The New Orleans Photo Alliance (NOPA) is offering an annual $5000 award to recognize and reward a fine art photographer who is creating or has completed a significant body of photographic work.

The Clarence John Laughlin Award was instituted by the New Orleans Photo Alliance in 2010 to support the work of photographers who use the medium as a means of creative expression. It honors the life and work of Clarence John Laughlin (1905-1985), a New Orleans photographer best known for his surrealist images of the American South. The Clarence John Laughlin Award grants one $5000 prize annually to a photographer whose work exhibits sustained artistic excellence and creative vision. Deborah Klochko, Director of the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego, California, will serve as this year’s juror.

The award is open to emerging and established photographers who reside in the U.S. The online application process requires a portfolio of 10-20 photographs, a written statement, a bio or CV, and a $25 application fee. The application deadline is July 20, 2012. Only one photographer will be selected to receive the $5,000 award. Finalists will be announced on August 20 and the winner on October 1, 2012.

Past recipients of the Clarence John Laughlin Award are Joni Sternbach and Charles Grogg, whose winning portfolios can be seen on the NOPA website.