Top This TV Challenge

Do you have a creative imagination and a camcorder? Together the two could earn you $57,000, or one of four runner-up prizes of $5,700 cash!

Heinz is sponsoring a contest powered by You Tube where 30 second video clips with your idea of a great Heinz Ketchup commercial can be uploaded and voted on by other users. All ideas must be original, non-published, and cannot have been entered in or won any previous contests or awards. Up to five submissions are allowed, as long as each one is unique.

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

40% Originality

30% Overall Appeal

30% Likelihood to motivate people to use Heinz Ketchup

Maximum file size allowed is 100 MB and must be in a format allowable according to the You Tube user agreement (avi, mov, mpg, or wmv.). Participants must be at least 18 years of and are legal residents of the U.S.

On or about August 13, 2007 fifteen first-round finalists will be chosen. These finalists will then be posted on the website where public voting will determine the winner and four runner-ups. All five prize winners will have their commercials aired on national television.

When creating your commercial, be sure that no other food or beverage brands other than Heinz are included in any way. Any music or otherwise copyrightable material must be completely original or otherwise considered as public domain. If you have creative editing skills, the contest website also has tools available for use which can be used in your commercial such as clips with logos, mp3 files, and sound effects. Commercials must be exactly 30 seconds long, which could definitely take some skill, and patience... though it could be a worthwhile investment.

View the official rules HERE.

Follow this link to GET STARTED.

By Jennifer L. Thompson

View my bio at Helium!

The American Quilter's Society is holding a contest and expo on August 25-27, 2007 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN. Prizes to be awarded in the contest are as follows:

$7,500 Best of Show Award

$5,000 Best Hand Workmanship Award

$5,000 Best Machine Workmanship Award

$3,000 Best Longarm Workmanship Award

$3,000 Best Wall Quilt Award

With additional prizes in each category of:

$1,500 First Place

$1,000 Second Place

$750 Third Place

The categories are:

Quilts (in bed or wall size)

A. Quilter's Choice Quilts

B. On the Wall Quilts

C. Made by Machine Quilts

D. The Ultimate Guild Challenge Quilts (submitted by quilt guilds)

E. Needlework, stitched with yarn, cloth, or thread

Two entries are allowed per person, with an entry fee of $10 for AQS members and $30 for non-members for each entry. Quilts must be available for judging and display August 5 -25, 2007.

Even if you aren't a quilter, this show would be fun to attend just to see the artistic works of these talented quilters!

For complete rules and information, follow this LINK

SA Candle Star Sweepstakes

Family Circle 2007 Fiction Contest

This year fiction writers (or those who aspire to be) can once again test their skills in writing short stories and enter for prizes in the Family Circle 2007 Fiction Contest. This contest is open to amateur writers who are legal residents of the U.S. or the District of Columbia, and are over the age of twenty-one.

Judges are looking for original fiction in the form of a short story with 2,500 words or less. Stories are to be original and unpublished, and are not to have previously won any prizes or awards. All entries become the property of the Meridith Corporation, and are not returned.

Stories will be judged according to the following criteria:

25% Sustained Writing Ability

25% Topic Creativity

25% Originality

25% Overall Excellence

Submissions are to be typed on 8 1/2 X 11 paper with your name, address, daytime telephone number, and email address (optional) on all pages. Entries must be postmarked by August 31, 2007, and received no later than September 7, 2007. Mail up to two unique submissions to:

Family Circle Fiction Story Contest

c/o Family Circle Magazine

375 Lexington Avenue, Ninth Floor

New York, NY 10017

On or about October 15, 2007 judges will choose one grand prize winner and two semi-finalists. Grand Prize winner will receive $750, a gift certificate to a mediabistro.com course of the winner's choice, a one year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership, and possible publication in Family Circle magazine (priceless?). Total Grand Prize package valued at $1,490.

Runners-up will receive $250, a one year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership, and possible publication on FamilyCircle.com, with a total value of $299.

This contest may have a good number of submissions, however, if you have a quality story, it is well-worth entering.

If you''d like to learn more about this contest, you can find the official rules Here .

See last year's winning entries Here .

By Jennifer L. Thompson

Photos by Wonderwolf

The Sundance Channel is currently sponsoring a contest called "What's the Big Idea?" This is a contest where entrants are asked to submit a one minute video describing a "big idea" for an "environmental initiative that would lead to sustainability of life and resources on our planet", according to the official rules.

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

~ 25% Creativity/Originality

~ 25% Appropriateness to Contest Theme

~ 25% Feasibility of Idea

~ 25% Presentation/Expression of Idea

The first leg of this contest ends April 30th, 2007, making it a good choice for creative entrants as the total entry time is less than 30 days. Daily entries are also allowed to increase your odds, though each submission must be unique. In other words, if you come up with more than one idea, you can submit them all as long as you submit no more than one video per day for the duration of the contest.

Upon the close of the entry portion of the contest, up to 25 qualified entries will be chosen as semi-finalists whose entries will be posted on the Sundance Channel's website, where visitors will vote for their favorites. The five entries with the most votes will then move on to the final round, where the judges will then choose the grand prize winner, to be announced on or about May 25, 2007.

