"Now in its second year, the competition is open to all non-profit campaigns, and the winner will see its creative displayed on the highly trafficked Yahoo! login page, visited by one in ten Americans each day," a representative for Yahoo tells WebProNews. "Entries will be accepted beginning October 11, going through December 3."

This year, all agencies are invited to submit entries, including those not affiliated directly with the Ad Council. This wasn’t the case before. 

"Some of the most innovative digital campaigns being developed today are done on behalf of nonprofit organizations and causes," says Mitch Spolan, VP of Yahoo’s North American field sales. "’Create for a Cause’ offers the opportunity to build exposure for the most worthy causes in ways that can uniquely be achieved through the digital canvas."

"Create for a Cause is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the pro bono commitment of the advertising industry and their talent in developing compelling digital creative," says Barbara Shimaitis, SVP of Interactive Services at the Ad Council. "We are grateful to Yahoo! for helping spearhead this contest and donating premier placement for the winning campaign."

The winning campaign will be announced January 5, 2011.

With the site, users can share Ad Council PSA videos and images and comment on them through these platforms (such as Facebook and Twitter). AOL has provided the Ad Council with strategic guidance on the design and functionality of the site, as well as the financial resources to maintain it.

"We are delighted to partner with the Ad Council on My Ad Council," said Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO of AOL and incoming Chairman of the Ad Council. "AOL has a proud history supporting the Ad Council and their critical work raising awareness of some of the most pressing issues facing our society. My Ad Council is a tremendous advancement for the Ad Council and our industry community in helping to extend the impact of their PSAs."

The site highlights the pro bono efforts of advertising agency partners, media supporters and other contributors, and is based on insights gained through focus groups conducted at ad agencies, media companies and corporate advertisers.

"One of the most exciting and valuable uses of social media is for social good," said Brian Perkins, Corporate Vice President, Johnson & Johnson, and Chair of the Ad Council. "My Ad Council will give the Ad Council’s dedicated and talented supporters a simple way to make a difference and further the Ad Council’s mission."

"This great tool will provide our supporters with a way to develop a deeper and more meaningful personal engagement with our campaigns and serve as another distribution channel for our PSAs," said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. "We are grateful to AOL for generously partnering with us on this initiative, which will broaden the reach of our messages and help showcase the pro bono support of our constituents."

My Ad Council is being promoted around the blogosphere and on message boards. The Ad Council will produce and distribute a series of online ads that people can use to raise awareness about the new site.

Related Articles:

> How Social Media is Changing Charity

> Social Network Launches For Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans

> Yahoo Launches New Ad Unit with Charity Contest

  Features of the ad unit include synched animation, floating rich media, and streaming video. Yahoo says the objective of the contest is to determine which campaign most creatively and effectively uses the Tandem capabilities.

It’s a contest in which advertising agencies can submit their non-profit digital campaigns for a chance to appear in 74 million impressions on Yahoo. In addition, the winner can be among the first to try Yahoo’s new custom ad unit integration on Yahoo! Mail, and reach 32 million daily users.

"Agencies are doing an unbelievable job of building smart campaigns for good causes and helping non-profits break into digital in meaningful ways," said Beth Lawrence, vice president of agency development at Yahoo!. "This contest with the Ad Council provides a fun and creative way for agencies to showcase their creative genius, get some recognition for their favorite non-profits and drum up interest and visibility for an important cause. We are thrilled to be a part of this contest and part of the digital revolution for every kind of campaign."

Any advertiser that currently has a digital campaign with the Ad Council is eligible to apply, but advertisers are also encouraged to create new campaigns. The winning entry will be announced November 4th and run on November 18th. The deadline for submission is October 23rd. Submissions can be made at advertising.yahoo.com/createforacause.

Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB, Nancy Hill, President and CEO of AAAA, Allison Arden, Publisher of Advertising Age and Creativity Magazine, Peggy Conlin, President/CEO of the Ad Council and others make up the committee that will judge the campaigns.

Yahoo wins from the contest by getting to show off its new ad unit to a lot of people, but the best part is that no matter who officially wins the contest, the ad will (presumably) be aimed at a good cause and create massive exposure for it.

The new Web site CommunityofVeterans.org, provides information that can help veterans with transitional and readjustment issues, including a searchable database of national and local resources on topics such as jobs, education and health.

CommunityofVeterans.org aims to foster connections among veterans and allow them to communicate with each other. The Web site and private community were developed by BarkleyREI.

"Less than 1 percent of the U.S. population has served in the current conflicts and it’s critical that returning troops are able to connect with people who understand what they’ve been through. The PSAs and groundbreaking social networking site will go a long way toward helping these heroes readjust," said Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

The new PSAs and Website have been researched and tested with veterans, their familes and the public. MTV has made a commitment to support the new campaign through primetime content and on their social media channel, ThinkMTV.

AOL has also donated its resources to design the campaign’s Web banners and has made a commitment along with Google to support the ads on Veterans Day and in the coming months.

Beginning this week, an integrated social media program will promote the campaing on popular social networking sites and blogs targeted to service members andd their families.