The International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum (IPHF) will award its annual Leadership Award to the nonprofit trade association Professional Photographers of America. The 2021 Hall of Fame Induction and Award Ceremony will be held as a hybrid live/virtual event on October 29 in the Arts District in St. Louis, Missouri.
“IPHF honors those who have made an impact on photography, and PPA continuously does just that,” IPHF President and CEO Patty Wente said. “Throughout the pandemic, PPA has stood strong and encouraged photographers to forge ahead. As a result, they’ve proven to be a rock for photographers and small business owners, which in turn sustains the future of photography.”
“All of us here at PPA are honored and elated for our organization to receive the IPHF Leadership Award,” says PPA President Mary Fisk-Taylor. “After all, when we say PPA was created ‘by photographers, for photographers,’ it’s not just a slogan. It’s our guiding principle.”
PPA’s CEO David Trust sees the award as an assessment of the association’s performance. “It’s nice to be recognized. It’s flattering,” Trust said. “But it also serves as a reminder that we can’t ever stop. We can’t ever be complacent. We can’t ever stop looking for new ways to serve our members.”
With more than 150 years of history, PPA’s long narrative parallels the origins of photography itself. As the largest trade association of its kind, PPA provides education, resources, and insurance to photographers at every stage of their professional development.
Last year, PPA gave over $3 million in coronavirus relief to its 30,000 members and provided real-time updates on the Paycheck Protection Program. Recently, PPA announced that attendees and exhibitors at Imaging USA, the organization’s signature conference and expo, will receive subsidies to lower their expenses for the event.
The International Photography Hall of Fame opened its doors in 1977 to establish a permanent dedication to recognize historic photographers and inventors. Today, thousands of photographs from more than 500 artists make up the museum’s permanent collection. It is the first organization globally to recognize significant contributors to the art and science of photography. The complete list of this year’s honorees includes:
Wente added, “The bottom line is that photographers know they can turn to PPA to help, lead, and sustain them. There’s no other organization more deserving of the Leadership Award, especially considering PPA’s contributions to the community amid the global pandemic.”