The grand prize winner will then be awarded $10,000 in the form of a check (with hopes of getting your green idea started), and a one-year lease for a Lexus vehicle (total ARV $19,000) with four semi-finalists receiving a GREEN bag filled with selected items of the sponsor's choice (ARV $100).

This is an amateur competition, so all entries must be original, non-published material that has been produced without professional-level assistance. Only video files of less than 100MB which are compressed to a 320x240 screen size, with a 4:3 aspect ratio, will be accepted. Entrant must be a resident of the 48 contiguous United States, and be a licensed driver over the age of 18. Release forms will also need to accompany the entry if anyone other than the contest entrant is featured in the video, or if someone else's artwork, etc. is featured.

Realistically speaking, if you can create a clear, concise video with an original idea, I would definitely recommend entering this one.

You can view the contest rules and upload your videos Here .

By Jennifer L. Thompson

Win a PS3 Superbundle!

Does having a good bit of self-confidence help one to win contests and sweepstakes? You bet it does! Here are a few reasons why, and some things you can do to help increase your self-confidence.

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you find a great contest that you really feel you have the skills to win? Is it something like "I know I could be the one to win this one, BUT... I would be afraid to take the trip to get there", or "I have to lose some weight first... I wouldn't want my picture taken like this!" or maybe even "I'm too old".

It's ok to be a bit apprehensive, in fact, it's normal. However, when self-criticism keeps us from doing the things we love, it then becomes unhealthy and can keep us from living a full and happy life. The way we "talk" to ourselves can have a big impact on our actions, or lack thereof, so it is important to be just as kind with ourselves as we would be with anybody. You wouldn't tell your best friend that she was too "big" to have her picture taken as the "grand prize winner", in fact, it most likely wouldn't even come to mind. Instead, you would be supportive and encouraging. So why not be just as loving and caring with yourself?

Increasing self-confidence can start with agreeing to be your own best friend. Look at your strengths, compliment yourself for any job well-done, and replace self-critical comments with loving ones. When you have thoughts of passing on a particular contest that you would love to win, stop yourself and become the loving and encouraging friend that you need in order to get over that initial hurdle, and just enter! Taking that first step will increase your confidence level, and you may find it to be much easier than you had ever anticipated.

Being prepared increases confidence tremendously, as well. For example, if you have always dreamed of overseas travel, yet have been unwilling to enter sweepstakes with vacation prizes to overseas destinations because you may not be able to find anyone to watch the kids while you are away, set some time aside and look over the details of what is really needed to make a trip such as this happen. Ask Grandma or another available relative if she'd be a willing standby for when the win really does come, and then go ahead and get your passport now, along with making any other arrangements that can be done in advance (someone to feed the cat, etc.). This will also have an added benefit of stress relief in not having to do everything at the last minute, keeping the pace relaxed and care-free. Then you can better have the confidence level to enter for that trip to Italy (or to anywhere else) you've always wanted, without having apprehension or unfounded fears stopping you.

By taking small steps over time, you will find that most of the fears that may have kept you from entering in the past will all melt away, leaving you much happier and feeling more fulfilled... with a winning attitude!

By Jennifer L. Thompson

Increase Self-confidence

The top ten reasons to be a sweepstaker...

Reason number 10

"You can be the only person you know who's not a thief and still has three TVs in every room!"

Reason number 9

"Unexplained trips to the post office!"

Reason number 8

"Stamps are oooh-so-very cheap!"

Reason number 7

"You could end up rich!"

Reason number 6

"You get to learn a whole new language and say things like NAZ and DOB!"

Reason number 5

"Vacations, vacations, vacations!"

Reason number 4

"Online entry!"

Reason number 3

"Things like... Free ice cream for a year!"

Reason number 2

"You can do it in your bathrobe!"

And the Number 1 Reason to be a Sweepstaker is...

"Sweepstaking rules!"

Best Sweepstakes Newsletter

For quick entry... text by cell phone!

Pizza Hut "The Cheesy Hunt" Sweepstakes

Enter daily to win a Grand Prize of $30,000. Five first prizes of a $4,000 Gift card for an entertainment package at the retailer of the sponsor's choice, twenty second prizes of a $400 Pizza Hut Gift Card, and 500 third prizes of a $5 Gift Card for music downloads.

Enter Daily, Ends March 24, 2007.

To enter, text either the word "bites", or the code word found in the Pizza Hut Commercials to 843488 (THEHUT).

Online entry also available here: Cheesy Hunt Sweepstakes

There is also unlimited entries by postal mail, so if you prefer this method, be sure to check the website as the instructions are listed on the landing page.

Lifetime Romantic Escape Sweepstakes

One Grand Prize of a luxurious spa getaway for two to Daytona Beach. Ends February 15, 2007.

To enter, text the word ESCAPE to 58463 (LTIME).

Online entry here: Lifetime Romantic Escape Sweepstakes

By Jennifer L. Thompson

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Fun accessories for your cell phone!

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