FAQs of the Photography.Book.Now Competition
Questions
- What type of books can I enter?
- How do I enter?
- Who can enter?
- How much does it cost to enter?
- How do I pay for my entry?
- Where do I send the books I want to enter?
- I haven't self-published a photography book yet. How do I do it?
- What are the judging criteria? How will you select the winners?
- Who are the jurors?
- What are the prizes?
- Can I submit books featuring my art or writing?
- Will the books that I enter be returned to me?
- Can I just email you digital files of my book?
- Can you explain the categories a bit more?
- I submitted my book. Why isn't it showing up in the PBN Bookstore?
- Can I enter multiple books and categories?
- Where will my book(s) be shown? How will my book(s) be used?
- Why should I enter this competition?
- Where will the winning books be showcased?
- What is the awards ceremony? Where will it be?
- Will there be any parties?
- How do I contact the people responsible for the Photography.Book.Now International Juried Competition?
- How much does it cost to attend the social events?
- Are there student discounts?
- Are there different categories for professionals and amateurs?
- What rights does Blurb have to my books?
- Why is Photography.Book.Now open to English-speaking entrants only?
- I am using Adobe InDesign to layout my book. How do I send it to you?
- Do you publish a color profile that I can use to calibrate?
- What is your contact information?
- Can I call you on the telephone?
- Can I drop off my entry at your office?
- I need help making my book. How do I contact you?
What type of books can I enter?
Enter as many of your own self-published photography books as you like. However, this competition is not for books published by commercial publishers, or hand-made books.
How do I enter?
If you have already made your photography book through Blurb, simply follow the Blurb-specific directions on our Entry page. This can be done completely online, no need to send us a physical copy of your book.
If you have self-published your photography book outside of Blurb, you’ll need to send us three physical copies of each book you enter for judging purposes. Here is the PDF entry form.
If you need to make a photography book in order to enter, we recommend starting at Blurb.
The competition closes at 12:00 pm PDT on Thursday, July 16, 2009.
Who can enter?
Anyone who abides by the Photography.Book.Now Rules can enter their own self-published photography books.
How much does it cost to enter?
To avoid fluctuations in the exchange rate, we have set the following entry fees depending on your currency preference. The entry fee is $35 in US Dollars, €30 in Euros or £25 in Great Britain Pounds (GBP).
How do I pay for my entry?
You can pay for your entry (or entries) using Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover. We can't accept cash, checks, money orders, or PayPal payments.
Where do I send the books I want to enter?
If you have already made your photography book through Blurb, simply follow the Blurb-specific directions on our Entry page. This can be done completely online, no need to send us physical copies of your books.
If you’ve already self-published a photography book outside of Blurb, simply download the PDF available on the Entry page and follow the instructions on where to send your entry form, fee, and books. But remember, this competition is not for books published by commercial publishers, or books made by hand.
I haven't self-published a photography book yet. How do I do it?
If you need to make a photography book in order to enter, we recommend starting at Blurb. Blurb provides everything to create, share, market, and sell professional-quality books.
What are the judging criteria? How will you select the winners?
A panel of judges will be tasked with evaluating the best of the best. Books will be judged in their entirety: the whole, which is more than just a sum of the parts. Additionally, judges will look to excellence in these six categories:
- Cover Design
- Strength of the photography
- Subject matter of the book
- Page layouts
- Editing and sequencing
- Emotional impact of the overall book
Judging will begin after the July 16, 2009 submissions deadline. Winners will be announced mid-September 2009.
Who are the jurors?
Our head judge is Darius Himes. The complete list of judges will soon be announced, and will be available on our website.
What are the prizes?
The Grand Prize is $25,000 to finish – or start – any project you want. There will be three Category Winners, three 1st Runners Up, three 2nd Runners Up and 25 books per category will receive Honorable Mention awards.
Can I submit books featuring my art or writing?
Sorry, but no. Photography.Book.Now is a photography book competition. Your photographs may be accompanied by text, but the book content must principally be photography.
Will the books that I enter be returned to me?
Due to the reach and complexity of the Photography.Book.Now competition, we will not be able to return any book entries.
Can I just email you digital files of my book?
Sorry, but no. We can only accept printed books.
That said, if you published your book(s) using Blurb, you can enter the competition completely online without having to print and ship us anything. Should your book(s) make it into the final stages of the competition, we’ll print your books for the jurors to review in hand.
I submitted my book. Why isn't it showing up in the PBN BookStore?
Don’t worry – if you submitted a book to Photography.Book.Now, it’s been tagged and when we activate the PBN BookStore, your book will show up among the rest of the competition entries.
Can you explain the categories a bit more?
Fine Art:
The field of contemporary art is the arena to which many photographers now aspire. Whether your working methods are conceptual or stylistic, your aesthetic deadpan or modernist, or your artistic practice rooted in the world or performance, this is your chance to showcase your best photography in book form.
Editorial:
Photography can create compelling narratives, especially in book form. Whether it's a long-term project, a photo-documentary, or a series of editorial spreads, this category celebrates the photography book as an experience that is more than just the sum of its parts.
