Center Valley, Pa.
– Olympus unveiled Monday a new contest awarding budding
photographers/videographers an Olympus Pen E-PL1 hybrid interchangeable-lens
camera, along with $5,000 “to bring your creative vision to life.”
The “PEN your
story challenge” will enable potential contestants to submit their video
proposals to the YouTube site and enter to win the Pen, the funds and a crack at
a grand prize: an all-expense-paid trip for two to New York City to attend the
Olympus-sponsored U.S. Open National Tennis Championships on Olympus Day to
display the winning video on the giant video board at the USTA Billie Jean King
National Tennis Center before an audience of thousands.
Potential contestants
can submit their video proposals ideas at:
.
Erik Beck,
executive producer of the online DIY filmmaking network Indy Mogul (
), has produced a how-to video
with tips and tricks to assist contestants with the production of their
submissions for the challenge.
Examples of video
project proposals that will be eligible for contest submission range from directing
a short film with HD video, to producing a fashion spread of pro-quality still
images, to chronicling an adventure or creating a photo montage.
Six of the best
proposals will be selected from among 20 semifinalists by the community via
thumbs up “likes,” six of the best proposals will be selected by a panel of
judges from Olympus, as well as the YouTube community.
The six finalists will
receive the Pen, the funds and time to shoot their projects.
Once the six
finalists have uploaded their final creations to YouTube, the grand-prize
winner will be selected based on a combination of popular vote and the panel of
Olympus judges.
