Archive for the ‘Contests’ Category

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Spelling for ebooks: Austin’s annual Adult Spelling Bee


2012
05.09

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Posted in Books & Lit, Contests, Events | No Comments »

UPDATE – MAY 11: This event has been postponed until May 17 due to rain!

I must admit I’m torn on this event, as I loathe the Chronicle, but my love for the Austin Public Library far outweighs the many beefs I have with our city’s rag of choice. So, with my blessing, please attend the annual Adult Spelling Bee on Thursday, May 10 to benefit the library’s new digital reading collection!

Deets are as follows:

This is an adults-only spelling bee, so leave the youn’uns at home. 21+ drinking types can get buzzed while the bee does, and maybe learn a thing or two about EDU-MA-CAY-SHUN and VO-CAB-A-LARRY. Study up, bro, these words will be on the test!

WHEN: Thursday, May 10 17

WHERE: Threadgill’s World HQ (aka 301 W. Riverside)

REGISTRATION runs from 4:30 to 6 PM, the first test will take place around 6:15 PM, the second around 7 PM and finals at 7:30 PM

Prizes! Minimal $3 entry fee! Booze! Ebooks for APL! Kick it with 2011 winner Geoff Thevenot! It’s all good and the price is right, so c’mon dowwwwwwwwn!

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Win a holiday party with the Rebeccammendations Dine Out In contest


2011
12.14

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Posted in Contests, Holidays, Restaurants | No Comments »

While I was thinking of keeping this all to myself, because I love winning prizes (and especially FOOD prizes), I’m getting into the holiday spirit of giving and decided to share.

Rebecca Otis of The Rebeccammendations is running an awesome holiday contest on her blog. The winner gets a party catered by Dine Out In, a local delivery service that brings meals for Austin restaurants straight to your door.

That’s a sweet $250 deal, baby!

TO ENTER:

Hit up Rebecca with the details of a holiday party you’d like to throw between now and January 1, 2012. You’ve gotta invite at least 3 people, or it’s not a party (you know, “two’s company, three’s a crowd…”?). Include any theme, musical selections, decorations and whatnot that will make your event stand out, plus the types of people you’ll invite (friends, family, co-workers, etc.) and what food you’ll serve, along with the date of your party and the address where you’ll host it (unless, of course, it’s at your house, in which case you don’t need to reveal).

Send allllll of that to Rebecca at Rebeccammendations@gmail.com by this Friday, December 16 at 6 PM, along with:

Your First and Last Name, Phone #, City and Zip (+ Twitter handles, blog and website URLs if you have them) and up to 5 sentences explaining why you want to win.

You must also use the subject line “It’s Party Time with Eat Out In!”

(Yes, these directions are kind of long. Quit your bitching: That’s what you’ve gotta do to win free food, bro!)

The winner will be announced on Monday, December 19 via email and social media, and Rebecca will post pictures from your shindig on her blog.

BONUS POINTS:

As an extra, added bonus, if you retweet Rebecca’s blog post about the contest (or Like her Facebook post about it) she’s going to donate $100 to the Austin Children’s Shelter. Dude, that’s like FREE MONEY you can donate to a good cause and look like a hero in the process. No-brainer: just do it.

You’ve only got until Friday at 6 PM to knock my super-awesome New Year’s Eve party idea off its pedestal, so get crackin’!

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Black Heart Magazine seeks cover art


2011
09.19

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Posted in Books & Lit, Contests | No Comments »

Calling all visual artists! Our friends at Black Heart Magazine are in search of some kick-ass cover art for their latest digital anthology, a collection of local writers on the city of Austin. Whether you draw, paint, sculpt, pound metal into outrageous shapes, take photos, create collages, stain glass or spin garbage into gold, they want YOU to show ‘em what you’ve got.

The Vibe: Austin, in all its weirdness + a literary/artistic element

Submit your best take on Austin as a literary city via their Submishmash system (in JPG or GIF formats) by September 30, 2011 and your artwork could be the next cover.

Possible Inspiration: See the cover of their NOIR Anthology by artists Brian Roe and Ronda Pattison to kickstart your creative engines.

For more info on Black Heart, check out their website at http://blackheartmagazine.com.

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Dealuv $50 Visa gift card contest


2011
09.07

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Posted in Contests | No Comments »

A couple of weeks ago we talked about a new deals website called Dealuv, which offers FREE vouchers for deals from a variety of local businesses. This week they’re holding a contest for a $50 Visa gift card, and YOU could win!

