30 countries are participating in the highly-anticipated international event co-founded by Professional Photographers of America

(December 19, 2017) - The World Photographic Cup, co-founded by Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and the Federation of European Photographers (FEP), announced the finalists from 30 countries who will square off in 2018. The national teams, including two-time winner Team USA, will be vying to take the cup from two-time, reigning champ Portugal.

The World Photographic Cup's mission is to unite photographers in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. This year's list of registered countries spans from the U.S. to Pakistan to Singapore and Spain. The full list of countries can be found at http://www.worldphotographiccup.org.

"The World Photographic Cup is unlike any other photographic competition in that it not only involves the best professional photographers from around the world, but in true Olympic style, it offers nations the chance to compete against each other," said PPA CEO David Trust. "The result is, in effect, the best possible portfolio of photography from across the globe that shines a bright light on our industry."

Each country is represented by one team which is created by a national association comprised of professional photographers. Teams pick their own photographers and images to enter. Teams may submit up to three images in each of six categories: Portrait, Wedding, Commercial (including advertising, architecture, industrial, fashion), Illustrative/Digital Art, Reportage/ Photojournalism and Landscape/Wildlife. Teams may choose to enter the images of a single photographer in multiple categories; no single photographer may have multiple images entered into a single category.

Gold (1st), Silver (2nd), and Bronze (3rd) medals are awarded to the individual creator in each category. Teams are awarded points based on an aggregate score of the top ten placements in all categories. The World Photographic Cup is awarded to the national team that receives the highest overall score. The Team USA finalist photographers are:

Commercial category: Brent Lewis, Ben Shirk, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., Lisa Hill, CPP

Illustrative category: Ben Shirk, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., Bree Adams, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, Kristi Elias, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr.

Wedding category: Marceliano Munoz, M.Photog.Cr., Erich Caparas, Francie Baltazar Stonestreet, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Portrait category: Lauren Del Vecchio, CPP, Erich Caparas, Francie Baltazar Stonestreet, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Reportage category: Gail Nogle, M.Photog.Cr., F-ASP, Roben Bellomo, CPP, Melissa McKinney

Landscape/Nature category: Patricia Lowe, Kevin Dooley, Dan McClanahan, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr.

The WPC top-ten finalist images in each category will be formally announced and Team USA will be presented at the Grand Imaging Awards of Imaging USA in Nashville, TN on January 15, 2018. WPC Nation Awards winners (Best of Team) will be announced in January and presented in Dublin, Ireland, on March 25, 2018.

The winner of the World Photographic Cup will be announced at the WPC Awards Ceremony at Sea World, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, on May, 5, 2018. For more information on the World Photographic Cup, and to view the finalist images from around the world, visit WorldPhotographicCup.org.

About PPA
Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is the largest international nonprofit association created by professional photographers, for professional photographers. Almost as long-lived as photography itself, PPA has roots that date back to 1868. It assists over 30,000 members through protection, education and resources for their continued success. See how PPA helps photographers be more at PPA.com/BeMore.