The 2006 DIY Book Festival will host its fifth annual program celebrating the success of independent authors and publishers. The DIY Book Festival will consider self-published or independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children's books, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, photography, art, comics, 'zines, fan fiction, poetry and e-books published on or after Jan. 1, 2004. All entries must be in English and have been self-published or issued by an independent publishing house that has published less than 50 works since the entry cut-off point. Please note that authors with iUniverse, Infinity Publishing and other print-on-demand outlets are eligible for the competition. The grand prize for the 2006 DIYBF Author of the Year is $1,500 cash and a flight to Los Angeles for our gala awards ceremony. Submitted works will be judged by a panel of publishing industry experts. The 2006 DIY Book Festival is part of the DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books, which also produces the DIY Film Festival and the DIY Music Festival. The 2006 DIY Book Festival is sponsored by Final Draft Screenplay Software; Imagic; Westside Websites; and the DIY Reporter.com. For more information, visit www.diyconvention.com/.

The sixth annual DIY Convention: Do It Yourself In Film, Music and Books will be held at the Egyptian Theatre and Roosevelt Hotel, both located in the heart of Hollywood.

The event will feature live music performances from national and regional independent acts at various venues across Los Angeles, presented by Spaceland Prods.; cutting-edge film screenings; an extensive lineup of panels, workshops and keynote speakers focusing on creating, promoting, protecting and distributing independent film, music and books; and parties.

This year

Game Developers Conference attracts more than 12,000 attendees and provides educational, networking, and business opportunities for game development professionals driving the $11 billion videogame industry. It is the main global forum where programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals and others involved in the development of interactive games gather to exchange ideas, network, and shape the future of the industry.

The GDC features more than 300 lectures, panels, tutorials and round-table discussions on a comprehensive selection of game development topics taught by leading industry experts. In addition, the GDC expo showcases all of the game development tools, platforms and services. More information can be found at www.gdconf.com.

The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the world's largest annual tradeshow for consumer technology. Manufacturers, developers and suppliers of consumer technology hardware, content, technology delivery systems and related products and services attend and exhibit at the event. Attendees come from more than 110 countries. More than 100 sessions with the industry's leading speakers help attendees discover the newest trends, strategies and profit opportunities in the consumer technology industry. CES features products and the companies that create them from many different consumer technology markets. For more information visit www.cesweb.org.

The Web Marketing Association announces the launch of its fourth annual Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) Awards. The IAC Awards is the first and only industry-based advertising award competition dedicated exclusively to online advertising. The competition website is located at www.iacaward.org and the deadline for entry is Jan. 31, 2006. 2005 Best of Show Awards were awarded in each of the online medium categories. Last year's winners include: EVB, Inc., TMX Communications, she communications (Hong Kong), Power Design, Organic, Inc., i33 Communications, and Agency.com. Two agencies tied for the 2005 Top Agency Award, Organic, Inc. and TMX Communications, each winning 21 IAC Awards in the show. The Internet Advertising Competition Awards is open to all organizations and individuals (advertising and interactive agencies, corporate marketing departments, etc.) involved in the process of developing Internet advertising. Entries may be submitted online at www.advertisingcompetition.org from now through Jan. 31, 2006 and will be judged on creativity, innovation, impact, design, copywriting, and use of the medium. Awards will be presented within each of the 24 industry categories and 16 advertising formats such as email, banner ad, rich-media, interstitial, and online application. This year, "ads the client did not choose" has been changed from an industry to a medium. Best of Show award will be selected from among the category winners. Ads eligible for entry in the competition must have run during the period from Jan. 1, 2005 through Jan. 31, 2006. Judging for the IAC Awards will take place in Feb. 2006, and winners will be notified by e-mail one week prior to the general announcement of winners in March 2006. Judges will consist of a select group of Internet advertising professionals with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web advertising. Past WebAward competition judges have included top executives from leading corporations, institutions and media organizations such as Ogilvy Interactive, Saatchi & Saatchi, Blattner Brunner, Comedy Central, Sun Microsystems, National Cable & Telecom Association, Refinery, Euro RSCG, EPB Interactive, NEW YORK POST Interactive, THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, J. Walter Thompson, Xerox, Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Modem Media, Answerthink and Zentropy Partners.

