The idea for the WPC originated in 2011, when representatives from the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) and the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) met to discuss the possibility of creating a new international photographic competition. The goal was to create a competition that would showcase the best photography from around the world and promote international friendship and collaboration.
The idea for the competition was first discussed in 2011 in Lyon, France, followed by further discussions in New Orleans (USA) Brussels (Belgium), Cologne (Germany) and Atlanta (USA). Officially the World Photographic Cup was founded April 2013 in Gmunden (Austria).
The World Photographic Cup (WPC) is the only international Olympic style photographic competition of Teams representing their country.
In 2014 the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography) was asked to join the WPC Governing Committee and was represented by Kylie Lyons – The National AIPP President. The UAPP (United Asian Professional Photography) were also invited to make representation and Noboru Okamoto the UAPP Vice President joined the Governing Committee. Thus expanding the reach and harnessing photographic award experience of other areas around the globe.
The first World Photographic Cup Presentation was held in conjunction with Imaging USA (iUSA) in 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, Where 18 international teams competed in the six available categories: commercial, illustrative/digital art, nature, portrait, reportage/photojournalism and wedding. Since then, the competition has grown in size and scope year on year, attracting up to 40 teams of photographers annually from all over the world who compete in the various categories to win the coveted World Photographic Cup trophy. In 2023 more categories were added to include Natural Portrait and Illustrative Portrait categories and Nature Landscape and Nature Wildlife were also introduced to the competition. Each Team may enter up to 3 images by different photographers in each category.
The WPC aims to promote excellence in photography, showcase the work of talented photographers from around the world, and encourage photographers to push the boundaries of their art. The competition provides a platform for photographers to showcase their work, gain recognition, and connect with other photographers and industry professionals from around the world.
Over the years, The WPC Governing Committee has been represented by a number of Past WPC Governing Committee members who have volunteered their time and expertise to organizing and running the competition annually. You can read about the past and present Governing Committee members here
The winning images from each country’s team are judged by a panel of internationally recognized photographers and experts in the field, and the winning team is awarded the World Photographic Cup. Individual prizes are awarded including the Best Of Nation Award for the Highest scoring image from each National Team, plus finalist and medallists awards. The Cup is the highest accolade available and is coveted by all entered teams.
The WPC Award ceremonies travels the World and has been held at:
- 2014: Phoenix, Arizona, USA
- 2015: Montpellier, France
- 2016: Porto, Portugal
- 2017: Yokohama, Japan
- 2018: Sydney, Australia
- 2019: Drammen, Norway
- 2020: Virtual event due to COVID-19 pandemic
- 2021: Virtual event due to COVID-19 pandemic
- 2022: Rome, Italy also presenting winners from 2020 & 2021
- 2023: Singapore
- 2024: Dallas, Texas, USA
- 2025: Ecuador
The Cup has been won by these teams:
2014 Team USA
2015 Team USA
2016 Team Portugal
2017 Team Portugal
2018 Team USA
2019 Team Australia
2020 Team Brazil
2021 Team Australia
2022 Team Mexico & Team USA (tie)
2023 Team Mexico
2024 Team Spain