CrackBerry's BlackBerry Super Fanboy Video Contest - Prove you're the biggest BlackBerry fan and WIN AWESOME PRIZES!!!

Ok CrackBerry Nation, listen up! We've been running a bunch of contests on CrackBerry lately, giving readers the chance to win free BlackBerry 7 Smartphones. But winning these contests has largely come down to lady luck. That being the case, I've been receiving a bunch of requests from our loyal readers and members to run a contest where it's less about luck and more about passion, creativity and a bit of hard work. So here it is. CrackBerry presents the BlackBerry Super Fanboy (& Fangirl) Contest!

Following our EPIC video contests of the past, like what the What Would You Do for a BlackBerry Storm? and I Love My BlackBerry contests, this is a VIDEO contest. To enter for your chance to win, you're going to have to put in the time and effort to create a video proving your BlackBerry fanboyism. Yes, it's harder than leaving a comment to a blog post for a chance to win, but the odds will be in your favor and the prize for winning this contest will make it sooo worth the effort. Full contest details are below, so keep reading. The timing on this one is a little tight, so you don't want to waste time... get thinking and make your video! This is going to be a fun one!!

GRAND PRIZE: A trip to San Francisco to attend the BlackBerry Developer Conference (October 18th to 20th - includes airfare for up to two individuals*, 3 Nights Stay at the Marriott Conference Hotel and 2 BlackBerry DevCon event passes and dinner out one night with the CrackBerry team); a BlackBerry PlayBook + BlackBerry 7 Smartphone of choice; $100 BlackBerry Accessories from ShopCrackBerry.com and a CrackBerry Kevin custom designed BlackBerry Super FanBoy T-Shirt!

4 RUNNER UP FINALIST BLACKBERRY SUPER FANBOY PRIZE PACKS: $100 in free BlackBerry Accessories from ShopCrackBerry.com, an autographed copy of CrackBerry: True Tales of BlackBerry Use & Abuse and a CrackBerry Kevin custom designed BlackBerry Super Fanboy T-Shirt!

 

STEP 1: Make Your BlackBerry Super Fanboy (or Fangirl) video!

Make a video that proves beyond a doubt that you are the ultimate BlackBerry Super Fan.

We're leaving how you accomplish this pretty much wide open. Some ideas that came to our minds... Make a funny commercial showing off the merits of BlackBerry vs. the competition. Get a wicked BlackBerry for Life tattoo and record the whole process. Write a BlackBerry song and perform it with a crew of BlackBerry dancers. We suggest checking out some of the finalist entries from our past video contests - you'll want to do something original and awesome! 

Get Creative! We're looking to be entertained here - make us laugh, make us cry, make us go WOW. We want to watch the video and think to ourselves.... wow, this person really loves BlackBerry... they're totally a BlackBerry Super Fan!

 

Video Requirements

• We expect most videos should be in the range of 45 seconds to 3 minutes in length. On the shorter side is fine if you're doing something super clever (ie. short commercial) and videos can go longer right up to the 15 minute youtube max (ie. if you're putting together a mini-feature film sort of thing), but keep in mind if you go long it better be AMAZING to hold our attention.
• We don't expect videos to have Hollywood type production quality, but in the year 2011 we do want the quality of the video/audio itself to be pretty decent. The video should be recorded in HD (borrow a camera if you have to) and the sound quality should be easy to listen to. We don't want to see crappy video/sound quality distract from what otherwise would be a great video.   
• At some point during the video you must use the word BlackBerry or CrackBerry. That should be pretty easy to do seeing as you're making a video that proves you're a BlackBerry Super Fan! But what we don't want to see or hear are call outs to the contest itself. No "I want to win CrackBerry's Super Fanboy Contest, pick me!" kind of stuff. We want people who don't even know about the contest to be able to stumble upon it on youtube, watch it, and go... wow... this person LOVES BlackBerry.  
• If your video is selected as a finalist it will be uploaded to our CrackBerry youtube account. As such, all videos must conform to youtube community guidelines.

Other than that, we're leaving it wide open for you to get creative!

