Third Annual International-Juried Competition Offers $25,000 Grand Prize;
Winning Books Will Join Permanent Collections At Leading Photography Centers.

Photography Book Now 2010 is now open for entries. Now in its third year, this international-juried competition, presented by Blurb, celebrates the very best in self-published photography books and the photographers behind them. The competition features a grand prize of $25,000. Entries will be accepted in three categories – Fine Art, Editorial, and Photography Portfolio. The finalists’ books in each category will become part of the permanent collections at the International Center for Photography, the Annenberg Space for Photography and the George Eastman House.

Noted photography book expert Darius Himes will serve as lead judge for the third year. In this role, Himes will lead a panel of distinguished photographers, publishers, editors and gallery curators who will jury the Photography Book Now competition. The 2010 competition jurors include:

Monica Allende, Photo Editor, London Sunday Times
David Fahey, Gallery Director, Fahey Klein
Michael Mack, Publisher, Steidl/Mack
Lesley Martin, Publisher, Aperture
Susan Meiselas, Photographer
Erin O’Toole, Assistant Curator of Photography, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Martin Parr, Photographer
Judith Puckett-Rinella, Senior Photography Editor, T: The New York Times Style Magazine
Brian Smith, Photographer

“Photography Book Now offers photographers from all backgrounds and from around the world an incredible opportunity to showcase their best work in book form,” said Darius Himes, lead judge of Photography Book Now. “We are thrilled to have assembled such a prestigious group of photography professionals as jurors for this year’s competition. Submissions from the competition’s first two years have set the bar high, and our jurors are looking forward to seeing even more inspiring work this year.”

“Creating a beautifully produced photography book while retaining complete control of the creative process is what every artist craves,” said Eileen Gittins, founder and CEO, Blurb. “We also have heard from past winners of Photography Book Now that having their work recognized by the jurors and featured at international photography events around the world has opened new doors for them professionally as well. We are deeply committed to celebrating the medium of photography books and are proud to present Photography Book Now for its third year.”