It takes time, passion and obsession to make great work. But you also need the opportunity to have your work seen in the first place. And since we at Lens believe only the quality of work should matter — not your connections or bank account — we are again bringing together 160 talented photographers with 75 top photo editors, publishers, curators, gallery owners and video producers, for the 7th annual New York Portfolio Review on March 30 and 31 in New York City.

Applications are now open for the free (as always) review, which is produced by The New York Times Lens column, the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York and United Photo Industries. Participation is open to anyone over 18 years old, and all types of photography will be considered. But remember, the deadline is Dec. 10 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Now a mainstay of photo events in the United States, the review convenes the photographic community to meet, trade ideas, help each other — and have fun.

The first session, on Saturday, March 30, will be for photographers 21 and older. Each participant will receive six private critiques. The second session, on Sunday, March 31, will be solely for photographers 18 to 27 and will consist of at least four private critiques for each participant, as well as free workshops on how to best present, promote and publish photographs. We will screen all applicants and choose 100 participants for Saturday and 60 for Sunday.