images can be converted to grayscale monochrome. Infrared photos are not allowed.
Photojournalism
Photojournalism entries shall consist of images with informative content and emotional impact, reflecting the human presence in our world.
The journalistic (story-telling) value of the image shall receive priority over pictorial quality. In the interest of credibility, images that misrepresent the truth, such as those from events or activities specifically arranged for photography or of subjects directed or hired for photography, are not eligible.
Techniques that add, relocate, replace, or remove any element of the original image, except by cropping, are not permitted. The only allowable modifications are removal of dust, scratches, or digital noise, restoration of the existing appearance of the original scene, sharpening that is not obvious, and conversion to grayscale monochrome. Derivations, including infrared, are not eligible.
Portraits
Images must be of people – no pets or other animals. They can be color or monochrome.
NOTE: You must be a member of the Plano Photography Club to submit an image to a competition.
2026-2027 PPC Competition Year
All competitions listed below are for images in a digital/electronic format unless otherwise noted.
| Competition Month/Year |
|
Theme |
Resources |
| May 2026 |
- |
Evoking Emotion |
5 Tips to Take Photos That Evoke Emotion — A practical, idea-friendly piece that emphasizes photographing what you feel and using your own emotions to shape the image.
Unifying a Photo’s Emotions — Great for understanding how lighting, subject, composition, and post-processing work together to support one emotional mood instead of competing with it.
Mastering Storytelling: Capture Emotion in Your Photos — Focuses on using light and composition to create warmth, drama, and intentional mood.
How to Capture Emotion in Your Photos — Encourages empathy with the subject and experimenting with expressive gestures, lighting, and perspective.
Ten Tips To Help Wildlife Photographers Create Emotions in Their Photographs — Even though it is wildlife-focused, it has useful ideas about perspective, action, color, contrast, and including the environment to strengthen the feeling.
How to Improve Your Photography Composition: A Guide — Useful for members who want practical composition ideas like negative space, leading lines, and visual structure to make an image feel more emotionally engaging.
|
| June 2026 |
- |
Open |
|
| July 2026 |
- |
Motion |
How to Photograph a Moving Subject — A practical guide that explains freezing motion, blur, and panning, with useful starter shutter-speed ranges.
3 Techniques for Capturing Motion in Photography — Good for understanding the three main approaches to motion: panning, long exposure blur, and other movement-based effects.
A Beginner’s Guide to Capturing Motion in Your Photography — Clear and approachable, with examples that show how shutter speed changes the feeling of movement.
Guide to Motion Blur and Panning in Photography — A strong resource for members who want more depth on how panning works and how to make the background streak while keeping the subject readable.
Motion photography: how to capture movement in your images — A concise guide from Canon that gives practical shutter-speed advice for different kinds of subjects.
The secrets to capturing motion in your photography — Helpful for experimenting with burst shooting, panning, and creative camera movement.
|
| August 2026 |
- |
Open |
|
| September 2026 |
- |
Street Photography |
Beginners Guide To Street Photography — Offers 15 quick tips, including blending in, using natural light, black-and-white shooting, reflections, patterns, and anticipating moments.
Tips for Great Street Photography — Covers two key approaches: using dramatic light and shadows for easy compositions, and observing people to anticipate candid moments.
20 Tips for Starting Out in Street Photography — Practical advice on light, composition, patience, working scenes instead of chasing subjects, separation of elements, and single-subject isolation.
70 Street Photography Tips For Beginners — A huge list with ideas like shooting mid-stride, using flash for drama, head-on shots, framing, and focusing on hands or body language.
The Best Street Photography Ideas for Your Next Photoshoot — Creative ideas such as long-exposure motion blur, reflections, street art, car lights, and architecture with blurred crowds.
6 Street Photography Tips for Beginners (2025 Edition) — Updated tips on patience, light, fearless portraits, engaging locals, quirky moments, and camera settings like fast shutter speeds.
|
| October 2026 |
- |
Open (Print Format) |
|
| November 2026 |
- |
Micro/Up Close |
Take a Closer Look with Macro Photography Tips for Beginners — Covers macro lenses, focus stacking, aperture choices (f/8-f/11), tripods, and lighting with ring flashes for shadow-free close-ups.
Close-up Photography Tips & Advice — Practical advice on shallow depth of field, manual focus, natural/artificial light, and fast shutter speeds for extreme close-ups.
How to Create Breathtaking Macro Photos: The Complete Guide — Explains selective focusing with wide apertures (f/2.8), focus stacking to combat shallow depth of field, and diffraction issues.
Close-Up Photography: A Guide to Stunning Detailed Shots — Focuses on manual focus, aperture control for depth of field, tripods to prevent shake, and subject choices like textures or insects.
Micro Photography: What To Know & How To Nail It — Stresses manual focus reliability, camera stabilization, and precise lighting (e.g., ring lights or LED) to avoid overexposure on tiny subjects.
Getting Started Guide to Close-up Photography — Beginner-friendly steps like using tripods, manual focus for maximum closeness, and experimenting with everyday subjects.
|
| January 2027 |
- |
Open |
|
| February 2027 |
- |
Food Photography (Print Format) |
7 Food Photography Tips for Beginners — Focuses on natural light, shooting angles (table height, 45°), rule of thirds, color wheels, and props to enhance appeal.
How to Choose Food Photography Lights — Explains using indirect sunlight or artificial lights (5500K for cool tones, warmer for meats), diffusers, and reflectors to avoid harsh shadows.
Food Photography Composition Techniques — Details the rule of thirds, golden ratio, dynamic symmetry, golden triangle, and spiral for balanced, professional-looking shots.
Three Composition Elements For Better Food Photography — Covers viewpoints (horizontal/vertical), rule of thirds, framing/layers, and negative space for depth and focus.
The Basic Light Setup For Food Photography — Guides on window lighting with diffusers and reflectors for soft, even illumination on food setups.
10 Essential Techniques for Composition in Food Photography — Tips like hero side-facing camera, complementary colors, repetition for patterns, and tight crops for impact.
|
| March 2027 |
- |
Open |
|
| April 2027 |
- |
SPECIAL CONTESTS |
|
2027-2028 PPC Competition Year
All competitions listed below are for images in a digital/electronic format unless otherwise noted.
| Competition Month/Year |
|
Theme |
|
| May 2027 |
- |
Shadows and Silhouettes |
|
| June 2027 |
- |
Open |
|
| July 2027 |
- |
Double Exposure |
|
| August 2027 |
- |
Open |
|
| September 2027 |
- |
Historical |
|
| October 2027 |
- |
Open (Print Format) |
|
| November 2027 |
- |
Patterns in Nature |
|
| January 2028 |
- |
Open |
|
| February 2028 |
- |
Unexpected Angles (Print Format) |
|
| March 2028 |
- |
Open |
|
| April 2028 |
- |
SPECIAL CONTESTS |
|