Curriculum Vitae
 

His photographs have been exhibited in international salons across 82 countries and have won over 1,500 awards. The Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique (International Federation of Photographic Art– FIAP) awarded photographer Elek Papp the title of Master of FIAP (MFIAP) in Paris in 2011 for his series Faces of Artists, following his previous distinction of Excellence Gold FIAP. In the years that followed, he continued to receive top honors: in 2015, Excellence Platinum FIAP; in 2016, Excellence FIAP Diamond 1; in 2017, Excellence FIAP Diamond 2; and in 2018, Excellence FIAP Diamond 3, the highest recognition awarded by FIAP.
Elek Papp is a member of the Photographic Society of America (PSA). Based on the results of international competitions held in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, he ranked first in the world six times on the PSA World Rankings in the categories of Large Monochrome and Small Monochrome paper prints. In addition, the PSA’s annual journal, Who’s Who in Photography, lists him eighteen times in the prestigious Top 10 across three other categories. In 2014, his photograph After Storm received the Image of the Year award from PSA in the Large Monochrome print category. In 2017, he repeated this success with On the Way in the Large Color print category and Walking On The Water in the Small Monochrome print category. This award is considered a kind of “Primus inter pares” recognition, as the jury re-evaluates all award-winning images from the previous year's international competitions and selects the single best among them.
In Hungary, Elek Papp has received over one hundred awards. In 2025, he was honored with the Balogh Rudolf Award, and in 2019, he received the Hungarian Gold Cross of Merit. He received the Hungart Creative Grant in 2009, and in 2007, he won the Central Hungary Regional Prima Award. The World Federation of Hungarian Photographers named him Photographer of the Year three times (in 2009, 2011, and 2013), which earned him the prestigious title of “Lifetime Photographer.”
The National Association of Hungarian Photographic Groups (MAFOSZ) awarded him the title Photographer of the Year five times (in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, and 2015), granting him the distinction of “MAFOSZ Lifetime Photographer.”
By profession, he is an engineer, teacher, master optician, and certified optometrist. His work and photographs have been featured in numerous international professional journals, including articles in The Final Print (Photographic Society of America), El Mercurio de Valparaiso (Chile), The Explorer Magazine, Fotó Art Magazin, Fotó Extra Black & White, PSA Journal - Who is Who in Photography (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).
After his book on Nagykőrös, his book on Cegléd was published in 2024.