The Tim Hetherington Grant was established after the photojournalist's death in 2011 to celebrate his commitment to "finding new ways to tell compelling stories about politics, conflict and the human experience, and to relay these stories to a wide audience", say World Press Photo and Human Rights Watch, two organisations that administer the grant.

Photojournalist and filmmaker Hetherington died on 20 April 2011, alongside Getty Images' photographer Chris Hondros, while covering the Libyan conflict in Misrata. The two photographers came under heavy fire and died in an explosion that also injured two other photographers.

The grant will support a photographer in completing an existing project on a human rights theme. The deadline for submissions is 15 November, and the name of the recipient of the grant will be announced on 10 December.

The judges this year include VII member Marcus Bleasdale, filmmaker James Brabazon, Whitney Johnson of The New Yorker, Carroll Blogert of Human Rights Watch and Michiel Munneke of World Press Photo.

"The judges will look for the qualities that defined Tim's career when reviewing the applications: work that operates on multiple platforms and in a variety of formats; that crosses boundaries between breaking news and longer-term investigation; and that demonstrates a consistent moral commitment to the lives and stories of the photographic subjects," say the organisers.

Last year, Stephen Ferry received the first Tim Hetherington Grant for his project, Violentology: A Manual of the Colombian Conflict, which focuses on the history and current dynamics of the war in Colombia, while exposing the role of the distinct parties in the conflict.

For more details, visit www.worldpressphoto.org/2012-tim-hetherington-grant.