Amazon Announces Contest to Read Beedle of the Bard in London

Amazon has announced a new contest, in which the winner will win a trip to London for a weekend with their copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The Beedle the Bard Ballad Writing Contest is open to Amazon customers 13 and older to creatively write a short, English-language submission of 100 or fewer words answering one of the following three questions:

What songs do wizards use to celebrate birthdays?
What other sports do wizards play besides Quidditch?
What have you learned from the Harry Potter series that you use in everyday life?

“Customers have been anxious to see, touch and read this rare, unique, and absolutely beautiful piece of literature,” said Russell Grandinetti, vice president of books at Amazon. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer our customers a chance to head to London, don a pair of white gloves and be one of only a handful of people in the world to have read these amazing tales. And of course, given the rarity of the book, security guards are included.”

Contest submissions will be accepted from April 9 -22, in two age categories: 13-17 and 18 and older. 10 semifinalists from each category will then be selected and announced on May 5th. Amazon will post the semi-finalist submissions from both age groups and allow Amazon customers one week to vote for their favorite entry in each of the two age categories.

The two remaining finalists will then compete for the grand prize. Amazon customers will have one more opportunity to vote for their favorite submission, in mid-May, and determine the grand prize winner of the trip to London. The grand prize winner is slated to be announced on May 22nd.

Entries can be submitted here. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, April 22, 2008.