Update: The winners are announced here!

I'm very excited to to announce the Spring 2010 Bento Contest, together with top French bento site FrenchBento and the awesome online bento boutique Bento&co.

Here in the northern hemisphere, the days are getting longer and the weather is slowly but surely turning warmer. Spring is the perfect time to bring delicious, healthy bento lunches from home. Whether you're just starting out, or already an experienced bento crafter, you can never have too many bento boxes or cute bento accessories, right? Right! So, now's your chance to win one of 10 great bento prizes.

The Spring 2010 Bento Contest is sponsored jointly by FrenchBento, JustBento and the supplier of the great prizes, Bento&co - who have just launched the English version of their site!

The contest details

• Theme: Spring! Just create a spring-themed, balanced and healthy bento. It does not have to be a charaben! We want to see colorful, delicious looking bentos that reflect the season.
• Photo: Take as good a photo of your bento creation as you can. It doesn't have to be professional quality, but how clearly we can see your bento will make a difference in the judging process.
• Include a description: Include a description of your thinking behind the bento, who the intended recipient/eater is, any ingredient notes, etc.
• Include your contact information: Be sure to include your name (or nickname), email address and country, to be eligible for a prize. You can also include your blog name and URL if you have one. Clarification: You can post the entry to your blog, but you must send the photo and description to the official email address to be considered an official entry.
• Email your entry to: contest@bentoandco.com.
• Limit: One entry per contestant. Take your time choosing your best creation.
• Contest period: March 12, 2010 to March 29, 2010. Your entry must be submitted on or before March 29th.

The prizes!

The following prizes will be awarded to ten lucky winners:

• One (1) Gold Medal: A geniune wood lacquerware shokado bento box worth 7500 yen (approx. 60 Euros or US$82) plus a 75 Euro (about US$102.50) gift certificate from Bento&co
• One (1) Silver Medal: A 75 Euro (about US$102.50) gift certificate from Bento&co
• Three (3) Bronze Medals: A 40 Euro (about US$54.50) gift certificate from Bento&co.
• Five (5) Runner-Up Winners: A 25 Euro (about US$35) gift certificate from Bento&co

The fine print

• Anyone who lives anywhere that Bento&co ships , and is not associated with Bento&co, FrenchBento or JustBento is eligible. Bento&co ships worldwide, except within Japan, so if you live in Japan you can't win a prize, sorry!
  
  __Clarification:__ "Associated with JustBento" means you work for or volunteer officially for the site in capacity (e.g. me, the site admins, and the forum moderators). If you are a regular site/forum registered user, you are eligible for the contest!
  
  __Another clarification:__ Bento&co. ships worldwide. The only country they cannot ship to is Japan. If you live in Southeast Asia you are eligible! If you're not sure, and you don't find your country on the list of countries, just drop a note to Bento&co to see if your country is ok!)
• To repeat: Only one entry per contestant will be accepted.
• The entries will be judged by Mook of FrenchBento, Erico and Thomas of Bento&co, and Maki (that's me!) of JustBento. We will choose the top ten entries, which will then be put up to a public vote to see who will emerge with the medals!
• The finalists and the winners will be announced on both FrenchBento and JustBento, as well as on Bento&co's official blog; the winners will be announced on or after April 9, 2010.

So...good luck everyone! I'm really looking forward to seeing your great entries!

Update: The winners are announced here!