Vonage Founder Offers 40,000 Dollars

Jeff Pulver, co-founder of VoIP service Vonage is offering a total of 40,000 of his own dollars to aspiring Internet TV producers and Video Bloggers who can best explain "How to Watch Internet TV."

The contest is to rally interest around Pulver's Network2 Internet TV site, which is dedicated to aggregating the best in longer-form, episodic video that the Internet has to offer.

Unlike Youtube, which works on a sort of "upload first, ask questions later" system, Network2's staff personally watch and approve content before it even reaches the site. Their criteria are not too harsh, but guarantee that programming will be of slightly better quality.

There is a small social networking aspect to the site as well, but the real potential lies in the "review" field. Users can subscribe to shows and then publish their own reviews, lending a Yelp-ish feel that will ultimately help other users find content most suitable to their tastes.

Contest entries must be received by March 9th, and can be an original episode of an Internet TV show, a video blog, or standalone clip. Of course, those entries mentioning Network2 will likely be viewed more favorably. Contest rules can be found on Pulver's site.

The winners of the top three prizes ($5,000, $10,000, and $25,000 respectively) will be announced on March 20th at the Video on the Net conference in San Jose, CA.