Team USA Announced for World Photographic Cup 2020 in Rome, Italy.

ATLANTA, Dec. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The World Photographic Cup, co-founded by Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and the Federation of European Photographers (FEP), announced the finalists from 43 countries who will square off in 2020. The national teams, including two-time winner Portugal and three-time winner United States, will be vying to take the cup from reigning champ, Team Australia.

The World Photographic Cup's mission is to unite photographers in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. This year's record-breaking list of 43 registered countries spans all over the globe, from New Zealand and Norway to Malaysia 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: Randy Brogen, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP; Randy McNeilly, M.Photog.MEI.Cr., CPP, API, F-ASP; Mark McCall, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP

Illustrative category: Nicholas Jones, M.Photog.M.Artist; Erich Caparas, M.Photog.M.Artist; Dan Frievalt, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr.

Landscape/Nature category: Steven Blandin, M.Photog.; Erica Lane Harvey, M.Photog.Cr., CPP; Sandra Pearce, M.Photog.MEI.Cr., CPP

Portrait category: Erich Caparas, M.Photog.M.Artist; Dennis Kelly, M.Photog.Cr.; Kathy Wierda, M.Photog.Cr.

Reportage category: Joe Howard; Thomas Henn, M.Photog.Cr., CPP; Heather Vanderpool, M.Photog., CPP

Wedding category: Marceliano Muñoz, M.Photog.Cr.; Mario Muñoz, M.Photog.Cr.; Tom Muñoz, M.Photog.Cr..

The WPC top-ten finalist images in each category will be formally announced and Best of Nation Awards will be presented at the Grand Imaging Awards of Imaging USA in Nashville, TN, on January 20, 2020.

The winner of the World Photographic Cup will be announced at the WPC Awards Ceremony in Rome, Italy, on March 23, 2020. For more information on the World Photographic Cup, and to view the finalist images from around the world, visit WorldPhotographicCup.org.

About Professional Photographers of America (PPA):
Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is the largest and longest-standing nonprofit photography trade association. Founded in 1868, PPA currently helps 30,000+ pros elevate their craft and grow their business with resources and education, all under PPA's core guiding principle of bridging the gap between photographers and consumers.

SOURCE PPA