Members Judging Members?
With regards to members judging members in photography competitions, we have always believed the temptation of favoritism would be far too great.
The social sharing of today makes it easier than ever for photographers to identify the work of others. It's only human that a judge could feel the pull to reward their friends or push back a foe. That type of influence has always been eliminated from our photo contests. We feel photography judges should not have to struggle with such issues as they are making their decisions.
Since our beginning in 2002, WPJA members have not judged our contests. Integrity has always been of utmost importance for our contests, and of our organization as a whole.
And of course, we would never want members judging contests in which they are also entering their own images during the same year. This would make it incredibly tempting to make selections that would increase the likelihood of their own POY title success.
Neutral and Unbiased judges
We are proud of the fact that our wedding photography contest judges are as neutral as they can be, and selected from an elite group of award-winning professional photojournalists and picture editors who are NOT members of the organization (though a few have joined after judging for us). Our judges have earned the ability to review submissions through their esteemed portfolios and renowned reputations.