Commercial:
Superb commercial photography—which can include fashion, corporate, and advertising work—goes beyond just a great product shot. The commercial photographer understands the importance of distinctive visual aesthetics and arresting branding. From fashion to advertising photography, we invite you to showcase your most compelling commercial work in book form.
These categories celebrate the sheer diversity of the photographic medium and give you the creative freedom to produce the book of your choice.
Can I enter multiple books and categories?
You can enter as many books as you’d like in any of our three competition categories, but you must pay a separate entry fee for each entry. The fee is $35 in US Dollars, €30 in Euros or £25 in Great Britain Pounds (GBP) per entry depending on your currency preference.
Where will my book(s) be shown? How will my book(s) be used?
We want to show off your best work. Submissions will be featured in the Blurb Bookstore and winning books will go on exhibit at Photography.Book.Now events in San Francisco, New York, London, and Chicago. For more information, go to the Rules.
Why should I enter this competition?
Publishing a photography book used to be attainable only by the famous and the few. That was then. This is Photography.Book.Now.
Everything has changed. Now we all have the power to publish. The Internet and print-on-demand technology give you complete creative control to make the book you want to make.
The Photography.Book.Now International Juried Competition celebrates the modern book movement and inspires photographers of all stripes to get their work out there in books. Be a part of the movement. Get involved. Enter the competition. You could win $25,000 and a chance to be discovered on a global level.
Where will the winning books be showcased?
The Photography.Book.Now International Juried Competition includes a traveling showcase featuring the winners of the book competition. Think of it as an exhibit featuring photography books. Exhibited books will be on view at the New York awards celebration and meet-up, and at each of the international meet-ups in London, San Francisco, and Chicago. See the full calendar here.
What is the awards ceremony? Where will it be?
Grand Prize and top Category winners will be honored this fall at an evening awards celebration and meet-up in New York. Everyone who entered the competition is welcome to attend.
Will there be any parties?
Absolutely. And you're invited. Our awards celebration in New York this fall kicks things off, and there will also be meet-ups in London, San Francisco, and Chicago. These events are opportunities to mix it up with your peers, mentors, gallery owners, publishers, educators, press, and industry insiders. There will be complimentary food and drinks for all.
How do I contact the people responsible for the Photography.Book.Now International Juried Competition?
Blurb’s customer support people can help. Send them an email using this support forum and they’ll get back to you pronto.
How much does it cost to attend the social events?
Nothing. Thanks to the support of our very generous sponsors, all Photography.Book.Now social events, including the awards celebration and meet-ups, are free.
Are there student discounts?
There are no fees to attend any of the Photography.Book.Now events. Additionally, we have made every attempt to keep the entry fees low – so low that they don’t even come close to covering our costs – so, regrettably, there are no discounts available on the entry fees.
Are there different categories for professionals and amateurs?
There are no separate judging categories for professionals and amateurs. Photography.Book.Now features three categories, Fine Art, Editorial, and Commercial, and each is open to anyone who meets the submission criteria. We’re interested in your best photography books. Amateur or professional, we invite you to enter.
What rights does Blurb have to my books?
Although Blurb reserves the right to use the winning books for promotional marketing purposes, the content is still yours and you own the rights of your book. Blurb has no rights to "sell" your work nor in any way do we have any copyright or any other rights to your books. Please go to the rules for more information. Winning books will travel with the salon and be exhibited in San Francisco, New York, London, and Chicago. Your book(s) will also appear in the Photography.Book.Now section of the Blurb Bookstore if you made them through Blurb and entered them in this competition. If you have submitted physical books via another self-published approach, your books unfortunately will not appear in the online Blurb Bookstore.
Why is Photography.Book.Now open to English-speaking entrants only?
At this time, Blurb can handle Photography.Book.Now and customer support questions in English only. Although you must speak English to enter the contest, the content of your book can be in any language.
I am using Adobe InDesign to layout my book. How do I send it to you?
If you’re using Blurb to publish your book, here’s a blog post explaining how to import your custom files into Blurb BookSmart, our free bookmaking software. From there, you can upload and order your book, and enter it into the competition.
Do you publish a color profile that I can use to calibrate?
If you’re using Blurb to publish your book, you can find color profile information in Blurb’s FAQs, Blog, and in the Forums.
What is your contact information?
Please contact Blurb’s customer support people using this support form. They’ll be happy to help you with any contest- or Blurb-related questions. If you want to physically mail us your photography book entry, just follow the directions on our Entry page.
Can I call you on the telephone?
Unfortunately, no. We encourage you to review the FAQs listed here. If you still have a question, please contact Blurb’s customer support people by filling out a support form here. They’ll be able to help in a flash.
Can I drop off my entry at your office?
Sorry, but we won’t accept any entries dropped off in person. In order to enter the competition, you must follow the directions specified on our Entry page.
I need help making my book. How do I contact you?
If you are using Blurb to make your book and have a technical question, please review Blurb's FAQ section first. If your question is still not answered please email Blurb's awesome customer support people here.
Of course we can’t make your book for you, that part is completely up to you. (You can imagine why we can’t help entrants with their books, right?)
