If you are 18 or over, you can win a free trip to Comic-Con 2010 courtesy of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.  All you have to do is make a FMA fan video of 90 seconds or less, submit it to YouTube, and impress the judges.  All the contest info and the entry form are at the link below:

http://www.fullmetalalchemist.com/ComicCon/

Check out the graphic below for all the info.  For just $1, donated at your local library branch, you can own a piece of Rockus Maximus: Battle of the Bands XIII and have a chance (or more) to win a custom decorated acoustic guitar, courtesy of Gretsch Guitars.

Check out the press release below for info. If you have any interest in writing, whether fiction or non-fiction, then this may be a good opportunity to get some recognition. The theme is pretty open and you can get all the fine print details at Heather's website:

Author Heather Tomasello (owner, The EssayLady) has extended the deadline for a $500 college scholarship essay contest she’s sponsoring from August 28, 2009 to September 23, 2009.

“I wanted to allow students more time, because I know how hectic the first few weeks back to school can be,” says Tomasello.

The theme for the essay contest is, “The Early Bird Catches the Worm,” and the winner of the contest will receive a $500 college scholarship and a premium consultation and editing package valued at $200. One first runner-up will also receive the premium consultation and editing package. Entry guidelines are available at www.essaylady.com and Ms. Tomasello can be reached via email at heather@essaylady.com

“I believe this scholarship contest is unique because students don’t have to be the class valedictorian or a star athlete to win,” says Tomasello. “I’m looking more at what a student can do with 500 words! I’m hoping to read essays with wit, style, and humor and perhaps even a few lesser-known clichés.”

Tomasello says the scholarship money can also be applied to any college, in-state or out-of-state, private or public. A former academic advisor at the University of Florida, Tomasello read hundreds of application essays and also served as a writing coach to students in the undergraduate Honors College. She helped students apply to prestigious scholarships such as the Marshall, Fulbright, and Rhodes. She recently put those experiences to good use by starting The EssayLady (www.essaylady.com) a professional editing service for students writing college entrance and scholarship essays. Tomasello is also the author of three books and a popular presenter at schools.

“When I was a high school senior I won several small scholarships sponsored by businesses and community organizations,” Tomasello says. “Now I want to give back in a similar fashion and I know that every little bit helps.”

Are you an aspiring artist that could use $1,000 cash? The Woot! t-shirt website http://shirt.woot.com has a weekly (yes, every week) contest to design an original t-shirt based on a theme and a set of rules. Any mode of 2-D art is accepted accept for photographs, including hand-drawn & scanned, computer designed, and digital sketching.

A new theme is posted by Woot! every Friday at noon. You just have to create an account and post your design any time after 12pm. You can post as many as you like. The world then gets to vote on all the submitted designs all week until Thursday at noon. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the winning shirts are sold online, one per day, and the winning designers each get $1,000. So, if you don't win the first time, try again. You can use pretty much any method to get people to the site to vote for your shirt designs.

Check out the link above for the main site. For the full list of all their rules and an FAQ on everything else about the site, check out http://shirt.woot.com/WhatIsWoot.aspx

Yes, our web designer has gone crazy! Rather than locking him up, we have decided to make a contest out of his insanity!

Five links on our Teen Page have been cornified. That means that instead of the link working properly, unicorns and rainbows will randomly appear on the page. They look much like these:


So, your goal is to search through every link on the Library's Teen Page and find the 5 cornified links. Then, post a comment on this blog entry with your name, e-mail or MySpace address, and the 5 links where you found the cornification. We will have a random drawing from among all the correct answers on August 14th. The winner will receive a $50 Best Buy Gift Card, courtesy of the Friends of the Library. Don't share the answers with others, or you reduce your chances of winning. Good luck and happy unicorn searching!

Want to win two tickets to this year's WWE SummerSlam event on August 23rd in L.A.? All you have to do is be one of the first 25 teens/tweens (ages 10-18) to check out two or more books at any of the Pasco County libraries between June 24th and July 16th and you could win. Posters featuring Rey Mysterio, Evan Bourne, Beth Phoenix, and Eve will be given out to everyone who checks out 2+ books until each library runs out. Only one poster per person, regardless of the number of times you check out books.

So, how does this poster help you win? Well, there is a number on the bottom right corner of every poster. On Friday, July 17, two poster numbers will be drawn determining the grand prize winners along with alternate poster numbers, all of which will be posted on WWEKids.com. The two grand prize winners will win airfare to Los Angeles for two, two nights’ hotel, two tickets and $200 spending money for WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 23, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Ten first prize winners will win copies of the WWE Encyclopedia. See the official rules online (PDF) for complete info.

Seem easy enough? Just come in between June 24 and July 16 (or while supplies last) and check out 2 or more books to enter. You won't see much better odds of winning a prize like this.

The Hugh Embry Library is hosting its 2nd Annual Poetry Contest. Last year we had a great turnout, and we want you to discover your hidden talents once more.

Please submit your best original poem to the Hugh Embry Library by April 21st at 5:00pm.

Each poem must be no longer than 30 lines long and no shorter than five lines. Write your name, address, phone number, grade and name of school on the back of your entry before handing it in. We'll be entering the best three into VOYA Magazine's yearly poetry contest at the end of the year!

We will celebrate the poets right here at the library on April 29th at 4:00pm. Come join the party - even if you don't have a poem entered in this year's National Poetry Month Contest, you can still come help us celebrate our poets!

Prizes will be awarded for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.
No prior registration required for this event.

Hugh Embry Branch Library
14215 Fourth Street, Dade City, FL 33523
Phone: (352) 567-3576
pascolibraries.org