Boston Market is announcing its first-ever Internet video contest aimed at celebrating America’s busy modern lifestyle and providing an outlet for the country’s passion for viral entertainment, especially videos. The premise of the contest is easy: demonstrate, in 60 seconds or less, what you would do with an extra 60 minutes in a day.Entries are also required to include the Homemade Movie Contest cup, available at all 630 Boston Market locations nationwide or as downloadable artwork that can be affixed to a 20-oz. cup via http://www.MyExtraHour.com. Finalists will be eligible to win thousands of dollars worth of prizes, including an all-expense paid trip to Hollywood.

“We like to think we’re giving our guests more free time when they choose Boston Market. So we’ve turned that premise into a contest and a call-to- action,” said Trey Hall, chief brand officer, Boston Market Corporation. “We’re helping all the busy moms, dads, and young professionals of the world, take a break, leave the cooking to us, and spend time doing the things they love.”

The Web site is an interactive site designed to invite visitors to view contest clips and even vote for their favorites. It houses all of the Boston Market Homemade Movie Contest official rules, prize information, and instructions on submitting and viewing videos. Additionally, the Web site will host two weeks of viewer’s choice voting and provide free music downloads which may be used when filming the contest entries.

The Homemade Movie contest begins today and submissions will be received until May 28, 2006.

Official rules are also available at your local Boston Market restaurant. No purchase is necessary to participate and the contest is void where prohibited. Participants must be of the age of majority in their state of residence. From May 30 through June 5, all videos submitted during the 10-week promotion will be reviewed by a panel of experts, who will choose the 16 finalists.

The judges include: Hall; Cameron Bridges, creative director CCT Advertising; Ian Coyle, creative director FL2; Kathleen Ciaramello, vice president Coca-Cola; and Chad Hunter, home movies expert.
“The spirit of Boston Market’s contest embodies what great homemade movies are, pun intended, made of,” said Hunter, archivist to the stars. “In my experience, I’ve found that most people capture on video or film the moments they most love about life and want to remember. From vacations to time spent with your kids, we all want those special moments to last and linger.”

There will be eight total winners at the end of the contest promotion with one grand-prize winner, one first-prize winner, one second-prize winner, and five runner-up prizes. The grand prize package is an all-expense paid trip for two to Hollywood including roundtrip airfare, three nights at The Beverly Hills Hotel, luxury car rental, $2,000 spending money, Universal Studios Tour, plus a Boston Market gift card for “Dinner for Four” once each week for one year. First, second, and runner-up prizes include Circuit City(R) and Boston Market “Dinner for Four” gift cards.