Sony Ericsson has announced an “international smile hunt”, in which participants are asked “to capture as many smiles as possible on their mobile camera phone”. Forty-four countries are taking part and only a select few from each country will be chosen as official Smile Hunters. They will get to go to the most prestigious events, exclusive parties, meet new people and travel to exciting places as a Sony Ericsson VIP – for free. Anyone who thinks they could be a Sony Ericsson Smile Hunter must first apply online at www.sonyericsson.com/smilehunter. If you find yourself among the lucky few, you will receive a ‘Smile Hunting Kit’ including a new Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot™ C510 or C905 Plus camera phone with Smile Shutter technology, gig tickets, VIP passes to exclusive events, trips for you and your friends, festival tickets and entrance to exclusive club nights.

Website: Smile Hunt

Sony Ericsson Press Release

Sony Ericsson launches challenge to capture millions of smiles around the world

London, May 5th, 2009 - An international smile hunt launches today looking for the best smile hunters from around the globe – trend setters who will hang out with cool celebrities and be front row at headline events from fashion weeks to festivals in their efforts to capture smiles from around the world.

Once in a Lifetime Experience

Sony Ericsson is offering three lucky people from the UK the chance to become a Sony Ericsson Smile Hunter. They will get to go to the most prestigious events, exclusive parties, meet new people and travel to exciting places as a Sony Ericsson VIP – for free. In return, the Smile Hunters will be challenged to capture as many smiles as possible on their mobile camera phones and to keep a blog about the stories they gather behind the smiles.

Only a select few from each country will be chosen as official Smile Hunters. Launching on May 1st and with 44 countries taking part, Sony Ericsson is encouraging photographers of all abilities to take part.

Be Inspired

To help Smile Hunters get started, Sony Ericsson has teamed up with Hexstatic – the pioneering VJ duo voted “World’s number 1 VJ’s” by MixMag – to create a Smile Hunter demo video and exclusive soundtrack, available to download on the Smile Hunter website.

Get Involved

Anyone who thinks they could be a Sony Ericsson Smile Hunter must first apply online at www.sonyericsson.com/smilehunter. A shortlist will be selected before a panel of local judges decide who makes it through to the final experience.

Once selected, Sony Ericsson Smile Hunters will be given ‘Smile Hunting Kits’ containing everything they need for an action-packed summer – including a new Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot™ C510 or C905 Plus camera phone with innovative Smile Shutter™ technology - the ultimate tool for capturing smiles - gig tickets, VIP passes to exclusive events, trips for you and your friends, festival tickets and entrance to exclusive club nights.

The Ultimate Smile Hunter

Sony Ericsson’s clever Smile Shutter™ technology is the latest in camera phone sophistication. Available with both the Sony Ericsson C510 Cyber-shot™ and C905 Cyber-shot™ upgrade, the Smile Shutter™ detects a person’s smile and immediately takes the photograph - capturing the perfect smiling-shot every time. Missed smiles are a thing of the past with this revolutionary smile hunting tool.

Everyone can be a Smile Hunter

Even if you don’t make it through to be an official Sony Ericsson Smile Hunter, there will be a chance to take part in an exciting global smile hunter competition, in which anyone can enter by simply uploading their best camera phone ‘smile’ photos to an interactive gallery on the official website www.sonyericsson.com/smilehunter.

A global judging panel comprising David Viggers, international photographer, Tony Briggs, celebrity portrait photographer, Martin Wezowski, design producer for Sony Ericsson, Liu Heung Shing, Time magazine’s first photojournalist (based in Beijing) and Angela Boatwright, the international photographer with rocker roots, will come to London to vote for their favourite smile photos uploaded by the Smile Hunters and the general public.

However, it’s not just the judges who will choose the winners, the general public will be able to vote for their favourite smile photos in the interactive gallery on the Smile Hunter website, with the person with the most votes being crowned the ‘People’s Global Winner’.

All entrants could be in with a chance of winning a range of amazing prizes, from a trip for two to visit the new youth culture wonders of the world, to having their images displayed in a local exhibition.

Merran Wrigley, VP, Head of External Communications at Sony Ericsson, said: “With Smile Shutter™ technology, taking great smile photos couldn’t be simpler. Mobile phone technology is evolving incredibly quickly and it’s amazing what can be achieved. The Smile Hunters have an exciting adventure ahead of them and we can’t wait to see the smiles they capture along the way.”

Join the Smile Hunt

If you think that you have what it takes to be a great Sony Ericsson Smile Hunter, or want to find out how to take part, log onto www.sonyericsson.com/smilehunter for more information and deliver your pitch for why you should be picked.

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