We are really excited about teaming up with Etsy.com to power the first "Handmade Moment" video contest -  allowing Etsy users to submit short videos for a chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes. Etsy has an amazing community of users and the entries for the contest so far are blowing us away. Amazingly creative, interesting, passionate, funny and more. Go to the site and watch some of the entries now. And if you are a content creator, get involved!

As you might expect, the contest has already been getting a good amount of attention. See the official release below for more information on the contest and Etsy.

Etsy.com Announces Online Video Contest, Offers Aspiring Videographers Cash Prizes and Unique Exposure

Artists and Filmmakers are invited to share their inspiration by creating promotional videos for the world's leading handmade marketplace

Brooklyn, NY - June 18, 2009 - Etsy.com is announcing its first video contest, aimed at celebrating the world's most vibrant handmade marketplace.  Contestants are invited to create videos for Etsy with the theme “A Handmade Moment”.  $10,000 in jury prizes will be awarded to the top submissions, and Etsy intends to use the winning entry to help drive its 2009 holiday marketing campaign. Full contest details can be found at www.etsy.tv.

Etsy provides consumers with direct access to independent artists, artisans, designers and crafters, connecting them to the most unique handmade and vintage goods in a diverse mix of categories. Etsy celebrates individual creativity in design, craftsmanship and the feel of hand by connecting unique people, stories and products in a playful and meaningful way.  Inherent in this connectivity, is an immediate awareness of the social and environmental implications of production and consumption.

"We created Etsy to reconnect producer and consumer. Aligned with our core values, we are inviting our members to create promotional videos with the theme “A Handmade Moment” for Etsy," said Maria Thomas, CEO of Etsy.  "Hundreds of thousands of artists have discovered the power of selling online via the Etsy marketplace.  Given the artistic nature of our community, we look forward to a variety of creative submissions.  As the heart of our community, our members have unique and compelling stories, and we are excited to share."

The video contest invites Etsy.com members to create :15 or :30 second promotional videos themed “A Handmade Moment.” Etsy will select 10 finalists from those submissions, and the Etsy community will be invited to vote for their favorites, alongside a panel of arts, media, crafting and style experts, as well as fellow artists and artisans. Entries will be awarded points for creativity and originality, handmade ethos, humor and whimsy, technical skill, catchiness and brand appropriateness.

The promotion is open to residents of the United States, Canada (excluding Quebec), United Kingdom and Australia.  Submissions are being accepted at www.etsy.tv through August 31, 2009, and the voting period begins September 14, 2009 and ends October 4, 2009. Winners will be announced after October 15, 2009. Official rules are available at www.etsy.tv. No purchase is necessary to participate and the contest is void where prohibited. Participants must be of the age of majority in their state or country of residence.

Etsy partnered with Magnify.net to build and deploy the contest. Magnify.net provides a web 2.0 video service, including a solution that provides video encoding, a custom video player, patent pending video discovery, curation and a user-generated video contest on the Magnify.net publishing platform.