World Photographic Cup (WPC)
Celebrating Excellence in Photography on the World Stage
Andrew Bowen Studios is proud to represent the USA in the world’s premier photographic team competition.
What is the World Photographic Cup?
The World Photographic Cup is a global team competition in which countries submit their best images across a range of categories—including natural portrait, commercial, nature, and illustrative fine art. Team USA is formed from top images selected by PPA, and a panel of jurors (one per country) then evaluates all entries to determine finalists and medalists. Making the World Photographic Cup team means your work is being celebrated on a global stage, not just for its technical execution but also for its emotional and artistic impact.
- Established in 2011
- Over 50 member countries
- 10 image categories
- One judge per country
- The top 10 images in each category earn points for their country
Why It Matters
Being selected for WPC is an honor, recognizing the highest level of artistic excellence in photography, as well as an opportunity to build connections worldwide. Most importantly, having a WPC Finalist image is a validation of the creative dance retreat process on an international level and a true honor to the dancers who made it happen. These honors celebrate your movement, emotion, and individuality.
My WPC Journey
I am honored to have represented the USA for the first time in the 2025 World Photographic Cup (WPC). My image, “Intertwined”, created with Katherine & Antony, was selected by Team USA as one of 3 images in the Natural Portrait category for Team USA.
BRONZE MEDAL!!!
Over the moon is probably an understatement. I am humbled, thrilled, and so very proud of the work that went into creating ‘Intertwined.’ Being invited to join Team USA was an incredible honor, and I’m grateful my image helped propel the team to victory.
Team USA Wins the 2025 World Photographic Cup!
WPC is a team competition more than anything. For each finalist image, our team earned 1-10 points (10 points for first place and 1 point for 10th). Team USA had a competition-leading 12 finalist images, and when all of the points were tallied, we earned first place and brought home the Cup to the United States!!
Team USA Finalists
Reflections on my WPC Journey
I never even thought about being part of Team USA. Then I received an email from Rich Newell informing me that an image, “Intertwined,” was being considered for the team. I was floored. I was honored to have been considered, but didn’t think it was going any further.
Then I received an email congratulating me on being part of the team. Wow. Just wow!! “Intertwined” was one of three Natural Portrait entries for the USA. I was thrilled and thankful to have been asked, and I would have a cool jacket as a memento. Life was good.
Becoming a Finalist
I watched the finalist announcement on December 17 to see how our team fared and to be ready to send messages of congratulations to the other photographers. I could not believe it when “Intertwined” was selected as a finalist. All these incredible photographs and photographers, and the judges thought my photo was one of the ten best natural portrait images from around the globe. I can’t describe the emotion. Once again, I was sure that was the end…
You can imagine the jubilation of having made it into the top three by earning the bronze medal in my category. To have an image crafted for two dancers be well-received and respected is a dream.
Optimism for the Future
I know that every artist can relate to this journey. We protect ourselves by telling ourselves to expect to lose. A part of our brain filters the massive volume of information we receive to ignore the noise and things that aren’t threats. Consequently, most positive feedback we receive never makes it into our long-term memory.
That part of my brain tells me this is a one-and-done; we got lucky. But my more self-aware self tried to be more optimistic about the future. This image is the direct result of our collaboration, translating the boundless power of dance into something magical in the millisecond when the shutter clicks. I believe that together, we can capture lightning in a bottle once again.
I Stand on the Shoulders of Giants
This moment could not have happened without Katherine (@k.ettles) and Antony (@ztony_dance) working diligently to make this image a reality. It also could not have happened without each dancer along the way who shared their journey and artistry with me. You are all part of this story. Thank you from the bottom of my very whole heart.
2025 World Photographic Cup
There is a lot of amazing photography here. It is worth the time. Enjoy the WPC 2025 Best of Nation and Finalists announcement below if you prefer a video.
Some images are NSFW.