London Games Festival is a weeklong cultural and business celebration of videogames in London. The London Games Festival will combine key events throughout the capital. These events include the London Games Summit produced by ELSPA and TIGA, the TIGA Content Market, and BAFTA's British Academy Video Games Awards. GDC London will take place October 3-4 at 195 Picadilly, BAFTA's headquarters, and will focus exclusively on advanced techniques in game development. The GDC brings its relationships with top industry leaders to GDC London. GDC's director Jamil Moledina, with the support of GDC's European advisory board, will create a conference unique and unmatched for its global reach and attention to U.K. specific development issues. The London event will build on the 2006 GDC theme of "What's Next" by featuring discussions on key next generation console issues. For more information, visit www.cmpgame.com.

Over the course of 10 days and 11 nights, the public is invited to Westwood Village to take advantage of Los Angeles Film Festival world premieres, including independent films and major studio releases, tribute screenings, free outdoor movies, celebrity-filled Red Carpets, VIP parties and more. Drawing a diverse audience of more than 60,000 attendees, the festival offers interactive programming, family-friendly events, and more than 75 features and 60 short film screenings from around the world. This year George Lucas will serve as the guest director and will create a special sidebar program of films for the festival, a selection of movies that have inspired his work. In addition, the festival retreat will be hosted at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California. Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival is presented by the LOS ANGELES TIMES and is supported by Premier Sponsors-In Style, Target, Pop Secret and Intel; and by Principal Sponsor-Eastman Kodak Co. Special support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. American Airlines is the Official Airline Partner and WireImage is the Official Photography Agency of Film Independent. Screenings and events will be held in Westwood at: Royce Hall, James Bridges Theater and Melnitz Hall on the UCLA campus and at the Geffen Playhouse, Mann Village Theatre, Landmark Regent Theatre, Italian Cultural Institute, Mann Festival Theater, Mann National Theater, Hammer Museum and the Majestic Crest Theater. Festival screening schedules and programming information will be announced Thursday, June 1. Passes are now on sale. For more information, call 1-866-FilmFest or visit www.lafilmfest.com.

The 2006 Media Summit New York is a leading international conference for media, entertainment and technology leaders. The Media Summit is presented by The McGraw-Hill Companies, co-sponsored by BUSINESSWEEK and Standard & Poor's and produced by Digital Hollywood. The event will occur at McGraw-Hill's headquarters, 1221 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan. Now in its third year, the Media Summit unites 1,000 plus top minds for two days of spirited discussion on the topic "Global Media + Technology Innovation = Communications Revolution." Two keynote speakers will be Brian L. Roberts, chairman/ceo, Comcast Corp.; and Ivan Seidenberg, chairman/ceo of Verizon Communications Inc. More than 150 panelists will participate, representing a myriad of industries including print and broadcast media; advertising and marketing; broadband, cable and wireless; news and entertainment; technology; and finance. The cost to register per attendee is $785 prior to the event or $875 at the door. Companies or individuals interested in participating can visit www.media-summit.com/ for more information.

The 2006 Script Pimp Screenwriting Competition allows fledgling writers the chance to break into the industry. The 2006 Script Pimp Screenwriting Competition is an international competition open to all original, English-written feature film screenplays that have yet to be produced, optioned or sold. For the 4th consecutive year, Script Pimp will host the 2006 Script Pimp Awards Party at the Hollywood Improv. More than 20 companies have already reserved their tickets to meet the writers of Script Pimp's twenty best in 2006. Industry: email pro@scriptpimp.com to make reservations. For more information, visit www.scriptpimp.com.

The 2006 Serious Games Summit (SGS) at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) is the primary meeting place for game developers and industry professionals to discuss interactive applications within non-entertainment sectors. The various keynotes and sessions will cover design, production, technology and assessment issues related to the use of games in areas such as education, policy, national defense, homeland security and training. The SGS GDC, produced by the CMP Game Group, will take place during the annual GDC. For more information, visit www.seriousgamessummit.com.