STEP 2: Submit your Video

• Your video must be submitted to CrackBerry by noon PST on Monday, October 3rd.
• To submit your video,  please first upload your finished video to your public DropBox folder (get a DropBox account for free here if you don't have one) and create the public url for it (right click on the file and select "copy public link").
• Next, send an email to [email protected]. Please use the email subject "Super Fanboy Contest Video Entry" and in the message provide the link to your video file on dropbox, your name, contact info, and give us any background information on your video entry that you think we should know. For example: where it was filmed, who was involved, your thought process, what makes you a BlackBerry Super Fanboy, etc. If we post the video to the CrackBerry blogs as a finalist we'll need this background info to help set the stage for your video, so the more detail you send us the better.
• We will email you back within 24 hours to confirm we received your entry and video all good. If for some reason you do not hear back from us within that timeframe, send an email to [email protected].

 

From the entries submitted, our initial judging panel will narrow the entry selection down to our top finalists (likely top ten or five, depending on the number of entries we receive and how hard it is to separate the best from the rest).

How will the finalists be chosen? We're looking for the "Wow" factor: Wow that was creative, Wow that was funny, Wow that was nuts! So WOW us!

Each finalist video will receive its own individual blog post on the CrackBerry blogs and the CrackBerry community will have a chance to provide their feedback on the videos in the comments to each respective entry. Once all of the finalist videos have been posted, we'll run a summary post recapping all of the finalist videos, along with a poll to allow readers to vote and let the final judging panel know who their favorite is. The final judging panel will take the community votes into account when selecting the winners, but the final decision will come down to the judging panel (we don't want to see it turn into a contest for recruiting voters or trying to game online polling systems).

All said and done, we plan to announce the winner as early as possible the week of October 10th, if not sooner.

The timeline for booking the winner's trip will be a little tight to the BlackBerry DevCon event, so if you're making a video and aiming to win, be sure to plan on keeping October 17th to 20th available for the trip.

 

Other Details and Fine Print - if you're entering the contest, READ THIS!

• Note: We treat the term Fanboy to encompass Fangirl.. Fanboy/Fangirl.. it's all good. As long as you're a BlackBerry Fanboy or BlackBerry Fangirl!
• Disclaimer #1: Keep in mind these videos will be posted on youtube and on CrackBerry.com. Get appropriate consent by anybody appearing in your video.
• Disclaimer #2: While we love seeing zany and outrageous stuff, don't do anything that'll put you or anybody in your video at risk of suffering personal injury. CrackBerry.com will not be held responsible.
• Disclaimer #3: The grand prize winner and guest (if bringing one) will be required to sign a Winner Release and Indemnity form before attending the BlackBerry DevCon event.
• You can have as many people in your video as you like, but it will only be counted as one entry (one prize winner per video submission). The person who submits the entry to us will be the individual we consider as the winner. You may want to give your friends a big hug or buy them a beer for assistance they provide you in making your video.
• Eligibility: No purchase necessary to enter. Must be 18 years of age. Video entries will be accepted from anywhere in the world, but English should be the primary language used for the video. Note - the winner of the Grand Prize Package must reside in continental North America (due to airfare coverage). Should the best video come from outside of North America, we'll do our best to make everybody happy here. The next best video from continental North America will be awarded the BlackBerry DevCon travel package portion of the prize, and we'll try and do up something cool for the additional International grand prize winner.  
• *Grand Prize Winner Details: Should the winner of the BlackBerry DevCon travel package choose to, they may bring a significant other, spouse or friend along with them (if you wanna go solo, that's cool too). We will provide the airfare for up to two (can leave from different cities within continental North America - that's cool). CrackBerry will cover the airfare, hotel room for three nights (room rate only - you're on the hook for incidentals and mini bar), the cost of the DevCon passes, and we'll pick up the tab for dinner out with the CrackBerry team. Other costs -- shopping, meals, travel to from airport, etc. -- are not covered. Plan to fly out on Monday, October 17th and return home Thursday, October 20th (if you want to stay longer and pick up your own hotel for a few nights, we're cool with booking the return tickets home a few days later). Note, a lot of food is supplied during DevCon as an attendee. This prize is not transferable.
• We have some pretty huge BlackBerry Fanboys on the CrackBerry Editorial and Forums teams. If they want to do up a video, that's cool, but don't worry, they won't be allowed to win any prizes.
• If anything isn't clear or you have any other questions, please email us at [email protected].