Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Why should I register as an exhibitor? (on another page)
  2. What Internet browsers are supported? (on another page)
  3. Why are digital images constrained the way they are? (on another page)
  4. Why is there an extra charge for paper-based entry now?
  5. When entering WIEP what is the checkout process?
  6. What is an 'Exhibitor #'?
  7. Where do find my Exhibitor #?
  8. What exactly are the 'Do Not Return' (DNR) options about?
  9. What support for photographic honors is provided and where do I find it?
  10. I see my packing slip but don't have a printer available – what do I do?
  11. What are the requirements for image titles?
  12. How do I become a WIEP Patron?

Question 4: Why is there an extra charge for paper-based entry now?
Answer: As the size of our exhibition has grown so the difficulties in managing all the details has grown exponentially. And with the paper-based approach we manually transcribe what you write down onto a computer. As if that duplication of effort isn't bad enough we have a very short time to do it; I know the news will shock you but many photographers do leave it until very close to the closing date to submit their images. Then we only have a few days to get thousands of images ready for judging (well over 3000 last year).

Finally, while our volunteers are as careful as they can be, and our subsequent checks and balances are good, transcription errors do happen. Analyzing our performance we actually do very well - our error rate is about a half or even less of the norm compared to data from a variety of sources (medical data transcription is the most commonly studied). But with online entry we completely eliminate transcription and we get exactly the data YOU enter (so any typos will be your fault;-)) This takes a huge amount of work out of the preparation at a time when, honestly, we already have more than enough to do!

Therefore THANK YOU to everyone that enters online - it helps us a LOT! Hence the small difference in fees!
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Question 5: When entering WIEP what is the checkout process?
Answer: The checkout process is a short sequence of steps that you have to take after filling in your entry form for your entry to be fully registered for the exhibition. The individual steps vary depending upon which sections you have entered and how you choose to pay.
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Question 6: What is an 'Exhibitor #'?
Answer: Every photographer that has had an image accepted as far back as our archive records go has a unique Exhibitor # that identifies them in our sytems. This way we know when to award honors to successful exhibitors and we can maintain the records easily even if you change your name (e.g. by marriage) or if someone else joins who has the same name as you (and yes, that does happen).
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Question 7: Where do find my Exhibitor #?
Answer: When you register as an exhibitor here you tell us if you have entered WIEP before. The WIEP Team will then look up your Exhibitor # and add it to your account details for you. Alternatively just contact us directly and request it and we will email it to you (or mail it if you do not have email...but since you're reading this you probably do!:-)) New exhibitors are issued an exhibitor ID when they gain their first acceptance; it is allocated when we archive the results for that year.
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Question 8: What exactly are the 'Do Not Return' (DNR) options about?
Answer: Saving you money, and saving us unnecessary work.

DNR is becoming more common now that PSA has started using it for their own exhibition and basically it means what it says; you can choose for us to NOT return your prints. If you do opt for DNR then after the judging and exhibition are complete your prints are not returned (saving you the cost of return processing and postage fees). Instead we guarantee that they will be destroyed so that you can be certain extra copies of your work are not in circulation without your knowledge.

See our handy fee calculator to see how this might work for you.
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Question 9: What support for photographic honors is provided and where do I find it?
Answer: Whilst we obviously recognize the rich variety of honors from around the world from the leading organizations such as PSA, RPS FIAP as well as many others. We deliberately limit direct support for photographic honors on our Website to keep things more controlled and verifiable. As a PSA exhibition we accept input on PSA Honors (but not distinctions which can change frequently) and we also track our internal WIEP Distinctions.

In the past we tried to do more but it was complicated; it was not clear which organizations we should support and it was often somewhat abused. And in any case the only places we can actively use the information there is not space for a long litany of unverified letters. So we have elected to keep things simple. We hope you understand that this is necessary for us to stay sane and to avoid storing information that would never actually get used.

Honors are listed on your members profile – you specify your PSA Honors and we provide your WIEP Distinction by looking it up in the WIEP archive.
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Question 10: I see my packing slip but don't have a printer available – what do I do?
Answer: Firstly, go ahead and click on the 'Next → Finish' button; this will let us know that your entry is complete. You will be taken to a summary of your entry where your scores will be posted after judging.

Later, when you do have access to a printer, use the '← Back to Packing Slip' button to return to your packing slip so you can print it out and encose it in the package with your prints. As a last resort, if you really cannot get access to a printer, then enclose a slip of paper that clearly shows your name, email address and confirmation number. That confirmation number is essential to allow us to identify your entry form...without that your entry will not be processed and your prints will not be judged or returned.
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Question 11: What are the requirements for image titles?
Answer: As a PSA recogtnized exhibition we adhere to the PSA Exhibition Standards in this regard, this is also covered in our General Conditions of Entry. Basically unique titles are required – as such we flag as invalid several generic non-titles that have caused difficulties for the exhibition in the past (e.g. titles like 'None' or 'Unknown' or 'No title'). We also prevent duplicate titles within a section for the same reason.
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Question 12: How do I become a WIEP Patron?
Answer: You make a small donation to help us cover our costs. This initially started many years ago for DPS members only and was targeted at producing the printed exhibition catalog. As costs have grown we now gratefully accept donations for both the catalog and staging the public exhibition. You can read more about WIEP Patronage here.
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