The White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA) is dedicated to promoting, protecting and advancing the interests and intellectual property rights of its members which still consists of still and video photographers assigned to cover the White House and other news events in Washington and beyond.
We strongly believe in the public’s natural and legal right to freedom in searching for the truth and the right to be accurately and completely informed about the world in which we live.
We believe that there is a direct linkage between the survival of a democratic society and an accurate and free press. Members of the WHNPA maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct in serving the public interest, which includes truth, accuracy and fairness. Our images strive to be objective and independent.
The White House News Photographers Association holds quarterly membership meetings to benefit our members. Topics include grant winners showing their work, new product demonstrations by our sponsors and panel discussions to educate the wider community. We offer ongoing educational programs on copyright and intellectual property, and workshops to teach new ways of presenting work through multimedia. With our student contest and programming we aim to stimulate and encourage interest in photography, either as a future career or as a hobby.
This annual $5,000 grant has been established for a member to work on an in-depth project of his or her own choosing that might not be possible without financial assistance.
This semiannual grant of $250 allows a member to defray the cost of attending a continuing education seminar or to help cover expenses associated with presenting a seminar.
Our members continually generate remarkable world-changing images while on assignment and the annual WHNPA ‘Eyes of History®’ contests, held since 1941, celebrate our members’ creativity and competitive spirit in the still, video and multimedia disciplines.
The White House News Photographers Association is led by an Executive Board and guided by its members. The Board is comprised of four officers and six representatives from the still and video communities within the WHNPA. The WHNPA also employs an Executive Director.
Officers
President – Jessica Koscielniak, The Washington Post
Vice President – Andrew Harnik, The Associated Press
Treasurer – Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Secretary – Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images
Ex officio
Whitney Shefte, The Washington Post
Executive Director
Heidi Elswick
Still Representatives
Jonathan Ernst
Carol Guzy, Independent
Indira Williams Babic, National Geographic
Video Representatives
Victoria Fleischer, CNN
Dan Huff, The Associated Press
David Postovit, Hearst
The White House News Photographers Association has several committees with responsibilities ranging from grant distribution, contest organization, soliciting sponsorships and more. These committees are lead by WHNPA members and are composed of volunteers.
Still Photography Contest Committee
Chair – Al Drago, Independent
Video Contest Committee
Co-Chair – Pege Gilgannon
Co-Chair – Doug Wilkes, WTTG-TV
Digital Storytelling Contest Committee
Chair – Pierre Kattar, Independent
Student Contest Committee
Co-Chair, Stills – Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images
Co-Chair, Video – Bethany Swain, University of Maryland
Education Committee
Chair – Allison Shelley, Independent
Dinner Committee
Co-Chair – Tasos Katopodis, Independent
Co-Chair – Jessica Koscielniak, The Washington Post
Sponsorship Committee
Chair – To be announced
Events Committee
Chair – To be announced
The WHNPA is proudly sponsored in part by Nikon and Tiffen.
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