CENTER VALLEY, Pa., May 3, 2010 - Olympus wants to know: What you would do if you had 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, along with $5,000 to bring your creative vision to life? The PEN your story challenge starts right now, so it's time to find out.

Your "vision" can be anything that you could produce with the high-quality PEN and $5,000 budget. Whether your dream is to direct a short film with HD video, produce a fashion spread of pro-quality still images, chronicle an adventure or to create an amazing photomontage, you can submit your video proposal to www.youtube.com/getolympus and enter to win the PEN, the funds to make your project reality and a crack at the grand prize.

After the proposal submissions have been narrowed down to 20 semi-finalists selected by the community via thumbs up "likes" (be sure to tell your friends to watch and like your submission!), six of the best proposals will be selected by a panel of judges from Olympus, as well as the YouTube community. Those six individuals will receive the PEN, the funds and time to bring their proposals to life.

Once the six finalists have uploaded their final creations to YouTube for the world to see, 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 Championships on Olympus Day. The winner's work will be displayed on the giant video board at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center before an audience of thousands.

Get professional tips to make your filmmaking dreams become a reality from multi Webby-Award winner Erik Beck, executive producer of the online DIY filmmaking network Indy Mogul (http://www.indymogul.com/). Beck has produced a how-to video with tips and tricks to assist you with the production of your submission for the PEN your story challenge, view the video here: www.youtube.com/getolympus and www.facebook.com/getolympus. The challenge is open to residents of the United States and Canada.

MAKE YOUR CREATION SHINE WITH THE PEN
When submitting your video proposal for the PEN your story challenge, explain how, as a finalist, you plan to use the creative features of the Olympus PEN E-PL1 for your project.

In-camera Art Filters for HD Videos and Still Images
The PEN incorporates editing effects inside the camera to save time and make your artistic vision an instant reality. It has six in-camera Art Filters including Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pin Hole, Grainy Film, Diorama and Gentle Sepia. These filters can be applied to videos or stills to, for example, achieve a 1960's era super-saturated color effect with Pop Art filter, miniaturize your life with Diorama, add mystery to your story with a Pin Hole perspective or recreate classic Film Noir with Grainy Film. The creative possibilities only are limited by your imagination.

Multiple Exposures
With the PEN's Multiple Exposure function available for still image capture, you are free to tell a visual story your way. The image capture options enable you to shoot one shot, then another and combine them in real time, or capture both shots separately and combine them within the camera later.

Live Guide
The PEN's new Live Guide interface simplifies great photography and offers the results you desire at the touch of a button. Want more vivid or muted color in your shot? Want warmer or cooler color? Want a brighter or darker subject, or a sharper or softer background? Or maybe you want to capture the fast-moving action of your subject with a little artistic blur, or perhaps freeze the action? Simply select Live Guide and press the up and down arrows on the back of the camera to slide through numerous photographic effects. Make adjustments and watch the LCD as the effects are made live – before the image is captured! Don't worry about learning technical things like f-stops, shutter speed and white balance; jump right in by composing, adjusting exposure and more before the shot is taken.

For more details about the PEN your story challenge and the Olympus PEN E-PL1 visit http://www.youtube.com/getolympus and http://www.getolympus.com, and connect with us on http://Twitter.com/getolympus, http://www.Facebook.com/getolympus and http://www.Flickr.com/groups/getolympus.

Journalists interested in more information about the PEN your story challenge should contact Michael Bourne, Mullen Public Relations, (617) 226-9953 or michael.bourne@mullen.com, or Jennifer Colucci, Olympus Imaging America Inc., 3500 Corporate Parkway, Center Valley, Pa. 18034, ph: (484) 896-5719 / (800) 622-6372 or jennifer.colucci@olympus.com, or visit the Olympus Web site: http://www.getolympus.com.

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