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I can remember how confusing all of this was to me when I first joined this Association and PPA! Trying to understand how to earn each and what they applied towards was a bit overwhelming.

The very first clarification was simple:

MERITS are awarded by PPA and apply toward PPA degrees. CREDITS are earned through VPPA for our state degrees.

Honestly, I was more interested in the education and fellowship of the association and I didn’t really try to keep track of what I had done and what those activities earned me until the day someone approached me and encouraged me to enter one more print competition because I was so close to earning my VPPA degree. Now I was intrigued with all the “dangles” members were wearing and I wanted to earn one of my own. It’s always difficult at the end of the year to recall everything you’ve done to turn in service credits and track what qualifies for credits, so start off this new year by creating a spreadsheet and saving it on your desktop, making sure you update it during the year.

What earns VPPA credits, you might ask.

Attending meetings/programs, seminars and the annual convention all earn VPPA credits.

Hosting a meeting or being a speaker to give a program within our state also earns credits.

Stepping up to be part of a committee, or being an officer, and serving the board also earns credits toward VPPA degrees.

Entering our annual image competition and the results from your entries will accumulate credits towards your degree.

*Only your top six highest evaluated eligible entries will be considered for Ribbons/Credits and Awards.

Evaluated Image Credits:

Gold Ribbon (Commonwealth Collection) 5 Credits

Blue Ribbon (Merit Image) 4 Credits

Red Ribbon (Non-Merit Image) 3 Credits


Award Credits: (in addition to Image Credits above)

Best in Show 5 Credits

Best of Category 4 Credit

Court of Honor (2nd Place) 3 Credits

For More Information

85 is the MAGIC NUMBER for VIRGINIA DEGREES

Virginia offers two degrees Service of Photography and Fellow of Photography. (See Bylaws Article VII)

Members who wear the SP Award (Scarlet Ribbon with Gold SP Medallion) have earned a total of 85 or more total credits of which at least 43 must have been earned for service to the association.

Members who wear the FP Award (Silver Ribbon with Gold FP Medallion) have earned 85 or more credits. At least 43 of these credits must come from images winning blue ribbons at our state competition. Degree recipients are announced at the banquet held during PhotoConnect annual convention.

For every additional 85 credits earned, a gold bar is awarded for either degree. There are no service or blue ribbon restrictions on bars. Bars are attached to the degree ribbon.

PPA MERITS AND DEGREES

You can earn PPA MERITS attending special Educational Events in Virginia.

Our 3-day PhotoConnect annual convention earns a PPA merit.

PPA one-day events across the state in spring and fall will earn you a merit.

Our Extra Day for Pay full-day speakers will qualify for a merit.

When looking to earn a Photographic Craftsman degree, 25 merits is your goal. You'll need a combination of 13 Speaking merits and 12 additional merits (Speaking, Exhibition, and/or Service).

When looking to earn a Master of Photography degree, 25 merits is your goal. You'll need a combination of 13 Exhibition merits and 12 additional merits (Speaking, Exhibition, and/or Service). Master of Wedding Photography and Master Artist degrees have the same requirements, with the exhibition merits from that specific category of image competition.

For more information about PPA degrees, please visit https://www.ppa.com/credentials-mem/ degrees

So, your participation is KEY not only to earning degrees but to getting the most out of being a member in the association! Your District Director can help you with any questions regarding earning your credits.

Read About PPA Degrees