The long-awaited announcement of the new Icon International Photography Awards at WPPI is here! Ever since WPPI pressed pause on its Honors of Excellence program in 2022, photographers around the world have been wondering when and if they can expect the return of the prestigious competition. As promised, the announcement has just been made that submissions are now open for the new Icon Awards, which will be hosted at WPPI in 2024.

[Read: What Makes an Award-Winning Portrait?]

What’s Changed and What’s the Same

The biggest change is in the ownership of the competition. For over 30 years, WPPI shepherded the annual awards, but in 2023 after putting the program on pause for a year, the company decided to shutter the competition completely. Former directors of the competition, Jerry Ghionis and Melissa Ghionis then took it upon themselves to create the Icon Awards.  

While the Awards no longer belong to WPPI, the awards gala, print judging and gallery will continue to be hosted during WPPI, and the Ghionis’ were able to provide continuity between the two competitions by matching former WPPI Honors of Excellence designation and accreditation points for former WPPI entrants. Entrants from countries who were not eligible to enter in 2020, 2021, or 2022 will have one year to catch up on points, with their top 12 scoring entries (not just 4) contributing to their Honors of Excellence points.

While they are running the competition completely autonomously, Melissa and Jerry Ghionis are proud, as co-directors of the Icon Awards, to continue WPPI’s legacy of offering the most prestigious wedding and portrait photography competition in the world.

Important Details

Entries for the digital competition are open from now until midnight on Oct 20. There will be no deadline extensions. Entries are $30 each with additional fees for public or private video critiques. The top ten scoring images from each category will receive an invitation to enter a print image for the Icon International Print of the Year Awards, which will be held at WPPI in Las Vegas in March 2024. You can find all pertinent info and make your submission at iconawards.com. Stay up to date with the Icon Awards by following them on Facebook or Instagram.