Channel your creative side for a chance to win a trip to BlogPaws!

I am a proud BlogPaws 2016 Conference Ambassador and am being compensated for my assistance in promoting the BlogPaws Conference. But I can assure you with every cat hair fiber of my being I would adore BlogPaws to the moon and back regardless of whether or not I was an ambassador and all opinions shared in this blog are mine.

BlogPaws, BlogPaws, BlogPaws. It’s something you’re going to hear me talking about a lot in the months ahead as we get closer to the 2016 conference that will be held this year at the gorgeous Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa on June 23 – 25. But when it comes to the BlogPaws or Bust Contest that’s just been unveiled, I’m not just going to talk about it, I’m going to dust off my cat ears and shout about it!

That’s right – the annual BlogPaws or Bust Contest is now open for Bloggers and Influencers looking for an opportunity to win one of three amazing prize packages:

One Grand Prize winner will receive a trip for one to the BlogPaws 2016 Conference including airfare, 4 night’s hotel at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa and registration worth up to $1550!

One Second place winner will receive 4 nights hotel at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa and registration worth approximately $950!

One Third place winner will receive one blogger registration to the BlogPaws 2016 Conference worth $229!

Holy cats, dogs, ferrets, and more! How exciting is this – an opportunity to win a trip to BlogPaws! I know the organization changed my life and it can change yours as well. There is networking, education, fun, food, pets, friends, socializing, working with brands, sightseeing, and so much more!

Dogs, cats, rats, and more… I’ve seen just about every type of pet there is at BlogPaws! So keep your pet in mind, keep Arizona in mind, and keep originality and creativity in mind!

So what do you need to do? It’s simple. Just put on your thinking cap and get creative. Whether it’s through words, pictures, or more, BlogPaws wants to know what excites you about the 2016 conference. What are you looking forward to and why do you want to come? Keep it fun, keep it real, and keep these three things in mind: creativity, originality, and relevancy.

The full overview of the contest rules can be found at this link, but here’s some advice to help if you’re stuck creatively. The BlogPaws judges will be looking for something that really jumps out – a great caption to compliment one of the contest provided photos, a compelling written paragraph that summarizes why you want to go to the conference, or a creative blog post.

If you’re stuck for ideas, I would probably go to Google images first and plug in some key words. The hotel is in Phoenix, Arizona, so things like cactus, horses, resorts, etc. might be good trigger words to inspire. After you have a basic idea, go from there. I tend to be relatively handy with Photoshop, but for those of you that aren’t, there are so many software editing programs available today that are free and easy! PicMonkey, Canva, and Pixiz are just a few of them.

But whatever you do, don’t delay! The contest ends on March 5, 2016 at midnight and you don’t want to wait to the last minute! And let me just say, if you don’t try, you’ll never know. Years ago, back in 2011, long before I even remotely knew photo editing or blogging or anything else, going to a BlogPaws conference was only a dream in my head. Finances were tight for me – I wanted to go to the conference which was going to be held in Tysons Corner, Virginia, but didn’t think it would be possible for me.

Back then the contest was called the BlogPaws Photo Caption Contest and on a whim, I decided why not. I chose an image of some of my cats looking out the window as if they were wishing upon a star, which inspired the caption to follow the photo.

We Wish we Will, we Wish we Might, oh Dear BlogPaws Judges, let it be our Human Mom on a Flight Tonight. She Works so Hard, Day and Night, a Trip to Virginia Would be oh so Right!

I was at work when my phone rang – it was Yvonne DiVita calling to let me know I had won the first place prize for my submission. If I can do it, so can you. And if you have any questions or need help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m an ambassador this year and it’s my pleasure to be of assistance. Oh, and in case you need reminding, the conference is being held at a RESORT & SPA. You know you want to go…

Good luck everyone and may the best caption win!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BlogPaws. The opinions and text are all mine.

To take a trip down memory lane and read about my 2011 BlogPaws experiences, please consider reading these posts:

BlogPaws – Present and Past

It’s Caturday… BlogPaws One Week Later!