PSA Honors

PSA Honors

The Photographic Society of America honors individuals who have achieved certain goals in photography. They are as follows:

APSA (Associate) - awarded for material contributions to the advancement of photography, whether resulting primarily from proficiency and achievement, or for service. Photographic achievement must be combined with elements of service.

FPSA (Fellow) - awarded for outstanding contributions to the advancement of photography, involving a high degree of proficiency and achievement, combined with such elements of service as the dissemination of acquired knowledge through lecturing, judging, instructing, and publishing of articles or papers. Personal achievement alone does not not qualify for this honor.

Hon.PSA (Honorary Membership) - the recipient of this honor need not be a member of PSA. It is awarded for outstanding service to photography, particularly through organizational or similar work.

Hon.FPSA (Honorary Fellow) - this is the highest designation awarded by the Society. The recipient need not be a PSA member, and the honor is awarded only for unique or outstanding contributions of major importance to photography.

(In addition, for proficiency in photography, distinction awards of EPSA and PPSA are given. Full details will be found on the Gallery page at the bottom of the page.)

Proposing a Candidate for an Honor

The procedures for proposing a candidate are quite specific - please follow them carefully!

1. The proposer obtains the application forms from PSA HQ.

2. Each proposal requires a proposer and two endorsers. All three individuals (a married couple is considered two people) must be PSA members in good standing. The proposer must know the candidate personally through close association over a period of time. The endorsers must also be familiar with the candidate's work, but need not have the intimate knowledge of the candidate as required by the proposer.

3. The proposer has the responsibility of obtaining the two endorsements and submitting the entire application (proposal) along with the required fee, to PSA Headquarters by December 1.

4. The proposal must be no more than nine pages: one page each for commentaries by the proposer and the two endorsers, each signed and dated, and a maximum of six pages of activities, following the numbered schedule on the official application form. If a translation page is necessary for proposer/endorser comments, it is not added into the final count. No attached addenda, cover pages, or other material other than specified above is permitted. If the proposal contains more than the maximum number of pages, it will be rejected in its entirety.

5. All information, including the commentaries, must be typed or computer-printed in not less than 10 point type, Times Roman or similar font. Condense long lists of honors and medals. Neatness does count.

6. Eligibility for Associate (APSA) honor requires a candidate to be an active PSA member for at least six consecutive years immediately preceding the deadline date (December 1).

7. For Fellowship (FPSA), the candidate must have been an active PSA member in good standing for at least ten years, and an APSA for at least four years, both prior to the December 1 deadline.

8. For Honorary Membership (Hon.PSA), or Honorary Fellowship (Hon.FPSA), the candidate need not be a member of the Society.

9. The proposer and the two endorsers must weigh carefully the responsibility they are assuming and their duty to the Society. An application should not be presented unless the three sponsors are fully convinced the candidate's qualifications fully meet the requirements listed above, and are unquestionably far above average