Entries can include text, photos and/or video, and being creative is definitely a bonus. Already, hundreds of entries have been submitted (you can check them out here), so better make yours stand out. The deadline to enter is July 8th.

Four runners up will also be selected and they’ll receive a 16 GB Zune HD.  

While the ads themselves are funny (or perhaps disturbing?) riffs on what visiting ex-boyfriends and online stalkers would be like, the truth is that in real life, most people don’t friend creepy strangers on Facebook. (That was what MySpace was for!) Also, the correct protocol, as everyone knows, is that you “unfriend” your ex upon breakup. Those who don’t do so learn the hard way when the ex takes to posting nasty things on your wall. Believe me, I’ve seen it. So take the ads with a grain of salt, they’re not intended to be taken seriously.

However, I think this is an interesting idea for a contest and one that will likely appeal to the youth demographic on the social network. Facebook, unlike Twitter, MySpace and others, is a site where most people connect only with actual friends and family members instead of with random strangers who share their interests, or, as mentioned above, those who virtually stalk them.

With Facebook’s built-in networks that help you find high school and college friends as well as former colleagues, it’s easy to reconnect via Facebook with those friends you may have lost touch with over the years. How nice would it be to actually get to go see them in person? I know I’d love the opportunity to catch up with my hometown friends and college buddies, who now live all over the U.S. That would be a great roadtrip! I wonder if I’m eligible for this contest? Hmm…

Besides the grand prize, the top winners from four age groups (ages 5-10, 11-13, 14-17 and 18+) will also win a trip to Microsoft where they get to participate in a Bing editorial meeting where they pick future homepage images. All winners will also receive equipment from HP and Canon. Specifically, HP will be providing the winners with HP Pavilion desktops and a monitor.

In addition to the contest participants, those voting on the images can win, too. From April 13th to the 19th, Bing will give a $5.00 GivingCard for DonorsChoose.org to the first 20,000 people who vote each day. This money can be spent on classroom projects (like math, science, art, reading) at local schools. In total, Bing will donate up to $100,000 a day to help schools across the U.S.

You can find out more about the contest, its requirements, and the submission information here: http://earthdayphotocontest.com.

Starting on November 27th, the Bing Cashback Holiday Gold Rush promotion brings you great deals from online merchants. In the list below, you can see the Cashback merchants and their associated increased Cashback percentages, courtesy of the Bing Search blog:

• AT&T/MEC: 35%
• Barnes & Noble.com: 14%
• Best Buy: 10%
• Buy.com: 5%
• Circuit City: 12.2% (search) and 8% (Bing shopping)*
• Dell: 20%
• drugstore.com: 20%
• eBags: 30%
• eBay: 10%
• Endless.com: 20%
• Foot Locker/eastbay: 25%
• Home Depot: 8%
• HP: 20%
• Kohl's: 10%
• Lenovo: 20%
• Macy's: 10%
• Overstock.com: 15%
• Sears: 13%
• Sephora: 20%
• Shoebuy: 20%
• The Gap: 10%
• TigerDirect: 12.2% (search) and 8% (Bing shopping)*
• T-Mobile: 35%
• Walmart: 15%

The Cashback team is also hosting another promotion beginning on the 27th called the Holiday Trivia Sweepstakes. To play, follow the @bingcashback Twitter account and watch for the posted trivia questions. After the question goes up, you have an hour to search for the answer and then tweet it back to @bingcashback, including the hashtag #Bingholiday in your response. Selected winners will play for the chance to win a $250 Master Card and, on the contest’s 12th day, a $500 Master Cash. 

At the time of writing, the current bid stands at $7400 but Beatles fans still have plenty of time to place a bid themselves – the auction will continue for a week.

In addition to the console, Microsoft has also released the Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” as a downloadable song through Xbox LIVE for 160 Microsoft Points. Proceeds from the song also go to the same charity and your purchase will register you to win one of the limited edition Beatles Xbox 360 consoles (yes, there are more than one!) and a Rickenbacker 325 replica guitar controller.

The other contest, which just launched, aims to help parents and kids with their back-to-school needs. Thanks to Bing Cashback, seven lucky winners will receive a Bing-branded backpack that includes a $500 Visa cash card which can be used for new school clothes, supplies, or anything else you want. This contest, which begins on July 23rd, is being held exclusively on Twitter. The @bingcashback Twitter account will tweet a Bing-related trivia question daily for a week and everyone who answers correctly via an @reply will become eligible to win. All the correct answers are easy to find using Bing, specifically Bing Shopping and Bing Cashback. To participate, follow @bingcashback on Twitter.

From Monday, March 24 through Tuesday, April 15, 2008, players can click here to get the contest question and sign up for exclusive insider information about Grand Theft Auto IV leading up to its release.  Playing for a chance to win up to $10,000 and a trip to "Liberty City" for the launch event, participants are required to text-in one of five possible answers using their mobile phones. Players will have a second opportunity to enter at www.gamestop.com.

A total of four (4) national winners will be selected at random from all correct mobile and online entries, and will each be awarded:

·         Roundtrip airfare and ground transportation to "Liberty City" for themselves and a guest

·         One hotel room for two nights

·         Two gift bags courtesy of GameStop and Grand Theft Auto IV

·         Two hundred and fifty dollars ($250) in spending money

·         One key to open a lock box at the April 28^th launch event

On April 28, 2008, the national winners will meet the regional winners in "Liberty City" to see if their key opens Niko's Lock Box.  Niko's Lock Box contains 38 unmarked envelopes containing awards from $100 to$10,000.  The event will take place GameStop's flagship store at 1282 Broadway (at 33^rd Street).

For additional details and to obtain a list of official rules, visit a local GameStop retail location or www.gamestop.com/GTAIV.

Regional "Lost Keys" Promotion in "Liberty City"

In addition to the national contest, GameStop will drop red key chains in select stores in "Liberty City" from April 1-27, 2008. The unmarked red key chains will direct players to call a local telephone number for further instruction on how to gain access to GameStop's Grand Theft Auto IV launch event in "Liberty City" on April 28, 2008.

And check out the prize package!

• An all-expense paid trip for one to CEDIA Expo 2008 in Denver, Colorado, including round-trip airfare, 3-night hotel accommodation in Denver, and participation in a Press Cocktail event announcing the winner.
• A trip for 2 to Microsoft, round-trip airfare, 2-night hotel accommodation at the Bellevue Westin and a special VIP day at Microsoft that includes a $1000 cash, a visit to the Microsoft eHome Custom Install (CI) demo room, time with the eHome team focused on the CI channel, and a private tour of the Microsoft MSHome.
• A full-day photo shoot to have professional photographs taken of your winning solution.
• A story featuring your entry, interview, and pictures from the photo shoot posted on the CE Installer website.
• A Technology Appreciation Package for the homeowner provided by Microsoft that consists of:
  • Xbox360 Elite video game and entertainment system
  • 4 Black Xbox360 Wireless Controllers
  • 1 Xbox360 Media Center Remote
  • 1 Year Xbox Live Subscription
  • 4 Xbox360 Game Titles
  • 1 80GB Zune, 1 8GB Zune, and a Zune Home AV Kit

The entry deadline is August 1, 2008 and the winner will be announced on September 3, 2008 at CEDIA Expo in Denver, CO.

All I have to say is thank goodness Microsoft employees can't apply, because, based on the videos we've seen here on 10, these guys have some killer setups...

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