Held at the Surfing Heritage Museum in San Clemente, the event awards $5,000 to the up-and-coming photographer who impressed the judges in both his body of work and essay explaining what he’ll do with the grant. With more than 60 entries this year, the Surfing Heritage Foundation Photo Committee deliberated long and hard to select a winner from the five finalists. When it came down to it, Glaser eked out a three-point win over fellow finalist Zak Noyle, the equivalent of winning by .10 in a WCT heat. “It was so close between the two,” said SURFING photo editor Peter Taras. “Too close for one person to call, really. Which is why we had 10 judges and a point system.”

Besides Hawaiian Zak Noyle’s inspiring body of work, other finalists included Santa Cruz’s Ryan Craig, San Clemente’s Shawn Parkin and Florida’s Patrick Ruddy. With his grant, Glaser plans to create a traveling art gallery of surf images, start work on a book project on local surfers and donate some of the money to his late friend, Matthew Joyce’s cystic fibrosis foundation. “The most fulfilling thing for me is to dream up an image in my head and go out and make it,” he said. “And this grant will help me do that.”

This is all in line with why the Follow the Light Foundation came to be in the first place. After SURFING photo editor Larry “Flame” Moore’s passing in October 2005, FTL was formed to help keep the Flame legacy alive. Flame had a special gift of teaching young photographers and making them the best they can be, which is why the grant is awarded to a young, inspired photographer on the rise.

Which makes Glaser a perfect fit alongside past winners Chris Burkard and Matt Clark. He’s driven, he’s gutsy and his passion for surf photography burns on high. Look for his work in the pages of surf magazines worldwide. We’re confident you’ll be seeing a lot more of it.

View the Entries:

Todd Glasser Grant Winner!

Zak Noyle

Ryan Craig

Shawn Parkin

Patrick Ruddy

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SAN CLEMENTE, CA- For the third year in a row, the Follow the Light Foundation (FTLF) will award $5000 to a deserving photographer in honor of the late Larry “Flame” Moore. The FTLF was founded after Moore’s passing in the attempt to continue his legacy of assisting up and coming photographers. Photographers of all ability levels are encouraged to participate. The application and details can be found on the FTLF website http://followthelightfoundation.org

Applications will be due September 15, 2008. The grant recipient will be chosen by a panel of professional photographers from the Surfing Heritage Foundation’s Photography Committee, and the FTLF board members. This years recipient will be announced on Thursday October 16, 2008.

The FTLF is proud to be working with the Surfing Heritage Foundation to provide this year’s grant. The Follow the Light Grant Recipient Dinner will be held at the Surfing Heritage Foundation on Thursday October 16, 2008.

About Follow the Light: On October 10th, 2005, the surfing community lost one of its most influential figures. After a nearly three-year battle with brain cancer Larry “Flame” Moore, the Photo Editor of SURFING Magazine for 30 years, passed. He left behind a legacy of brilliant photography and an army of photographers trained by him. Through his work at SURFING Magazine, Larry literally gave three decades of surfing their “look.” Today, honoring Larry’s request, we have established the Follow the Light Foundation (FTLF), an organization that will help finance the dreams of surf photographers, pushing the sport and its lensmen forward.

For More Information on The Follow the Light Foundation Grant and submitting your application please visit http://followthelightfoundation.org or email Pete Taras, Photo Editor, Surfing Magazine at Pete.Taras@sourceinterlink.com or Sam Olson @ olsonphoto@gmail.com

Each spring, the board of FTL will announce the amount of money available, make a call for entries, and make an application and application guidelines available. Applications will be due mid-summer, and will be reviewed by an advisory panel. Recipients will be announced on October 10, the anniversary of Larry’s passing.

Feel free to leave a comment on how Larry touched your life:

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