Here’s what you have to do to enter:

  • Sign up for deal updates on www.dealuv.com
  • Download any free Dealuv voucher from the current promotions

Easy, right?

You can enter the contest anytime between now and September 23. One winner will be selected from the eligible entries, and must have a mailing address in the greater Austin area to qualify.

For more info about Dealuv, check out our “Deals gone wild” post, or head straight to Dealuv.com to enter the contest today!

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Amazing under $20 Valentine’s Day gift round-up and contest


2011
02.04

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Posted in Contests, Frugal Fashion, Holidays | 1 Comment »

Let’s face it, peeps: Valentine’s Day is sneaking up on us like a thief in the night, and instead of whining about how you don’t have any money to impress your lady friend, you need to buck up and get her a nice, yet inexpensive gift that will keep the love flowing. Yes, it’s a Hallmark “holiday.” Yes, it’s designed to make those of you un-partnered types feel bad about yourselves. Yes, you can stew in your juices hating it…

… or you can take our advice and BUY SOMETHING PURTY. Do it for your lady friend or do it for yourself! Either way, it’ll brighten someone’s day to get a nice little box delivered to the door. And we promise not to break your bank account with insane swag that you’ll never be able to afford, NOR your New Year’s resolutions to get in shape—although our favorite cheap, sweet, chocolatey treats will be featured on Monday Munchies next week!

While we firmly believe that true love cannot be bought, sometimes a little token of your affection can go a long way to plucking the heartstrings. We say don’t hate; get a date! So, without further ado, here are our AMAZING UNDER $20 VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT RECOMMENDATIONS for your perusal.

First up, please check out the sweet deals at Kohl’s, as they’re currently having a 99-cent deal on standard shipping. (Seriously, thank you, Kohl’s. There’s nothing we hate more than having to spend $50 or $100 to get “free” shipping!) For the long-term lady in your life, perhaps a bit of fancy lingerie?

LEFT: SO Scribble Heart Convertible Push-Up Bra, $13.99 / RIGHT: Candie’s Silver-Tone Crystal Heart Drop Earrings, $7

Not feelin’ the heat? What about some free jewelry (with $6.99 shipping) from FreeJewelry.com?

LEFT: Yippee Ring / RIGHT: Black Heart Shell Earrings, both $6.99 at FreeJewelry.com

Okay, maybe your gal’s more of a homemade/vintage/local business-supporting type? Here are some great finds from Etsy, all made by Austin designers:

Kiss Me/Be Mine conversation heart earrings, $8 by alliteration

Mechanics of Love steampunk earrings, $18 by turnerstokens

Wings of My Heart necklace, $15 by knottyknowles

Vertex - Skulls & Hearts Earrings, $9.50 by polishedtwo

Anatomical Heart Vintage Graphic Pendant, $7 by NotSoDotty

I Love Brains Necklace, $16 by LoadedGlueGun

Home is Where the Heart Is Art Locket, $15 by steel

Bathing Beauty Pinup Earrings, $8 by BombshellKitty

Love Filled Shell Necklace, $20 by thestarsatnight

See? A little something for everyone. And if you didn’t see anything you liked, remember to hit up Etsy and click the “shop local” button to search Austin wares. Type in your budget’s range to narrow the search to a manageable level, and away you go!

VALENTINE’S CONTEST

Finally, if you’ve literally got no dough to show your gal pal a good time this Valentine’s Day, be sure to enter Goodwill’s Show the Love contest by creating a heartfelt valentine for Austin Goodwill.

Whether your valentine is written, painted, sculpted, drawn, sung or danced, you can send it to Goodwill directly via their Twitter account, Facebook page or website for the chance to win prizes like a couple’s massage from Myo Massage, a dinner for two and a Goodwill gift card.

For full details, please see AustinGoodwill.org.

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Freebie Fridays


2010
09.03

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Posted in Contests, Freebies, Movies, Music, Sports | No Comments »

Just wanted to introduce a new weekly addition to Shoestring Austin: Freebie Fridays! Every week we’ll be highlighting fun, free things to see and do, as well as contests and give-aways from Austin-area merchants and bloggers. Got something you’d like to add to our list? Get in touch through our contact page with all the details!

Win a copy of Henry & Glenn Forever!

First up, if you like Henry Rollins and/or Glenn Danzig, then you’ll want to snag a free copy of the hilarious spoof comic Henry & Glenn Forever being given away to one lucky reader by our affiliate, Black Heart Magazine. Henry & Glenn Forever features Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig as gay lovers, along with neighbors (and Satanists) Hall & Oates. It’s a heady trip through a reimagined metal landscape where manly men and their mysteriously mustachioed neighbors get it on all night long. If you can go for that, all you have to do to be entered into the prize draw is comment on their review, which is online here.

