NEWTON, Mass., July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced the launch of the TripAdvisor TV Ad Contest, its first-ever user-generated ad contest.  Everyone from video amateurs to filmmakers is encouraged to submit a short video in the spirit of TripAdvisor's "Don't Just Visit" commercials between Friday, August 1 and Sunday, August 31. The contest winner will earn a grand prize of $25,000 and a chance to see their ad air on television. TripAdvisor will also award five runner-up prizes of $1,000 with winning videos shared on TripAdvisor social media channels.

The TripAdvisor "Don't Just Visit" ads, launched in May, showcase the benefits of using TripAdvisor for travel planning and what can go wrong when it's not used. As a user-generated travel site, it is a natural extension for TripAdvisor to engage its community - allowing travelers to share their own experiences through personal versions of the ads.

"No one knows better than our community of millions of travelers how TripAdvisor makes a vacation great," said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. "Travelers love sharing their experiences on TripAdvisor, so we're excited to get their take on our 'Don't Just Visit' ads by asking them to share their travel stories in a creative new way, with one winning story to air on TV."

The TV ad contest will allow travelers to submit short videos that can be turned into a 15 or 30 second TV ad.  Submissions will be accepted in lengths of 11 or 26 seconds, in order to leave time for the four second ending.

U.S., France and Australia residents 18 and above are eligible to enter the contest, which are markets where the TripAdvisor "Don't Just Visit" ads launched. The grand prize and five runner-ups will be announced in mid-September. 

Additional details for the TripAdvisor TV ad contest and examples of the "Don't Just Visit" commercials can be found at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/TripNews-a_ctr.15secondsoffameUS. 

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching nearly 280 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 170 million reviews and opinions covering more than 4 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 43 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.lafourchette.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.virtualtourist.com, and www.kuxun.cn.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, Q1 2014

**Source: Google Analytics, average monthly unique users, Q2 2014; does not include traffic to daodao.com

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SOURCE TripAdvisor