SAN FRANCISCO, April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2011 Photography Book Now competition is open for entries. Now in its fourth year and featuring a $25,000 grand prize, this international-juried competition, presented by Blurb, celebrates the very best in self-published photography books and the photographers behind them. For the first time, the competition will also celebrate up-and-coming talent with a Student category. Entries will be accepted in three professional categories – Fine Art, Documentary and Travel.

Noted photography book expert Darius Himes returns to the competition for the fourth year as lead judge. 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 2011 competition jurors include:

• Markus Schaden, Publisher and Curator
• Larissa Leclair, Founder, Indie Photobook Library
• Gerry Badger, Photographer
• Jon Levy, Founder and Director, FOTO8
• Chris Boot, Executive Director, Aperture Foundation
• Matt Eich, Photographer, LUCEO
• Steven McCurry, Photographer, Magnum
• Whitney Lawson, Photo Editor, Travel + Leisure
• Claudia Hinterseer, Founder, NOOR
• Larry Fink, Photographer
• Henry Horenstein, Educator and Photographer
• Laura Brunow Miner, Founder, Pictory

"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 three years have set the bar high, and our jurors are looking forward to seeing even more inspiring work this year."

Submissions will be accepted through 3:00 pm PDT on July 14, 2011, at http://www.photographybooknow.com.

Leading photography and design organizations have joined Photography Book Now as sponsors. Hewlett Packard returns as the sponsor of the $25,000 grand prize. Adobe will be supplying $5,000 to each of the four category winners, and New Page Corp. is the exclusive People's Choice sponsor. Other category prizes will be provided by liveBooks, Lensbaby, Wacom, Nik Software and X-Rite. Additional sponsors include Mohawk Fine Papers, British Journal of Photography, Photo District News, Digital Photo Pro Magazine, CENTER, D-Photo, FOTO8, iStockphoto, Monster Children Magazine, and PHOTONEWS. To view a complete list of sponsors and prize packages, please visit www.photographybooknow.com/sponsors.

The finalists' books in each category will become part of the permanent collections at the International Center of Photography, the Indie Photobook Library and the George Eastman House.

"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 such distinguished jurors as well as featured at international photography events around the world has opened new doors for them professionally. We are deeply committed to celebrating the medium of photography books and are proud to present Photography Book Now for its fourth year."

For more information and to enter the competition, please visit http://www.photographybooknow.com.

About Photography Book Now

Photography Book Now is an international-juried book competition that celebrates the most creative and innovative self-published photography books, and the people behind them. Now in its fourth year, Photography Book Now offers international 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. All entries must be received by 3:00 pm PDT on July 14, 2011. 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 the Blurb Bookify™ online bookmaking tool, Blurb's free, award-winning Blurb BookSmart® app 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 2010, Blurb shipped just under 1.4 million books to more than 70 countries and territories.  In 2010, Blurb was ranked the fastest growing media company on the Inc. 500. Blurb is based in San Francisco with offices in London. For more info, visit blurb.com.

SOURCE Blurb(R)