ForRent.com is giving away $10,000 in new furniture to the grand prize winner of a new video contest, which began on May 1.

To enter the contest, participants must submit a two-minute or less original video explaining, through the eyes of their furniture, why they should win the money. They then submit their videos to WinApartmentFurniture.com.

"Because we value our Web site visitors, we feel that this video contest is a cool way to reach out to them and give them an opportunity to be creative and connect with our brand," Meredith Mobley, Marketing Communications Coordinator for the company said.

Eager participants have already begun submitting their work. The first video was posted on the site early Thursday morning. Examples of submitted videos can be viewed online.

From June 15 to July 6, visitors can go to the website to vote for their favorite video. Voters will have the ability to post a link of their favorite video on any social networking site.

The videos will be judged, not only by voters, but also by an internal review panel.

The winning video will be announced on or around Jul. 22 and the winner will receive $10,000 towards the purchase of new apartment furniture. The top ten finalists will each take home an iPod Shuffle.

ForRent.com, which seeks to help young people find apartments, is using this contest as a means to connect with the upcoming generation, which is the company's main demographic. This is the first contest they have hosted.

"Judging by the success of Web sites like Myspace.com and Facebook.com, it is obvious that social media is huge," Mobley said. "Our company has embraced social media as another way to deliver our message to apartment seekers. ... We are really excited and can't wait to see the videos that people submit."

More information regarding the video contest, as well as the official rules, can by found by logging on to WinApartmentFurniture.com.



Copyright Brigham Young University 2 May 2008