WPPI just announced that it is “pressing pause” on its Honors of Excellence program until 2024, so that the team can evaluate how the program can evolve to reach and deliver more value to photographers, both educationally and creatively.

For over 30 years, the prestigious wedding and portrait competitions have honored some of the most talented photographers and filmmakers in the industry. Starting with the First Half and Second Half at the beginning of the year, it all led up to The Annual: Print, Album and Filmmaking competitions at the end of the year. The points each photographer accumulated after entering became part of WPPI’s Honors of Excellence program, culminating with an annual Awards Ceremony at the WPPI show in Las Vegas.

Photographers who have entered the competitions have often been quoted in Rangefinder as saying that they can point to it as a shining light in their career growth. “The experience of having your work judged by industry leaders and educators is undoubtedly nerve-wracking but essential for reaching your full potential,” winner Lester Miyashiro told us in 2019. “The feedback you get is invaluable if you want to aspire to get better at your craft.”

[Read: WPPI The Annual 2022: Grand and First Place Winners]

WPPI organizers agree but admit that in its current format, the Honors of Excellence program reaches only a fraction of the wider WPPI community, which is why it is currently being reimagined to be better and bigger moving forward.

As WPPI Content Director Arlene Evans points out, “The Honors of Excellence program is important to us, and we recognize the program’s significance to the WPPI community. The live judging, for instance, offers one of the most unique in-person learning experiences available to photographers and is one of my favorite parts of the WPPI Conference. However, in order to best serve the WPPI community at large, we are reassessing its current format.”

The 41st Annual WPPI Conference and Expo takes place March 5-9, 2023.