UPS announced its second annual UPS Best "Out-of-the-Box" Small Business Contest. The national contest will honor the most innovative U.S. small businesses and is designed for U.S. companies with annual 2005 revenues of at least $250,000 but not more than $10 million. Eligible businesses are asked to submit a 500-word essay explaining how they are original and "out-of-the-box."

To support this year's contest, the company has launched a special Web site to help small businesses submit their 500-word essays and complete the entry process. Entries may be submitted online through September 15. All entries must be completed by an employee or owner of an eligible business on behalf of that business, with a limit of one entry per business. The entries will be judged by a multi-member panel of renowned small business experts from outside and within UPS. Jordan Colletta, vice president of e-commerce marketing at UPS, will serve as chairman of the judges to evaluate finalists. Prizes include:

• First place - $10,000 in cash (or UPS shipping); $1,000 of document services from The UPS Store; an HP printer and PC with UPS shipping tools, and $5,000 worth of consulting from UPS.
• Second place - $5,000 in cash (or UPS shipping) and an HP printer and PC with UPS shipping tools.
• Third place - HP printer and PC with UPS shipping tools.

The winner of the 2005 contest, Designs By Lucinda of Portland, Maine, creates fashion pins that are sold by non-profit organizations to raise money and awareness for their causes. The second place winner, ColorLab Custom Cosmetics of Rockford, Ill., creates a cosmetics line that individuals can customize in the store. Third place recognition went to INCHworm Shoes of Boston, which creates a line of children's shoes that adjust one shoe size in half-size increments to "grow" as the child's foot grows.

http://www.ups.com/outofthebox