Human Rights Watch and World Press Photo have established an annual visual journalism award focusing on human rights - to honour the life and work of Tim Hetherington, the British photojournalist who was killed this year while covering the conflict in Libya. The deadline for the grant - worth a hefty 20,000 Euros (US$27,500) - is 15 October.

The award seeks to reward a career history of documenting critical human rights stories and an ability to draw together diverse elements into a compelling multimedia feature.

After winning the 2007 World Press Photo of the Year for his image of an exhausted soldier, Hetherington said, "Underpinning my work is a concern with human rights and analysing political ideas, with thinking about history and politics. It's also about witnessing, about telling stories. Photography to me is a way of exploring the world, creating narratives, and communicating with as many people as possible."

Judges are looking for the revolutionary qualities that defined Hetherington's career: 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.

"Tim told stories in a unique way, using images, sound, text, and testimony," Human Rights Watch said. "We hope to honour his memory by encouraging others to innovate in the field of human rights communication."

Click here for application forms and how to apply.