The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) recently released its list of the World’s Top 15 Model Cities for Best Practices in Tourism. Hangzhou, China was included in the list for its innovative efforts in the protection and development of as well as continuous investment in the city’s historical and cultural resources.
In December 2016, UNWTO created an award recognizing the 15 cities worldwide considered by the organization as examples to emulate when it come to the adoption of best practices in tourism, among its 193 member countries. UNWTO plans to expand the best practices applied by the winners in other global destination cities. UNWTO selected 15 winners based on the results of a survey and a performance evaluation program conducted by a panel of judges at a special evaluation meeting held in September 2017.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8243851-hangzhou-china-top-15-cities-best-practices-tourism/
The Pillsbury® Bake-Off® Contest is back with a new twist and we are calling all home cooks nationwide to fire up their ovens and imagine the possibilities with Pillsbury. In partnership with Food Network and The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, Pillsbury is celebrating family memories made at home, by seeking out your family’s favorite recipes and the inspiration and stories behind them.
As an evolution of the beloved Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest, this year home cooks are asked to share how they use Pillsbury in a family favorite recipe and to also share the story behind their recipe. Do you have a twist on a recipe passed down from a relative? Is there a special family tradition that surrounds the recipe? Judges will consider both the recipe and the story behind the recipe in their judging. Contestants may submit their original recipe using Pillsbury® refrigerated dough along with the inspiration behind it for any of the following categories: Cozy Breakfasts, Appetizers for Any Party, Dinners with Heart, and No-Fuss Desserts at BakeOff.com.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/8173751-pillsbury-food-network-bake-off-contest/
A year ago, Falaniko Penesa, 26, of Upolu, Apia, Samoa, finished second in the World Fireknife Championship, losing out to five-time champion Mikaele Oloa of Waialua, Hawaii.
Penesa spent the past year “practicing every day to make my moves flow” and the hard work paid off, as he won the 25th Annual World Fireknife Championship on Saturday night (May 13), beating out Oloa by one point on the combined scorecards of the seven judges. Kepanipaa Damaso of Waikoloa, Hawaii finished third.
Penesa, who performs at Hong Kong Disneyland, dazzled the sold-out crowd at the Polynesian Cultural Center’s Pacific Theater with an amazing routine that had him spinning, twirling and juggling one and two fireknives at lightning-fast speed, often behind his back and overhead.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8105951-world-fireknife-championship-falaniko-penesa/
St. Catherine Hospital from Croatia has been named as one of the finalists, and Ruban d’Honneur recipients, in the 2016/17 European Business Awards sponsored by RSM.
It is one of only 110 finalists announced after over 33,000 businesses were engaged in the competition, and was chosen by a panel of independent judges because it displayed the core values of innovation, ethics and success.
The company will now undertake an in depth face-to-face interview, and will find out if it is a winner of one of the 11 categories at a Gala Final on May 4 in Dubrovnik.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8037951-st-catherine-hospital-business-awards/
Geoffrey Zakarian is back to host the deceptive and suspenseful series, Cooks vs. Cons, where amateur cooks go head-to-head against professional chefs while concealing their true identities, adding to the mystery of this culinary competition! Each episode the contestants battle it out in two rounds of timed challenges to create delicious restaurant quality dishes using a secret ingredient. The pressure is on as a rotating panel of judges, including Richard Blais, Anne Burrell, Josh Capon, Monti Carlo, Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, Katie Lee, Marc Murphy, Daphne Oz, Marcus Samuelsson, and more, decide who is a novice in the kitchen and whose cooking skills have been seasoned to perfection. Tune in to Food Network on Sunday, July 10th at 10pm to see if you can figure out who’s who before the final reveal!
“Viewers were captivated as they played along with the judges to figure out who was the professional chef and who was the home cook,” said Didi O’Hearn, Senior Vice President Programming, Food Network & Cooking Channel. “Now audiences will be on the edge of their seats as they share in even more of the fun and mystery with twice as many episodes this season.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7619252-food-network-cooks-vs-cons-2016/
Regional winners of the Rotten Sneaker Contest® gathered at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Times Square for the 2016 national competition. Six contestants from across the country, ages seven to thirteen, went head-to head in New York City today to show off their foul smelling sneakers for a chance to win the national title. But only one pair of sneakers could be crowned the winner and they belonged to 12 year old, Mason Young-Hiss, from Berthoud, CO.
The Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest is the ultimate test that shows how offensive kids’ sneakers can get when they are playing outdoors, splashing through puddles, slogging through mud and more. The contest has a long history (over 40 years) and kids from across the country look forward to this annual event in their hometown. Participants take pride in mucking up their shoes to stand out from their competitors to ultimately win over the judges. Sneakers are judged on the interior and exterior conditions of the shoe, and most importantly odor, by a professional panel that includes NASA “Master Sniffer” George Aldrich, Chemical Specialist for NASA space missions, and Rachel Herz, Ph.D., an expert and author on the psychology of smell. Additionally, Brittany Every, Marketing Manager of Ripley’s Believe Or Not! Times Square joined the expert judges this year. Brittany is accustomed to seeing the unexpected and unusual at Ripley’s so she was up for the task.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7720051-odor-eaters-rotten-sneaker-contest/
From spider cupcakes, to cheesecake coffins, to witch finger cookies and mummy macarons, seven of the country’s top bakers compete to create Halloween’s spookiest and most creepy crawly confections on Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship, premiering Monday, October 5th at 9:00pm ET/PT. In order to survive this haunted competition, hosted by Richard Blais, contestants must prove their baking abilities and impress judges Ron Ben-Israel, Carla Hall, and Sherry Yard. Only one winner will take home the grand prize of $25,000 and the title of Halloween Baking Champion!
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7329436-food-network-halloween-baking-championship/
Lithium Technologies today announced the winners of the fifth annual Lithium Digital Customer Excellence Awards, affectionately known as the Lithys. This year’s awards set a new record for submissions with 66 entries from 17 countries across four continents and representing 47 brands. The 2015 Lithys also had a big impact on Lithium’s own community, generating more than 21,000 page views and 9,000 visits—and adding 4,000 community members during the voting period. Winners were determined by community votes, outside judges Nate Elliott from Forrester Research and Jim Storer of The Community Roundtable, and Lithium executives.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7522751-lithy-2015-winners/
Outdated beachfront properties are transformed into hot commodities in HGTV’s newest renovation competition series, Beach Flip. Premiering on Sunday, July 5, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, HGTV and DIY Network stars Nicole Curtis (Rehab Addict), Josh Temple (House Crashers) and David Bromstad (My Lottery Dream Home) act as hosts, judges and mentors to four rival teams as they compete to renovate rundown waterfront bungalows with outdated décor, loud wall colors and awkward layouts into spectacular properties in just eight weeks. The team with the highest increase in property value as determined by the region’s top appraisers wins the $50,000 grand prize and a spread in HGTV Magazine.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7514351-hgtv-beach-flip/
Food Network competition series Food Network Star returns for an eleventh season this summer, with a cast of twelve talented hopefuls competing to become the next new face in food television. Food superstars Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay are back as mentors/judges, joined this season by a roster of top-notch special guests and judges. In the biggest audition of their lives, the finalists battle in a series of unique challenges designed to determine who has the personality, on-air charisma and cooking skills to win the ultimate prize – their own show on Food Network. Exclusive web series Star Salvation also returns, giving one eliminated contestant the opportunity to rejoin the competition. Food Network Star season eleven premieres on Sunday, June 7th at 9pm ET/PT and the winner will be crowned in the season finale on Sunday, August 16th at 9pm ET/PT.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7045238-food-network-star-season-11/
Halloween Wars returns to Food Network for its fourth season, premiering Sunday, October 5th at 9pm ET/PT. Witness five teams, consisting of a pumpkin carving expert, a cake decorator, and sugar artist, as they battle it out over four episodes to create heart-stopping Halloween-themed displays, guaranteed to scare the daylights out of viewers. Hosted by Justin Willman Cupcake Wars), each week the teams go head-to-head to create different themed pumpkin displays. One team is eliminated each episode by the judging panel, made up of renowned cake decorator Shinmin Li and Emmy®-nominated make-up artist Brian Kinney, and a rotating panel of celebrity guest judges, including Naomi Grossman American Horror Story: Asylum), Francia Raisa The Secret Life of the American Teenager), Adi Shankar (film producer of The Grey and Dredd), and Lew Temple The Walking Dead and The Devil’s Rejects).The last team standing wins the title of Halloween Wars champion and a $50,000 grand prize.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7045259-food-network-halloween-wars-season-4/
Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is inviting the world to watch live action of the annual International Photographic Competition International Photographic Competition (IPC) from August 4-7. This is the first time in IPC’s history that judging sessions can be viewed in real time by the public. PPA photographers around the globe have submitted nearly 5,000 images for the competition and will watch closely, along with a worldwide audience, as the IPC judges assess their work.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7118951-professional-photographers-of-america-international-photographic-competition-first-live-stream/
