Nascar is currently co-sponsoring several contests and sweepstakes, all with great prizes.

The Holiday Inn - Stay Under Green for Life Sweepstakes

This one offers the opportunity for a life-time's worth of stays at the Holiday in, calculated to be one hundred and sixteen nights. The sweepstakes can be entered through booking your stay at the Holiday Inn by November 15th, 2007 using the "Best-4-Breakfast rate" and paying with your Visa card, or by sending in the official entry form which can be printed out from a link at the bottom of the entry page. This sweepstakes gets four stars, due to the unique form of entry. which will be likely to reduce the number of entrants.

Castrol GTX Garage Kings Contest

This contest calls for you to nominate your favorite mechanic for a $25,000 garage makeover, and win $5,000 for yourself! Twenty second prizes will also be awarded. Entrants must submit an original essay of up to two hundred words telling why they think their mechanic deserves the title of "Garage King". Entries will be judged 50% on "Why you trust your mechanic", and 50% on "originality, creativity, and relevence". This contest ends October 30, 2007.

Nascar Cooks!

This is the last week to enter your great tailgate party recipes in this contest, which stops taking entries August 26th. They are offering one Grand Prize of a trip for eight people on October 7, 2007, to the Nextel Cup Series race in Talledega, along with a $2,000 travel voucher and other amenities with a total estimated retail value of $10,000. Other prizes will also be awarded.

You can enter these and other contests HERE

The African Association of State Lotteries came together in 1981. The association meets regularly to provide training, and to exchange information and experience. There are currently about twenty-five countries that hold membership, with fifteen of these participating on a regular basis. They are looking to expand their membership of countries in order to provide a unified group with strength and credibility in a worldwide community.

The association states their duty as:

"Our duty in The Africa Association of state lotteries is to gather all the lotteries and state- run betting systems and create among them strong links of solidarity and understanding, it is also creating a mutual assistance, a share of informations and synergies for the management of the lotteries as well as the systems and operatting technology among the companies of games of chance in Africa."

The organization is funded by contributions, grants, subsidies, and member fees.

Some of the countries included in the association's current membership are:

Algeria

Ethiopia

Gambia

Guinea

Madagascar

Morocco

Niger

Tunisia

and more.

The majority of the currently participating countries focus on equestrian betting and scratch tickets.

Some facts that you may find interesting about Africa are:

Africa is the second largest world continent, covering about twelve million square miles and accounting for about twenty-two percent of the world's land mass.

South Africa actually has a colony of penguins

There are over 800 languages and dialects spoken by African inhabitants

The smallest butterfly in the world, the Blue Dwarf with a wingspan of only 1/2 inch, lives in South Africa

an estimated 3,000 African children under the age of five die each day from malaria

Find out more about the African Association of State Lotteries HERE

This sweepstakes begins on August 16th. At that time, you will want to enter daily, when you can. Also beginning August 16, and continuing to September 27th, to coincide with the start of the sweepstakes (or vice versa), the Do-It-Yourself Network will be airing a special series on the building of this cabin at 9pm Eastern Time on Thursdays. If you enjoy the HGTV Dream Home Sweepstakes, then this is another one you're just going to love.

Set deep in the Woods of the North Carolina mountains, specifically at Cable Mill at Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (a place of breath-taking beauty), designed by its viewers, this three bedroom, two-and-a-half bath log cabin home could be yours!

Earlier this year, viewers voted on the design of the blog cabin, with the following results:

Floorplan: Greenbriar, with two dormers and a covered porch, perfect for relaxing on the rocking chairs that come as part of the furnishings.

Roof Style: Tin, reminiscent of the backwoods cabins in the Canadian wilds.

Fireplace: Stone hearth and surround, styled with a modern appeal.

Window Design: Double Hung Windows

Flooring: Casa de Colour Aztec Cherry Oak

Cabin Railing: Round (with the log look, of course)

Kitchen Cabinetry: Country, Rustic, yet still elegant

Bathroom Tile: Natural

Kitchen Tile: Granite

Bathroom Fixtures: Modern Slate Walk-In Shower, Don't look, you'll want to walk in!

Interior Wall Finish: Single-color, eggshell finish

Front Entryway: Wormy Chestnut Door

Yes, I'm sorry, but this one will have a tremendous amount of entries, I'm sure. There were four million viewers voting for these preferences, so for the sweepstakes, you can be sure there will be more.... However, you will have as good a chance as anybody if you just enter!

