“Photography.Book.Now is a new photography book competition celebrating self-published photography books and the photographers behind them. Photographers are invited to submit their most creative, most innovative, and finest self-published photography books.”

Check it out. Grand prize of $25,000 is at stake.

Read all about ShootQ‘s $10,000 grant for your photo project. Click here to find out more.

I just received an entry form for the 19th Annual Gordon Parks International Photo Competition. The contest deadline is June 29, 2007. Winners will be announced at the Fourth Annual Gordon Parks Celebration of Culture and Diversity from October 3 through 6, 2007. If you have any questions please direct them here.

Mark and Tanya Bohr are pleased to announce the fifth annual scholarship for emerging photojournalists who demonstrate financial need to continue their careers. The award may be used to attend any of the photojournalism workshops at The Maine Photographic Workshops.

The $2,000 scholarship is offered in memory of Yarka, who was a passionate photojournalist. She was drawn to photograph people often ignored by society – the homeless, the aged and the ill. Finding great humanity in her subjects, she attempted to show this through her imagery.

The ideal applicant will not only be interested in photojournalism, but will have demonstrated social awareness in the spirit of Yarka’s work. While the award will be based upon need, the applicant must also provide a portfolio of recent work. Portfolios and proof of need for financial assistance should be submitted in digital format, as the awarding committee is not centrally located. For further information and application forms, see this site and this site.

Application deadline: 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 20, 2007. The award will be announced on Yarka’s birthday, April 25, 2007.

P.S. It is unclear whether The Maine Workshops is still in operation. I was under the impression that it had shut down. I'll post an update as soon as I can confirm its status.

ESPN's Darren Rovell's latest article talks about how the ABC network will now host the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest. The contest has steadily moved from the shadows to the nation's limelight, often featuring desi kids. Among Rovell's top eight picks to win it all this year are three desis.

For an interesting perspective on all of this read Amar Shah's take on the contest called Keepers Of The Hive. To access it you will need a ESPN Insider account – sorry.

Want to know more about this cultural jamboree? Watch the movies Spellbound, Bee Season or Akeelah and the Bee. Or, read American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds.

Tempted to give this a shot yourself? If you are an armchair word warrior, you may want to receive Anu Garg's excellent A Word A Day to start brushing up. ESPN's SportsNation has a fun [but good God, tough] spelling test. Take it and post your score here.