The Icon International Photography Awards are to photographers what Wimbledon is to tennis players, says co-director, Jerry Ghionis in a recent announcement about the contest’s upcoming submission deadline of October 1^st. He and his partner and co-director Melissa Ghionis are having their second year at the helm of the new awards program, which has taken over and transformed the former WPPI Print Competition. When comparing Icon to Wimbledon, Jerry says, “Where would tennis be without the slams?” Jerry considers photography awards competitions like Icon to be the photography industry’s version of the Grand Slam – except, he says, “You are competing with yourself, asking ‘Did I achieve a personal best?’”

Jerry encourages photographers to get “obsessed with the process and not so much with the results.” While everyone wants to get high scores, attain honors of distinction, land a coveted first, second, or third place, and especially a Grand Champion (along with all the wonderful prizes), Jerry stresses the importance of the program as an avenue for personal and industry growth, saying “It’s the way I grew up in the industry, and that’s why we want to bring this to you, as well. It’s a platform that raises the bar for photographers, and it is part of your legacy, my legacy, and the community’s legacy of lifting each other up with an incredible platform to recognize you as icons.”

How the Icon Awards Work

The first round of the Icon Awards is a digital submission process. When submitting their images, photographers are asked a series of four questions, which will place the image in the appropriate category. Each image may only be entered into one category – except for the In-Camera Artistry category, which may also be selected for one other category. Photographers are strongly encouraged to read all the rules before entering.

Each image is judged anonymously by five experts in the given genre. Subsequently, it has the opportunity to earn honors of Silver, Silver with Distinction, Gold, Gold with Distinction, and Platinum Awards. Points from the four highest scoring images count toward accreditation with Icon – Associate, Master, Double Master, Triple Master, Grand Master, and Double Grand Master. Learn all about scoring here.

Entrants are highly encouraged to select the option to receive critiques on your images, which along with being given to each photographer, are also anonymously posted in the Icon Critique Gallery. This free resource for anyone to view offers insights and guidance intended to empower the photography community to elevate their skills and artistry.

All certificates and emblems from the first round are provided as downloadables. Top ten finalists are invited to enter a print for the Icon Print Competition, which will happen live at WPPI March 16 – 20, 2025 at The Rio, in fabulous Las Vegas.

The Time to Enter is Now!

While Jerry acknowledges that some photographers feel hesitant to enter photography competitions for fear of not doing well, he strongly encourages everyone to take a chance, saying “Even if you are inexperienced, you’ve got to be at the right place at the right time to get a great image. Not only could you get a better score than what you thought . . . you can also have the possibility of being in the top ten and winning first, second, third, and grand!”

Finalists will be judged at the WPPI convention. First, second, and third place winners will receive a trophy, and there are literally thousands of dollars in prizes. Once again, a special Luminance Award will go to the image judged to make the “best use of light,” and that winner will receive $10k in Profoto gear. If you want to increase your chances to win, be sure to check out the past Winners Gallery and consider making an entry into a category with less competition.

Whether or not an image places or wins big prizes, Jerry encourages all photographers to think of entering into the Icon Awards as a “commitment to your growth” as a photographer. Through the process of striving to create your best work yet every year, in the company of other like-minded photographers, you are bound to propel yourself and your artistry to higher levels of achievement simply by virtue of making that commitment and putting in the effort to do so.

But entries to the Icon Photography Awards are closing in just a few short days, so don’t delay in getting your entries together before October 1 and submitting to the Icon Awards Program for your chance to be recognized as an icon in your field!

Read the rules. Submit to Icon. Follow Icon on Instagram and Facebook.