I do give this sweepstakes the five-star rating, because it comes from a reliable source, it is a recurring sweepstakes that one can enter every year, the prize is outstanding, it has good entertainment value and viewer participation. Along with this it has educational value in offering the opportunity to learn more about log homes and do-it-yourself work, and for those who have not yet had the pleasure of being there, the surrounding area of the smoky mountains.

You can vote to name the blog cabin, find out more information, and view pictures of the cabin and surrounding area HERE.

Register to win a new HD Camera at the Independent Film Channels "Free Film Fest"

The Independent Film Channel (IFC) is travelling across the country bringing its free film fest to parks in ten different cities throughout the summer. In each city, they will host three films, one per night for three nights in a row.

The uncut screenings available for your no-cost viewing pleasure will be:

"Raising Arizona",

"The Princess Bride",

and

"Napoleon Dynamite".

The films will be shown on a "state-of-the-art outdoor video system", a 40' x 20' inflatable air screen designed specifically for this purpose, with activities and entertainment preceding the viewing.

The first film fest was held July 10-12 in Philedelphia, with the rest of the tour proceeding as follows:

Atlanta, GA - July 17 - 19

Miami, FL - July 24 - 26

Memphis, TN - July 31 - August 2

Denver, CO - August 7 - 9

San Francisco, CA - August 14 - 16

Seattle, WA - August 21 - 23

Detroit, MI - August 28 - 30

Boston, MA - September 4 - 6

Washington, D.C. - September 12 - 14

One of the highlights of the tour, aside from the screenings, is the Media Lab Lounge. Top local short film creators can upload their films via the Media Lab Website for public viewing in the Media Lounge. Event goers can also register to win a new HD camera while they are there.

Assasin's Creed Short Film Contest

IFC and Ubisoft are looking for short films of six minutes or less, based on the view portrayed in the game "Assasin's Creed", which looks from the viewpoint of the assasin. They are asking for films that incorporate at least one of five criteria, including but not limited to "assasination of historical figures" and "conspiracy surrounding historical assasination". Submissions will be accepted until August 25, 2007.

Entries will be voted on by the public at the IFC website, with the top three (Grand Prize Winner and two runner-ups) being aired on IFC. Grand Prize will also include:

$10,000 cash

Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft

Short film will be included in the limited edition release of the Assasin's Creed video game

Copy of the game

Two runners-up will be receiving:

$2,500 cash

Xbox 360 system

Short film included in the limited edition release of the Assasin's Creed video game

Short film aired on the IFC Network

There is a limit of five short film submissions per person and per email address per day, with standard submission guidelines such as model release forms required for anyone other than the original artist, etc.

Find out more HERE

Do you have video of an Illinois Vacation you've taken this summer (any time after April 16, 2007), or are you planning on taking a vacation to the "Prairie State" by August 31st of this year? If so, show your stuff with a video of your time in the state. The video must feature an Illinois attraction, whilst demonstrating your video prowess.

The Illinois Bureau of Tourism is sponsoring a skill contest until August 31, 2007 offering four Grand Prizes of a $2,500 Shell Gas Card, each one representing a year's worth of free gas (they actually used a specific formula from a survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to come up with that amount... though it was done two years ago, so these figures may no longer quite apply). This contest is void in AK, AZ, CT, HI, MD, ND, NJ, VA, VT, and where prohibited by law. This is an amateur contest and is not open to those who have been paid for their artwork, videos, or written work in the past year. There is a limit of one entry per person, per household.

Contestants must supply proof of a two-night stay at any Illinois motel or hotel along with their entry, as well as a video release form and model release forms for any recognizable individuals that are in the video.

Videos must be original work with the contestant holding all rights, and must not have been previously published or entered in any other competitions. Entrants must submit full name and address with the video. Required length is at a minimum of thirty seconds, with a maximum of three minutes. Formats allowed are MPEG, AVI, and MOV, with a maximum file size of 20 MB.

