The Fort Worth Camera Club made history Nov. 3 , 2022 by defeating the Dallas Camera Club in the annual Bird Competition by the largest margin since the competition began in 1964. The score was 313 to 253. View winning Fort Worth entries; Zoom recording has expired.

• 7-9 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022
• UNT Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd.; view a map
• Annual Print and Digital Image Competition, Fort Worth Camera Club versus Dallas Camera Club

Come on down to watch judges review images and prints from both Dallas and Fort Worth in our annual contest. Judges will review and score 15 digital images and 15 prints from each club. The club that receives the most points wins. In 2021, Fort Worth won by a score of 356 to 323.

The Emily Guthrie Smith Award, affectionately referred to as The Bird Competition, has been held each year since 1964, except 1975 and 2016. The competition is held in October or early November and the location rotated between the clubs each year. Fort Worth Camera Club has won every year since 2007.

The Competition Committee selects Fort Worth entries submitted by club members. Judges are not current club members and have no information about the photographer or his/her club membership.

• View The Bird competition rules.
• View a list of annual club winners.

Images by these members are in the 2022 competition:

Nancy Abby, Robert Chura, Chad Fenner, Brian Fesko, Shawn Gibson, Brenda Greco, Jeffrey Heyer, Pam Kisielewski, Stephen Mayeux, John Nixon, Roy O’Rear, Roy Richardson, Lynn Rogers, Mark Rogers, Tom Savage, Melody Schotte, Ron Shue, Ken Spencer, Stephen Stookey, Sharon Sturgis, Randy Whiddon, K.P. Wilska, Jack Young.

History

Despite the name, the contest is not about bird photography. The competition began when Emily Guthrie Smith suggested that an annual contest would be fun for both clubs. Smith was a Fort Worth native and nationally known artist and teacher. Her works are in private collections, museums and the Archives of American Artists in the Smithsonian Institution.

She donated and carved the trophy, above, a wood sculpture engraved with the winning club’s name, but the reason she chose a bird is not known. The trophy is regularly perched on the podium at our club meetings.

Bird image courtesy of Dallas Camera Club; history courtesy of Lifetime Members Becky Scott and Robert Chura.