Olympus kicks off The Road to Whistler Contest!

Today, Olympus is calling all creators to see who has what it takes to shoot an amazing short video with some of the best Olympus gear at the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival Olympus 72-Hour  Filmmaker Showdown (April 13-16, 2012).

You can register and submit a video that represents Your best work HERE: http://bit.ly/OlyWhistler

Two will win the Olympus PEN E-PL3^® plus accessories, and an all-expense paid, six-night, five-day trip, along with up to two crew members to Whistler in British Columbia, Canada. Once there, they will compete in the Olympus 72-Hour Filmmaker Showdown for the chance to win a Best in Show prize of an Olympus OM-D E-M5^® digital interchangeable lens camera kit and up to $15,000 in prize money!

For more info check out this call to action video.

As an extra-special treat, the winners will receive hands-on training from filmmakers Austin and Maitland Lottimer, winners of last year’s Olympus PEN Your Short 48-Hour Film Contest at the 2011 Vail Film Festival.  You can watch their winning submission entitled “Running Colors” here.

You must be at least 18 years of age and a citizen of the US or Canada to enter. Each winner selected can bring up to two crew members. Olympus will choose and notify the winners the week of March 26, 2012.

See the official press release launching the contest below and stay tuned for our reports from the mountains at Whistler. For more rules and regulations click here.

ENTER THE OLYMPUS ROAD TO WHISTLER VIDEO CONTEST AND WIN A TRIP TO THE TELUS WORLD SKI AND SNOWBOARD FESTIVAL IN WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Winners Will Compete In the Olympus 72-Hour Filmmaker Showdown for A Chance to Win $15,000 Plus Olympus Products

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., March 15, 2012 – Olympus is proud to announce that it has joined forces with the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival (April 13-22, 2012), to bring you the Road to Whistler video contest.

The Road to Whistler video contest gives entrants an opportunity to win a trip to the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival where they will compete for a chance to win a grand prize of up to $15,000, plus a brand new Olympus OM-D E-M5^® digital interchangeable lens camera and 12-50mm lens. Two teams, consisting of a videographer and up to two additional crew members, will be chosen by Olympus to win the trip to Whistler.

In addition to the trip, members of the winning team (up to three individuals) will receive Olympus PEN E-PL3^® cameras and a variety of HD video-enhanced lenses. The kit will include: 9-18mm, 45mm and 14-150mm lenses (all lenses combined offer a total equivalent focal range of 18mm-300mm), accessories, including the SEMA-1^® stereo microphone adapter, VF-3^® electronic viewfinder, LS-7^® PCM stereo digital audio recorder, extra batteries, a 4GB SD card and a bag to carry the gear. They will also receive a two-hour training session and on-site technical support from both Olympus technical staff and award-winning filmmakers Austin and Maitland Lottimer, winners of the Olympus PEN Your Short 48-Hour Film Contest at the 2011 Vail Film Festival.

The Road to Whistler video contest takes place now through March, 26, 2012. For consideration, entrants must visit www.getolympus.com/roadtowhistler, complete the Contest form with their name, address, phone number, email address and a link to their best original video sample by noon (EST), Monday, March 26, 2012. Registration is FREE and competitors can begin filming their Road to Whistler video contest entry at any time, or submit a previously produced video of their own. The finished video should be no longer than five minutes.

The week of March 26, 2012, the top two videos will be selected by Olympus judges. The team members (up to three individuals) will be flown to Whistler on April 12, 2012 for a five-night trip to compete for up to $15,000, plus an Olympus OM-D E-M5 digital interchangeable lens camera, and a stage to showcase their talents. The selected videos will then be featured on www.getolympus.com/roadtowhistler and shared with the world through Olympus’ social sites.

The Road to Whistler video contest is open to legal residents of the United States and Canada, excluding Quebec, who are 18 years or older. For complete rules, please visit: www.getolympus.com/whistler.

Journalists interested in more information about the Road to Whistler video contest should contact Charles Leone, Mullen Public Relations, 212-885-3803, charles.leone@mullen.com or Jennifer Colucci, Olympus Imaging America Inc., 484-896-5719, jennifer.colucci@olympus.com.

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