Entries can be fully themed ("Family Fun", "Sports", "Road Trip", etc.), in documentary form, or in the creative venue of the entrant's choice, as long as it complies with the contest rules (no profanity, etc.) Some things that one might also choose to feature in the video could include:

State Flower: Native violet

State Tree: White oak

State Bird: Cardinal

State Mineral: Fluorite

State Animal: White-tailed deer

State Insect: Monarch butterfly

State Fish: Bluegill

State Motto: "State sovereignty, national union"

State Song: "Illinois"

Videos will be judged on the following criteria:

Creativity - 25%

Originality -25%

Ability to Inspire and Inform Others about Illinois as a travel destination -25%

Depicting the Magnificence of Illinois - 25%

The four highest scoring videos will win the contest. In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest score in "Depicting the Magnificence of Illinois" will win.

Enter by mail, or online HERE

"Olay Body" is sponsoring a contest open to female residents of the fifty United States, and the District of Columbia, who are twenty-one years of age or older. They are looking for a video, two minutes in length or less, telling them "Who is your shining light? Is it your best friend or someone you have a special friendship with?" They then ask you to "Describe why and how she lights up your life". The light may be a relative or friend.

Grand Prize winner walks away with a trip to New York City, accompanied by the subject of her video. Round-trip airfare and ground transportation are included, along with a spa visit and a $1,000 shopping spree for the winner! (Apparently, not for the video star... maybe she'll have to wait in the hotel for a while... oh, but, wait... it will be awarded in the form of a check! Nevermind, maybe she'll never have to know about it). Both ladies will also receive a makeover and professional photo shoot with a picture package to be soley determined by the sponsor. Total prize package is valued at approximately $5,350.

Ten first prizes are also to be awarded of an Olay gift basket and a $150 spa certificate. Total first prize package is valued at $165.

To enter, submit an unpublished, original video creation that has not previously won any prizes or awards, with the entrant holding all rights. Participants in the video may include ONLY the video originator and/or the friend/subject of the video. Submissions may be done in either color or black and white using QuickTime or Windows Media formats ONLY, and be 2MB or smaller. Anything seen or heard in the video (music, props, etc.) must be the entrant's original creation. Professional or student videos will not be accepted.

Preliminary judging will be done to determine the top forty videos based upon the following criteria:

Originality & Creativity of video — 35%

Appropriateness of video to theme — 35%

Sincerity of video — 15%

Exuberance of entrant as demonstrated on the video — 15%

The submission with the highest score in Originality & Creativity will win entry into the top forty in the event of a tie.

Once the top forty are chosen, a panel of judges will then choose one Grand Prize Winner and ten first place winners from the group. Judging is based on the same criteria as the first round, with tiebreaking also done in the same manner.

Entries must be recieved by 5:00 pm Eastern time on August 31, 2007. One entry per person, certain restrictions apply, so be sure to read the Official Rules.

Enter HERE.

Do you have a level of expertise in some area of life that you would like to share with others? Do you have an urge to write about your experience, yet don't know how to get started? Then these contests could be for you.

Associated Content, "The People's Media Company", presently has several contests for registered content producers. Registration is quick and simple, and once registered, you can participate in one or all of them.

First off is the "People's Media Awards". These awards are offered annually, and paid out a total of $10,000 cash last year in categories such as "Editors Pick for Best Content of the Year" ($1,250), "Editor's Pick for Best CP of the Year ($1,250), "Most Prolific Content Producer" ($500), and more. These prizes are open to any contributing member offering quality content.

Next are the "Content Challenges". These change monthly and offer prizes upwards of $125. Members can participate in creating challenges, as well, by offering ideas in the AC forum. Content Challenges are announced via the member's personal message centers, and those who wish to participate can then write an article according to the challenge criteria. Some of the previous challenges have included "Valentine's Day Challenge" and "Black History in Your City".

Finally is the "AC Sticker Placement Contest". Members are able to request AC stickers, which are then sent by postal mail. Once the stickers are received, place your sticker in a creative venue with high visibility and take a picture of it. Placement must offer an effective way of promoting AC and must show an ability to attract attention, so, again, be creative. Entries must be in .jpg or.gif format and are to include your name and a brief explanation of the placement of the sticker. This is a monthly contest with a $25 award.

Various other contests are also available throughout the year, so many opportunities to win are available. Participation is easy... After registering, just log in and go to the "My Account" tab, then click on "Ways to Win" for all the details.

Should you choose not to participate in the contests and only wish to register as a content producer, Associated Content also offers the opportunity to receive payment and/or bonuses for your work, so if you are interested in finding a venue to share your work, you might like to investigate the site anyways.

Associated Content