Guest Author - Jennifer L. Thompson

Heinz is sponsoring a great 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, which the chance to win cash and a national audience for your creative work. 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 per entrant, providing each one is unique. Entries will be accepted from April 16, 2007 through 11:59:59 pm on August 6, 2007.

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. Release forms must be signed for any "stars" appearing in your video, other than its original creator.

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 need additional creative tools, the contest website also has items available for use 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.