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Apartments.com is again looking to crown America's best roommate in its second annual Roommate of the Year video contest with a Grand Prize of free rent for one year plus $10,000 in cash. According to a recent Apartments.com survey, 60 percent of renters currently live with a roommate or plan to move in with one, so finding the right person to live with is an important decision for the majority of renters. In 2009, Keaton Davis of Hockessin, Delaware and a student at Trinity University in San Antonio beat out stiff competition to be named the Roommate of the Year by Apartments.com. To capture those unique qualities that make a great roommate exceptional, Davis composed an original rap and created an eye-catching video, singling him out as the Apartments.com Roommate of the Year. Beginning April 26, 2010 renters can view last year's winning video, enter the contest and get details for submitting their own entries at http://www.roommateoftheyear.com.

Finding the ideal roommate can be tough. A recent Apartments.com survey shows that 60 percent of respondents have never lived with a roommate they would consider "the best," and more than half are not planning on living with their current roommate when they move. The Roommate of the Year Contest seeks to find those roommates who do qualify as "the best" and showcase them for America to see.

"We have discovered renters believe being a good roommate is about more than just having someone to split the bills or share the chores with," said Tammy Kotula, public relations and promotions manager, Apartments.com. "The reasons people have for selecting and then staying with a roommate are as vast and varied as we saw in the video entries we received last year. This contest allows people to explore the deeper meanings of 'roommate' and express their vision in a fun and creative manner."

Davis has obviously proven his claim as 2009 Apartments.com Roommate of the Year, as all three of his current college roommates have already signed up to live with him again for the 2010-11 school year.

"I never thought that being a good roommate meant more than just putting down the toilet seat cover and picking up my socks, until I entered the Apartments.com Roommate of the Year Contest," states Davis. "Once I started creating my video, I realized how much effort really goes into living with other people - or at least 'should' go into it!"

How to Enter 2010 Apartments.com Roommate of the Year Contest

Get out the video camera, get creative and get one step closer to winning free rent for a year plus $10,000 in cash and the coveted Apartments.com 2010 title of Roommate of the Year. Renters across the nation are invited to enter the Apartments.com Roommate of the Year Contest by submitting a video entry of two minutes or less to http://www.roommateoftheyear.com.

Entrants are challenged to showcase the specific attributes that quality them to be Roommate of the Year by showcasing their inner roomie in one of the six contest categories. For detailed information on how to enter, including specific video instructions, an official entry form and contest rules, go to http://www.roommateoftheyear.com. All entries must be received by noon EDT on June 14, 2010.

Roommate of the Year Contest Categories

Apartments.com Roommate of the Year Contest entrants should distinguish themselves from all of the other roommates around the country. Finding the category that best defines their special roommate skills is job number one. Categories are:

 

• The Loveable Compulsive - Celebrating the roomie that makes sure the bills get paid, cooks and cleans to keep the apartment running smoothly, this category is for the roommate that manages the household while still maintaining their sanity.
• The Designer Touch - From pirate-themed wall murals to the elaborate Rube Goldberg machine that turns on the lights, this category is ideal for the roommate who knows how to decorate a place like no one else.
• The Possession Obsessed - An enormous HDTV. Corinthian leather couches. A prolific music collection. This category is for the roommate who's got "the goods" that other roommates want to share.
• The Purr-fect Pet Owner - Pets are roommates too! This category is for roomies that go the distance to keep their four-legged companion happy with the games they play, the tricks they've taught them, or the all-you-can eat treat buffet. 
• The Environmentalist - Everyone knows about CFL light bulbs and fixing a leaky faucet, but what about washing out and reusing plastic baggies? This category is for the roommate who takes unique measures to make living green a priority. 
• The Grab Bag - Don't want to commit to only one area of roommate greatness? This category is for people who possess special roommate qualities that don't fit the other categories.

Renters' entries will be judged with equal weight on (1) originality and creativity, (2) overall "wow" factor, (3) persuasive argument and (4) style and production. Judging will take place in three stages.

How to Become Roommate of the Year and Win Free Rent for One Year Plus $10,000 in Cash

All entries will be narrowed down to a field of up to 15 finalists, selected across all categories by a panel of judges looking for entries that best fit the criteria for Roommate of the Year. Once the finalists are selected, America, along with the Apartments.com panel of qualified judges, will vote for their favorite roomie using the judging criteria to narrow down the competition to five winners. From the five winners, one Grand Prize winner will be named and receive free rent for one year plus $10,000 in cash along with roommate bragging rights. The four runners-up will each receive $500.

About Apartments.com
Apartments.com is a leading national apartment Internet listing subscription service with more than 50,000 unique addresses representing millions of rental units from managed properties, newspaper classifieds and for-rent-by-owner properties. By incorporating the most relevant products to reach renters including personalized searches and highly visual ads featuring live chat, real-time rent, online video walk-through demonstrations, professional photography, a mobile website and iPhone and Android app, Apartments.com creates easy access to its listings. Providing unmatched exposure to its advertisers through an intuitive name, strategic search engine placements, featured partnerships including Yahoo! Real Estate, Univision and more than 120 newspaper websites and innovative emerging media, Apartments.com reaches millions of renters nationwide, driving both qualified traffic and highly-engaged renters to leasing offices nationwide. Apartments.com is a division of Chicago-based Classified Ventures, LLC. The Apartments.com network of apartment rental websites includes Apartment Home Living, a leading social media apartment website distinguished by a "live for fun" community experience, proprietary lifestyle matching and local living guides to help renters find their perfect place to live.