Team Australia has won the World Photographic Cup (WPC), beating 32 countries to be crowned champion at an award ceremony in Norway.
Michael Teo’s won gold in the Reportage category.WPC is a not-for-profit ‘Olympic-style’ photo competition, where each participating country enters a team of photographers through its national industry body.
It has run since 2013, with the goal to ‘unite photographers in a spirit of friendship and cooperation’. The cup is organised by various photographic associations including the Federation of European Photographers, Professional Photographers of America, and our own Australian Institute of Photography
Australia won four medals across six categories – a gold, two silver, and a bronze.
Melbourne photographer, Michael Teo, jumped to the top spot in the Reportage category; while silver was scored by Hervey Bay photographer Michael Smith in Nature, and Melbournian Damien Bowerman in Portrait; with another Melbournian, Lacey Barratt, taking out bronze in Reportage.
Additionally, Australian finalists include Keren Dobia in Portrait, Matthew Gianoulis in Commercial, and Mauro Cantelmi in wedding.
‘It goes to show that entering every year enables a nation’s entries to grow in quality,’ said AIPP president, John Swainston. ‘Having finished on the podium three times previously, now our team has won…Tonight’s win is a tribute to our Australian team, to the hard work of our team captain, Sue Lewis, and to the AIPP members whose fine work enabled us to submit so many excellent images.
Sue attended the historical Drammens Teater in Norway to accept the cup, along with fellow Australian Kylie Lyons, who is a WPC Board Member.
Australia with 56 points smashed the defending champion, Team USA, which came second with 40 points. Mexico finished third with 38.5 points.
Last year Australia came second, and as host nation held a formal award ceremony at the Head On Photo Festival in Paddington Town Hall in Sydney.
Here’s the full WPC results
1st Australia: 56 points, 4 medals (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze) and 3 finalists
2nd USA: 40 points, 2 Gold medals, and 4 finalists
3rd Mexico: 38.5 points, 1 Gold and 1 Silver medal, and 5 finalists
4th Malaysia: 32 points, 1 Gold and 1 Bronze medal, and 3 finalists
5th Finland: 29.5 points, 1 Gold medal and 6 finalists
6th Slovakia: 15 points, 1 Silver medal and 2 finalists
7th Spain: 12 points, 3 finalists
8th Sweden: 11 points, 1 Silver medal and 1 finalist
9th place – two way tie. Czech Republic: 10 points, 1 Bronze Medal and 2 finalists, & The Netherlands: 10 points, 1 Bronze Medal.
Congrats Team Australia. Pity the WPC website of all finalist’s images shows one from Lisa Saad (as part of Team Australia), even though her entry was withdrawn from the competition by Australia’s industry body.