SEMINAR + REVIEW

The 15th annual WPOW Seminar + Portfolio Review, sponsored by Canon, will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the beautiful Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University.

This year’s event promises to be an incredible day of lectures from renowned photojournalists, hands-on workshops, one-on-one portfolio reviews, professional camera cleanings, and plenty of networking opportunities.

Purchase tickets here before Sept 23!

Inspiring Keynote

Maddie McGarvey is a documentary photographer and visual journalist based in Columbus, Ohio. Her work focuses on long-term, intimate storytelling that explores the intersection of family, poverty, health, and policy in the United States. Her projects have examined issues including generational poverty in Appalachia, hunger and food insecurity, maternal health within the prison system, and the impact of environmental and industrial disasters on communities.

Career-propelling Workshops

We’ve heard your feedback and added more workshops to the line up this year. These dynamic workshops are designed to enhance your photography skills, support your well-being, and boost your creative confidence.

And of course, the portfolio reviews!

We’re securing talented editors and photographers from companies and publications such as The New York Times, The Baltimore Banner, US News, Education Week, AARP, and more.

Camera cleanings and demos

Participants can bring their gear for free cleanings and checks by technicians from Canon, Sony, and Nikon. Plus they’ll have all kinds of equipment to look at and all the gear talk you can handle!

Closing reception and special 20th anniversary celebration

After a day of learning and getting inspired, its time to relax with your WPOW community. This year, we’re kicking it up a notch to celebrate 20 years of WPOW!

Chat with reviewers and other participants, plus, during the reception, we’ll draw the winner of the grand prize for the WPOW fundraiser, a NEW CANON CAMERA!

Support WPOW and win!

Each year at the Seminar+Portfolio Review we hold a special fundraiser to help support all of the amazing programs and activities of WPOW.

Plus, your donation enters you to win from a long list of prizes, including a brand new Canon EOS R5 Mark II Body + RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM + RF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM + Battery Grip!

You can also enter to win reviews by top editors, gear, computer software, memberships, services, photo books, and of course our beloved WPOW-branded swag!

Donate and win here!

WPOW is a 501c3 and all donations will directly support our programming and operational expenses.

About the Seminar+Portfolio Review

The Seminar + Portfolio Review is WPOW’s largest annual event. We are very proud of its evolution since the first review in 2011. This growth is thanks to the many WPOW volunteers and reviewers who have given their time to help and inspire both new and seasoned visual journalists. The event is an opportunity to learn from our esteemed speakers and to share your still, video, and multimedia work one-on-one with industry leaders in Washington, D.C.- a base for many of the world's top visual journalists, editors, and publications. Editors from National Geographic, NPR, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, and more will be on hand to conduct the portfolio reviews. In addition, Canon, Nikon and Sony offer complimentary equipment clean and check services.

What People Say About The Event

Amazing speakers! - great combination of women photo/videojournalists from different points in their career and different subject focuses. Both so inspiring in their own way, and gave great advice. I was also absolutely satisfied with my reviewers. They all had such unique perspectives, and were able to give incredibly helpful guidance on both short-term goals (improving photography, portfolio etc.) and long-term aspirations (career advice etc.).

— Katherine Cheng, 2019 Participant and videojournalist at Global News

“I thought it was very well done. Very organized, kept on schedule, the room was organized well, great speakers and reviewers, etc. Great job All!!

— Aubrey Gemignani, Photo Archivist/Photographer, Mori Associates, 2019 Participant

“The seminar and portfolio review were excellent. Both speakers were just perfect. it's as if they were talking to me personally: they hit so many issues I'd been struggling with. My reviews were very helpful. She was wonderful and has a way to put someone at ease; be critical and encouraging at the same time. The atmosphere at the seminar was great: friendly and supportive. Thank you for a great event.”