Hundreds of Creative Entries Submitted on YouTube in U.S. and Canada; Only Six Finalists Will Win $5,000 and the Olympus PEN E-PL1 Camera

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., June 14, 2010 – Olympus is proud to unveil today the 20 semifinalists whose submissions earned the most thumbs-up "likes" in the PEN your story challenge on YouTube. These individuals submitted videos to the Olympus YouTube channel demonstrating what they would do with the amazing new Olympus PEN® E-PL1 portable camera featuring professional digital single lens reflex (DSLR) image quality, point-and-shoot simplicity and high-definition (HD) video, and $5,000 to bring their creative vision to life.

Hundreds of creative submissions were received, included everything from the story of a croquet whiz kid to a break-dancing back-flipping duo, and 20 of them earned the highest ratings of the YouTube community. You can view the submissions in the online gallery at http://www.youtube.com/getolympus.

With hundreds of submissions narrowed down to 20, voting begins now for the six finalists. Visit the site now until 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 21 and enter your thumbs-up "like" for your one favorite. On June 23, Olympus will reveal the six finalists chosen by the YouTube community and the panel of Olympus judges. Those six individuals will receive the PEN camera, the funds and time to bring their proposals to life.

In August, the six finalists will upload their final creations shot with the PEN to YouTube for the world to see, and one lucky Grand Prize winner will be selected based on a combination of popular vote and the panel of Olympus judges. The Grand Prize winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip for two to New York City to attend the Olympus-sponsored US Open National Tennis Championships. Then, for the ultimate recognition, the winner’s work will be displayed on the giant video board at the Arthur Ashe Stadium before an audience of thousands.

To cast your vote and for more details about the PEN your story challenge visit http://www.youtube.com/getolympus. Connect with us on http://Twitter.com/getolympus, http://www.Facebook.com/getolympusand http://www.Flickr.com/groups/getolympus. Learn about the amazing Olympus PEN E-PL1 camera at http://www.getolympus.com.

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