Proposed Changes to Degree Program - Highlights
Changes at a glance:
- Merits are now Points to distinguish them from PPA Merits
- Half-merits have been replaced by a whole point value
- A 100 Point System is in place to earn any degree. See point charts for specifics.
- New Degree Added: Educational Fellow Degree (similar to PPA's Photographic Craftsman)
- The A/B merit system has been replaced with a scaled whole-point system
- Points (Merits) have been updated to reflect current trends, industry standards, and best practices. Some line items that previously earned merits were removed due to irrelevance.
- The TN "Certified" Degree is being renamed to TN Photographic Master to better align with the PPA Master of Photography and reduce confusion with PPA's Certified Professional Photographer designation.
- For members who are tracking on the existing system, the Education Committee will assist in translating existing merits to the new point system.
Rollout/Implementation (TCD/TNM):
Those who currently hold a TCD (Tennessee Certified Degree) may choose to update their degree title to TN Photographic Master or continue using the original TN Certified designation. Both titles are considered equivalent.
New degree medallions featuring the updated title will be available for purchase before the 2026 Fall Convention at an estimated cost of $35. Purchasing the new medallion is optional. All degree recipients from 2026 forward will automatically receive the Photographic Master version.
Retroactive Points/Educational Fellow Degree:
In recognition of the time and effort many members have already dedicated to teaching, mentoring, and education, points will be retroactively awarded for eligible activities completed within the past three years (starting in 2022). Qualified members will be eligible to earn their degrees at the Fall Convention in 2026.
Record Keeping & Point Usage
Members who have accrued enough points become eligible to receive a degree. Points must align with the requirements listed on the Degree Points Chart and may be applied toward a specific degree accordingly.
Members may use points from other categories, such as Service Points, to help meet the total required, but these cross-category points are limited to 40% of the overall total.
Once points have been applied toward earning a degree, they are considered spent and cannot be reused for another degree.
Degree Points Charts
TN Photographic Master (Formerly: TN Certified)
Focus: Recognizes skill, growth, and achievement through image competition.
| Qualifying Action/Award | Points |
| Achieve PPA Master of Photography Degree | 10 |
| Achieve ASP Fellowship Degree | 15 |
| Achieve CPP from PPA | 8 |
| Recertified CPP from PPA | 2 |
| Hall of Fame Award | 10 |
| Photographer of the Year | 6 |
| Best in Show Overall | 5 |
| Highest Scoring Image/Presidential Award | 4 |
| Highest Illustrative Image (aka Joe Bass Memorial Award) | 3 |
| Most improved award (aka D.E. Dickerson Award) | 3 |
| First-timer award (aka Stan Baker First Timer Award) | 3 |
| Tennessee Top Ten | 3 |
| Keystone Awards | 3 |
| Judges Choice Awards | 3 |
| People's Choice Awards | 3 |
| ASP Award | 3 |
| CPP Award | 3 |
| Best in Show Category Winner | 4 |
| First Place Category Winner | 3 |
| Distinguished Category Winner | 2 |
| Image Scoring 80 or Above | 2 |
| Image Scoring 76-79 | 1 |
| Entering Image Competition (1 point per year entered / not per entry) | 1 |
*D.E. Dickerson Award (Most improved) may only be earned once.
TN Service Degree (TSD)
Focus: Honoring dedicated service, leadership, and support within TNPPA.
| Qualifying Action/Award | Points |
| National Award | 10 |
| President's Award | 2 |
| Serving as Chairman of the Board | 5 |
| Serving as TNPPA President | 7 |
| Serving as Vice President | 5 |
| Serving as Secretary | 4 |
| Serving as Treasurer | 6 |
| Serving as a Board Member | 3 |
| Chairing the Fundraising Committee | 6 |
| Chairing the Marketing Committee | 5 |
| Chairing the Events Committee | 5 |
| Chairing any other Committee | 4 |
| Serving on a Committee | 3 |
| Serving as ASP State Representative | 4 |
| Serving as PPA Council Member | 4 |
| Serving as TN Swing/Affiliate Program Coordinator | 4 |
| Serving as a local affiliate president | 5 |
| Serving as a local affiliate officer | 3 |
| Emceeing the Awards Banquet | 2 |
| Running the Slideshow at the Awards Banquet | 2 |
| Working at the TNPPA IUSA Booth when in Nashville | 2 |
| Hosting a Judge/Speaker, including TNPPA Swing Speakers (having them stay overnight at your home/air B-n-B) | 3 |
| Chauffeuring a judge/speaker includes TNPPA Swing Speakers (to/from airport; to event, etc.) | 3 |
| Break down an event such as Spring Workshop or Fall Convention | 3 |
| Set up for Events such as Spring Workshop/Fall Convention | 3 |
| Attending Spring Workshop | 2 |
| Attending Fall Convention | 2 |
| Providing a hospitality food donation | 1 |
| Weekend Catering | 5 |
*Committee Chairs may award a maximum of 5 points per year to a member for items not on this list.
