See the prodigiously talented other finalists here:
http://neworleansphotoalliance.blogspot.com/2012/08/clarence-john-laughlin-award-finalists.html

From the New Orleans Photo Alliance website:
The Clarence John Laughlin Award was created by the New Orleans Photo Alliance 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.

Both emerging and established photographers residing in the U.S. may apply.
The New Orleans Photo Alliance invites photographers working in all mediums, styles and schools of thought to apply. Still images made from all photographic processes, both traditional and digital will be considered. There are no restrictions on subject matter or genres. Traditional, contemporary, avant-garde, creative and experimental works that include old and new processes, mixed techniques, and challenging personal and emotional statements are all welcome. Still photography or photographic techniques should be integral to the works submitted.