What is competition? A $5.00 plaque with your name on it? Or a fist full of cash?
According to where you go. A NSCA registered shoot will give cash back to class, and you can win a concurrent too, if you qualify. For me, that's Veteran concurrent. Sometimes at bigger shoots, a gun will be top prize. I have also won a beautiful belt buckle, which I actually wear. I have won gift certificates from Brileys, Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops.
At most S x S only shoots I have been to the prizes are different, even unique. At the Fall Southern S x S they used to give trophies made from the breech end, or the muzzle end, of S x S barrels mounted on a base. I won a set of Grant ejector barrels, no. 2 of a matched pair, made into a very nice trophy this way. The paperweights from Galazan have been given as prizes.
I don't go to shoots all the time, but when I go I expect to win. I don't mean to sound egotistical, but if you don't have self confidence, you never will. Often I don't, but I believe I can, and will, if I do what I know to do. Doesn't always work out though, of course. I do it to have fun, too. I identify with what John R. said, hitting them is a lot more fun than missing. I had a shooting lesson with Bill McGuire just yesterday afternoon to try and pick up a few more targets per round.
We are not all wired alike, obviously. If we were this would be a boring place. We all shoot to have fun, it's just we have differing views of what fun is, I guess. I am a competitive shooter, always competing against my last best score, trying to better myself. I push myself to improve, and when I do it is huge fun for me, and satisfying. I honestly hate missing. If I got to where I never missed I would lose interest, I know, but .............. that's not likely to ever happen, eh? I am a paradox ............ I am never satisfied with a miss, but I hope I can never approach perfection. The challenge is what I dearly love ............. that, and watching clay birds literally turn to dust.
SRH
