Photography Book Now is an international juried self-published book competition, and a celebration of the most creative, most innovative, and finest photography books – and the people behind them.

Awards

How it works: Renowned experts review the entries and after a lot of coffee and discussion, they choose the grand prize winner, the top winners in each category, and first- and second-runners up in each category.

And, you – the people – get to chime in and vote on your favorites for the People’s Choice Award.

Grand Prize

$25,000

Category Winners

Ultimate Camera Package
Sony DSLR-A850 Camera
Sony SAL-28-75 mm f/2.8 Zoom Lenses
X-Rite ColorChecker and Passport ColorMunki Photo
Induro Carbon Fiber Tripods and Induro BallHeads
Blurb Gift Card

First Runners-Up

Photographic Experience Package
Admission to Center's Review LA
Roundtrip airline ticket for use in the Continental U.S.
Wacom Intuos4 Professional Pen Tablet
B&H Photo Gift Card
Subscription to Digital Photo Pro Magazine
Lensbaby Gift Card
Blurb Gift Card

Second Runners-Up

Photographic Workshop Adventure
Tenba Shootout Rolling Backpack
All-inclusive week at Maine Media Workshop
Blurb Gift Card

Categories

The 2010 Photography Book Now competition has three categories in which you can enter — Fine Art, Editorial, and Portfolio. Enter as many books as you like. Submission fee applies to each entry.

Are you redefining the photographic book?
Whether you've already made your book or want to start, Photography Book Now is for working photographers, students of the discipline, and curious enthusiasts. Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. PDT on Thursday, July 15, 2010.
Enter Now

Fine Art

The field of contemporary art is the arena to which many photographers aspire, and the photography book is a central means of expression within that field. Entries in this category celebrate the photography book as an experience that is more than just the sum of its parts, regardless of whether your working methods are conceptual or stylistic, whether your aesthetic is deadpan or modernist, whether your artistic practice is rooted in the home or in the world of performance.

Editorial

Photography has a rich history of telling compelling narratives, especially in book form. If your work is rooted in the documentary tradition or is based on a long-term project, this is the category for your book.

Portfolio

The portfolio book reveals the depth and breadth of your photographic vision, and does so with style and eye-catching brilliance. Whether it was work produced for a commercial project or images that spring from your creative core, the portfolio translated into book form allows you to showcase the best of what makes you a creative photographer.

Jurors

Photography Book Now has gathered industry experts from all over the world to judge the book competition. Curators, photo editors, publishers, and world-renowned photographers review the entries.

Rules

You know the drill…competitions come with rules drafted by lawyers. So forgive us that the following is a bit wordy and written in legalese, but it’s that way so that the rules are laid out and fairly shared with everyone. If you have questions, check out the FAQs where you’ll find lots of answers waiting for you.

RULES FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK NOW
INTERNATIONAL JURIED COMPETITION

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Professional Promotion Only. The Photography Book Now International Juried Competition (“Contest”) is open to English-speaking adults, who are the age of 18 years or older (or of the age of majority in jurisdictions where the age of majority is over 18 years and where such Contests are legal), are self-identified photographers who currently receive or have received payment for their photographs, and who are resident in a non-U.S.-embargoed country where such Contests are legal given the Rules as published (“Contestants”). This promotion is not available in countries, states, or provinces where rules translation, registration, or bonding are required.
The Contest is sponsored by Blurb, Inc. (“Blurb”) 580 California Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94104 ("Sponsor"). Sponsor’s employees and their immediate families, as well as affiliates and Sponsor’s associates who have participated in the administration of this promotion are not eligible to participate. The Contest is subject to these Official Rules. This Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law, and is subject to applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Contest submissions (“Submissions”) must be photography books that are self-published either through the Blurb website or through another self-publishing facilitation service. Submissions may not be published by any third party publisher. The Submissions must be original works of authorship, entered by the author who holds all rights to the Submission. Submissions made by multiple authors are presumed to be authorized by all listed authors, and Sponsor will communicate only using the single email address identified in the Submission form. In the event a prize results, the prize will be awarded in the first name listed in the Submission. The Contest Submission Period begins on March 25, 2010 at 11:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), and ends on July 15, 2010 at 11:59 PM PDT (the “Contest Submission Period”). ALL ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED DURING THE CONTEST SUBMISSION PERIOD. By participating, contestants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges and/or Sponsor, which are binding and final on matters relating to this Contest.

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO ENTER

Online Entry:
Submissions can be made online at www.photographybooknow.com by following the Contest link, completing the web entry form in its entirety and paying a Contest submission administration fee of your choice of $35 in US Dollars (“Submission Fee”), €27.50 Euros, £20 in Great Britain Pounds (GBP), $45 in Australian Dollars (AUD), $35 in Canadian Dollars (CAD). Credit card payments only (Sponsor accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover). Contestants who choose to enter online must create their books using Blurb’s creative publishing platform. Online Submissions must be entered by 11:59 PM PDT on July 15, 2010 according to Sponsor’s time. No emailed Submissions will be accepted.
By entering a Submission through the web entry form at www.photographybooknow.com, Contestant agrees that the Submission entered may be showcased in Blurb’s online bookstore, making previews available to the public and making the book available for purchase, as subject to Sponsor’s Terms of Use, to which Contestant agrees. Posting of any Submission(s) will neither increase nor decrease a Contestant’s score, and any display does not mean that a Contestant has been selected as a winner.

Hard Copy Entry:
If you do not wish to use the online method, which requires you to create a book using the Blurb creative publishing platform, you may enter a book via the post in the following manner: Download the entry form available here. Send the completed entry form and payment information as required on the form, as well as three (3) physical copies of each book entered, to: “Photography Book Now International Juried Competition,” 580 California Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94104. Hard-copy Submissions must be self-published books printed using a commercial quality printing and binding mechanism. Hard-copy Submission entry forms are available for download at www.photographybooknow.com. Hard-copy Submissions must be postmarked by July 15, 2010 and received no later than July 23, 2010. No hand-delivered Submissions will be accepted. Hard copy Submissions are not eligible for People’s Choice Awards.

There is no limit to the number of Submissions that any Contestant can make in any category; however, each Submission (online or hard-copy) must be made using a separate entry form and include a separate Submission Fee. Once entered, all Submissions are final; no changes or edits may be made. If a Submission is purposely or unintentionally deleted once uploaded, that Submission will not be eligible for judging and no refund will be issued, regardless of the reason. One Submission may not be substituted for one that has already been entered. No refunds for any reason.

No incomplete Submission, including Submissions without the required Submission Fee, will be processed. Contestant may not be notified that its Submission is incomplete. Sponsor retains the right to refuse any Submission for any reason.