Blurb has announced the second annual Photography.Book.Now International Juried Competition awarding $25,000 to the photographer with the best self-published book. The competition will be juried by Darius Himes, a Hey, Hot Shot! panelist, writer, editor, and the founder of Radius Books, a non-profit company dedicated to the visual arts. (Take a look of some of his required reading!).

In 2008, Jen Bekman artist, Beth Dow (whose work will be exhibited by the gallery's booth at the PULSE New York Art Fair this week) took the grand prize for her project, In the Garden, a collection of platinum palladium prints exploring cultivated landscapes.

Applicants can apply to Fine Art, Editorial, and Commercial categories through July 16th, 2009 and in addition to the grand prize winner, a first-prize winner in each category will have the opportunity for a private portfolio review with the panel.

More information about the application and award are available at Photography.Book.Now.