TN Artisan (TAD)
Focus: Celebrating creativity and excellence in digital and illustrative artistry.
Points may only be awarded if the awarded image is entered into an Artist Category as designated on the image competition entry.
| Qualifying Activity/Award | Points |
| Achieve Master Artist Degree from PPA | 10 |
| Achieve ASP Fellowship Degree | 15 |
| Hall of Fame Award* | 10 |
| Photographer of the Year** | 6 |
| Best in Show Overall | 5 |
| Highest Scoring Image/Presidential Award | 4 |
| Tennessee Top Ten** | 3 |
| Keystone Awards | 3 |
| Judges Choice Awards | 3 |
| People's Choice Awards | 3 |
| ASP Award | 3 |
| CPP Award | 3 |
| Best in Show Category Winner | 4 |
| First Place Category Winner | 3 |
| Distinguished Category Winner | 2 |
| Image Scoring 80 or Above | 2 |
| Image Scoring 76-79 | 1 |
| Entering Image Competition (1 point per year entered/not per entry) | 1 |
*The majority of the body of work must include Artist category images.
**A minimum of 3/4 of the case must include images entered into an artist category.
TN Educational Fellow Degree (TED)
Focus: Recognizing contributions to education, mentoring, and teaching within the photography community.
Documentation must be provided for all qualifying activities not designated as TNPPA events.
| Qualifying Action/Award | Points |
| Teaching at a PPA Affiliate School | 32 |
| Teaching a Community College Photography Certificate Program (6 sessions; 2 1/2 hours each) | 18 |
| TNPPA Pre-Con or Post-Con Speaker | 8 |
| Teaching a 6.5+ hour workshop/CE Workshop for TNPPA | 8 |
| Teaching a 6.5+ hour Super 1 Day PPA Workshop | 8 |
| Teaching a 6.5+ hour workshop/CE Workshop for a local affiliate | 8 |
| TNPPA Spring Workshop / Fall Convention Speaker (3+ Hours) | 6 |
| Out-of-State Platform Speaker | 6 |
| Giving a 90-minute to 3-hour presentation for TNPPA | 3 |
| Giving a 90-minute to 3-hour presentation for a local affiliate | 3 |
| Host a 1-hour round table / Zoom discussion on an educational topic for TNPPA | 2 |
| Host a 1-hour round table / Zoom discussion on an educational topic for a local affiliate | 1 |
| Serve on a Panel Discussion (30 minutes or less) | 1 |
| Serving 3 hours as a TNPPA mentor | 4 |
| Achieve ASP Educational Associate degree | 15 |
| Achieve CPP from PPA | 8 |
| Recertified CPP from PPA | 2 |
| Achieve Photographic Craftsman Degree from PPA | 10 |
| Get your PPA Juror Certification | 15 |
| Have your PPA Juror in Training Certification | 10 |
| Serve as an image competition judge for TNPPA or a TN local PPA Affiliate (4+ Hours) | 6 |
| Serve as an image competition judge for TNPPA or a TN Local PPA Affiliate (Up to 3 Hours) | 4 |
| Serve as an image competition judge for a state/local PPA outside of TN affiliate (4+ Hours) | 6 |
| Serve as an image competition judge for a state/local PPA affiliate outside of TN (Up to 3 Hours) | 4 |
| Hosts a Photography Podcast (with at least one episode per month) | 12 |
| Guest on a Photography Podcast | 3 |
| Write and publish a photography book | 8 |
| Publishing an article in a national or regional photography publication | 4 |
| Write a photography article in a local publication | 2 |