Win tickets to Dripping With Taste

Via the Austin Chronicle‘s contest page, enter to win free tickets to Dripping With Taste Wine & Food Festival on September 11, 2010. As the second fastest growing wine destination in the U.S., you’ll experience the tastes of Hill Country with food from Dripping Springs vendors Creek Road Café, Rolling in Thyme & Dough, Thai Gourmet, and Verdes Mexican Parrilla.

Wineries in attendance include Driftwood Estate Winery, Duchman Family Winery, Becker Vineyards, Bell Mountain Vineyards, Fall Creek, Haak Vineyards & Winery, Messina Hof Winery & Resort, Piney Woods Country Winery, Texas Hills Vineyard, Sunset Winery, Landon Winery, Wines of Dotson, McReynolds Winery, and Cocktail Wine. You can buy tickets in advance for $25 each, or click here to enter the drawing for free.

Other Austin Chronicle contests on now include chances to win a $25 gift certificate to eco gift store Wanderland, a $10 gift certificate to the Old Pecan Street Fest, and tickets to 4 shows during the 2010-2011 season of Texas Performing Arts.

Austin AV Club giveaways

If you dig movies, you’ll want to check out these Austin AV Club giveaways, which are going, going, GONE! Ending September 5 is their contest to win the 6th season of The Office on DVD, and until September 28 you can still enter to win one of 10 copies of Get Him to the Greek on DVD. Sweet!

Free movie screenings

If you like free movie tickets, you’ll want to grab these free screeners for Ben Affleck’s second directorial outing, The Town, via Gofobo.

Free music

If you love free music, be sure to check out the “Daily Downloads” section for legal MP3 downloads at Largehearted Boy. Today’s selections include tunes from The Biters, Crocodiles, Delay Trees, The Drums, Grand Lake, Hudson Bell, The Intelligence, The Interns, Lavinia and The Mommyheads.

Free food

Central Market is currently offering a “foodie freebie” of Ito En Teas’ Tea, house brand all-natural tortillas (10 ct) and Cascade sour cream (16 oz.) with purchase of 2 pounds of marinated sirloin steak for fajitas. A total of $10.67 in groceries FREE with their in-store coupon. Click here for more weekly specials.

Free drinks (21+)

Via Keeping Austin Free, those of legal drinking age can enjoy a free Burgundy wine tasting today only, from 4 to 8 pm. Hit up East End Wines (1209 Rosewood Avenue) for your sample sips.

Let us know if there’s anything we’ve missed!

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Planet Fitness contest winner!


2010
08.27

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Posted in Contests, News, Sports | No Comments »

The results of our quickie Planet Fitness contest are in, and we’d like to congratulate our reader Brittany McAllister for her winning comment!

Brittany wins all six of the Planet Fitness day passes, for being the sole reader with enough courage to respond to our post. As a recent UT grad, she noted that she’s been looking for a new gym, now that the school’s facilities are no longer available. Planet Fitness is definitely a great cheap option for Austin residents looking to get fit, and we’re glad to be of service. Enjoy your passes, Brittany, and let us know what you think!

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Quickie contest: 6 free one-day passes to Planet Fitness!


2010
08.17

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Posted in Contests, News, Sports | 3 Comments »

THIS CONTEST IS CURRENTLY OVER, AND COMMENTS HAVE BEEN CLOSED

As I previously mentioned in my post on Austin-area gyms, I’m a member of Planet Fitness. This is mainly due to its insanely low-priced membership fees (how can you beat $10?!). But today I received a letter in the mail informing me that because they’re opening new clubs in the area, they’ve sent all their Black Card members some free one-day passes.

Thus I bring to you the first-ever Shoestring Austin CONTEST!

THE PRIZE: One of my 6 one-day passes to Planet Fitness, to check them out for yourself

HOW TO WIN: Just write a comment on this post telling me what your fitness goals for this year are, and why you’d like to win one of the passes. If we get 6 comments or less, the first 6 people to post win! If we receive more than 6 comments, we’ll hold a drawing and randomly select winners at this time next week (i.e. Tuesday, August 24, 2010). Results will be posted here on the Shoestring Austin blog on Wednesday, August 25, 2010.

So get your comments on, post up to midnight on August 24, 2010, and tell your friends!