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Wegner also competed against other professional photographers from around the state and metro area in a seven-panel judging event. She submitted three portraits and one wedding album and all came home with high scores and ribbons. The wedding album missed a chance of naming her as wedding album photographer of the year by two points out of 100.

Sheri Wegner of Sheri's Studio Inc. in Paynesville received high scores and ribbons for three portraits and a wedding album at the Minnesota Professionals Photographers of America's convention in May.

"I always come home jazzed to try all the new techniques and marketing ideas presented over the week," said Wegner.

A portrait by Wegner has recently been accepted into the loan collection of the 114th International Exhibition of Professional Photography. Her portrait will be on display at the Austin Convention Center from January 22-24, 2006, in Austin, Tex.

This exhibition is held in conjunction with Imaging USA, Professional Photographers of America's annual convention.

Approximately 5,000 entries were submitted to PPA's International Print Competition, from which a panel of more than 40 eminent photographers from across the United States selected the images that would comprise the 2005 general and loan collections. Wegner's entry, "ReadyŠ Let's Go," will be shown in Austin alongside approximately 4,000 other photographic works from not only PPA's print competition, but also traveling and special invitational displays. Altogether these images will constitute the world's largest annual exhibit of professional photography gathered simultaneously under one roof.

In recognition of the achievement, PPA members receive one merit certificate for each entry into the general collection and two merits for each entry into the loan collection. These merits can be applied toward degrees granted by the association.

The Professional Photographers of America, an international association, exists to assist its more than 14,000 members in achieving their professional, artistic, and fraternal goals; to promote public awareness of the profession; and to advance the making of images in all of its disciplines as an art, a science, and a visual recorder of history.