Yahoo! is jumping in on the 'create-your-own' commercial craze with a contest called "Big Shot in Cannes."

They're calling on all ad agencies to create an original 30-second spot with a green, or environmentally friendly focus. The point of the contest is to familiarize the agency teams with the user-generated content idea for advertising. Brands like Doritos (aired during the Super Bowl) and Dove (aired during the Oscars) have already experimented with the user-generated ads and have garnered a lot of press because of it.

All submitted ads will be available online and the highest rated clips will be judged by a panel of ad creative execs. The top three will head to the International Advertising Festival in Cannes, France in June.

Although the contest is directed towards professionals, anyone is eligible to enter. The contest ends May 7.

It should be interesting to see the difference between the professionally created ads and the user-generated ads. I'm also curious to find out how the idea of green will be portrayed.

The contest parameters for the topic are very non-specific, giving suggestions for green as a spot about hybrid cars, energy efficient light bulbs or recycling. I forsee ads selling specific products or possibly short advocacy pieces for getting people to take action, but I'm sure we'll see a wide range of topics covering the green realm.

Via MarketingVox; Brandweek