Make a video, win a vacation

State your desperation for a vacation compellingly in a video of up to 30 seconds and you could win a free week's getaway for you and your family (up to four people) at any Best Western in the USA or Canada, plus a video camera and spending $$$.

Videos should be submitted by June 24 to the Best Western site on YouTube. I watched a very clever one in which the camera is focused on the cluttered desk of a woman named Mary while voices keep informing her of new workaday and personal pestilence -- project due NOW, school nurse called about a sick kid, her dog bit someone. You get the picture.

Starting July 14, top videos will be shown on a Best Western's contest website, where visitors can vote for their favorites. A Best Western panel of judges will then rule. Nine runners-up get a $250 travel card that can be used for lodging and incidentals at Best Westerns worldwide.

So, why do YOU need a vacation?