That’s the basic premise of The 50 States Project, the brainchild of UK-based photographer and art photography curator Stuart Pilkington.

The year-long effort brings together 50 American photographers, each from a different state, and gives them 6 different two-month assignments throughout the year.

The project launched in January 2009 with the first assignment, “People,” followed by “Habitat” in March. The remaining 4 will be announced on May 1st,  July 1st, September 1st and November 1st of this year.

Photographs from the “People” assignment are already up, spanning the entire photography spectrum, from candid snapshots to classic portraiture to conceptual cultural commentary.

And while we wish there was a better way to browse photos within each of the assignments, we have to give it to Stuart for the brilliant idea — what better way to capture the rich character of the world’s most diverse country than through the vantage points of 50 different people situated across 50 different locales?

Keep an eye on the project for the next 5 assignments, which promise to be every bit as culturally insightful as the first.

via Photojojo