Judith Stenneken Awarded Photography Book Now $25,000 Grand Prize

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Judith Stenneken, a professional photographer from Berlin, Germany, was awarded the $25,000 Grand Prize in the third annual Photography Book Now competition for her photography book, "Last Call." Ms. Stenneken's work was chosen by an esteemed panel of judges who reviewed more than 2,300 books from 40 countries to select the most creative, most innovative and finest self-published photography books entered into the competition.

"Last Call" features pictures Ms. Stenneken captured at the historic Tempelhof Airport in Berlin between February and October 2008. The airport, which was an important lifeline for residents of West Berlin during the Cold War, shut its doors for the last time on October 31, 2008.

"I am honored that 'Last Call' was selected by the judges to receive this prestigious award," said Judith Stenneken. "Although the Tempelhof Airport was still operating in 2008, it felt as if the building was deserted, and the only people who were there acted like extras in a movie. It seemed as if time had lost its meaning. 'Last Call' is focused on the transitory condition of this place, where desertion had been taking place for a long time."

"Ms. Stenneken's work stood apart as this year's Grand Prize winner," said Darius Himes, lead judge, Photography Book Now. "Her photographs combine a rigorous, large-format camera aesthetic with a quieter sensibility. She edited and sequenced the work intelligently, creating an intimate view of a grand space within the pages of her book. She then brilliantly took a 'readymade' trim size offered by print-on-demand and made some crucial alterations to the pre-existing format: added endpapers that complimented the feel of the book, a gold-debossed detail on the cover of the book, and a hand-made fold-out midway through the sequence of the book all enhanced the experience of the book as an object. The end result is both elegant and compelling."

The third annual Photography Book Now competition is produced by Blurb®, the creative publishing platform that allows anyone to design, publish, market, and sell professional-quality books. The competition celebrates self-published photography books and the photographers behind them.  The top prize winners of the third annual Photography Book Now competition include:

The books created by the top prize winners will become part of the permanent collections at the International Center for Photography, the Annenberg Space for Photography and the George Eastman House.

The winning books, including 30 titles that received an Honorable Mention, will be acknowledged later today on the Photography Book Now website and in the Photography Book Now bookstore. Most of the books submitted into the competition are available for purchase in the bookstore.

Photography Book Now is hosting gatherings around the world for the photographic community to celebrate the winning books and mingle with the judges, sponsors, gallery owners, publishers and peers. Meet-ups will be held in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Brighton, London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Breda, Sydney and Toronto.  For more information on the meet-ups, and to RSVP, please visit http://photographybooknow.blurb.com/events.

"Hosting the Photography Book Now competition is one of the most rewarding and fun things we get to do each year.  More than any other single event, this competition speaks to the heart of Blurb: inviting artists from around the world to submit their finest work," said Eileen Gittins, founder and CEO, Blurb. "In particular, we were thrilled to see so many international submissions – nearly half came from countries outside of the United States.  Congratulations to Ms. Stenneken, who herself hails from Germany, and all the other winners and honorable mentions. Their books are an inspiration and we look forward to celebrating their fine achievements at our PBN meet-up parties all over the world."

About Photography Book Now

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. Now in its third year, Photography Book Now offers photographers of all stripes the opportunity to showcase their work to a world-renowned panel of judges, and take a shot at a $25,000 grand prize. For more information, visit www.photographybooknow.com.

About Blurb®

Blurb® is a creative publishing and marketing platform that unleashes the creative genius inside everyone. Blurb's platform makes it easy to design, publish, market and sell professional-quality books, using Blurb's free, award-winning Blurb BookSmart® software or by using Blurb's PDF to Book workflow. Blurb's bookstore and online marketing tools enable customers to market and sell their books, and keep 100% of their profit. Blurb's social and community features allow customers to create and share Blurb books among friends and colleagues with ease.

Blurb was founded by Eileen Gittins in 2005, and includes a team of design, Internet and media veterans who share a passion for helping people bring their stories to life. In 2009, Blurb shipped over 1.2 million books to more than 60 countries and generated over $45 million in revenue. Blurb is based in San Francisco with offices in London. For more info, visit http://www.blurb.com.

SOURCE Blurb