This is a cross between a press release and commentary. First, the PR part:

Recently, Redhook has launched an opportunity for its fans to immortalize themselves—in a soggy, cardboardy way. By visiting defyordinary.com, fans can show how they defy ordinary by entering a simple picture. It will be displayed on the Web site gallery for all to admire. In September, eight coasters will be chosen as winners; thousands of copies of each coaster will be printed and distributed to local bars.

Then, eight people in America will for the first time be able to sincerely utter, “Hey, baby, have you seen my coaster?”

WHO: Redhook Ale Brewery
WHAT: Defy Ordinary Coaster Contest
WHERE: www.defyordinary.com
WHEN: Contest ends September 3, 2007
WHY: Because Redhook ales and the people who drink them are just a little different
For rules and additional contest information, visit www.defyordinary.com

Now, the commentary:

I think this is a pretty cool idea, creating coasters out of user-uploaded photos, and an even cooler idea to let people vote on their favorites. What’s not as cool, though, is that the user voting doesn’t actually count towards how the 8 winners are picked, apparently. Todd at BeerAdvocate was the first to point this out, I believe:

Oh, and did I mention that public voting doesn’t even count? No shit. I’m sitting here voting away, only to scroll down towards the bottom of the rules to find out that the 8 winners will be picked by Craft Brands Alliance LLC and The Redhook Ale Brewery Incorporated judges. So voting is a complete waste of time and a meaningless feature.

All I can say is I hope the judges take the public voting into account when they select their winners. In the meantime, it’s kind of a fun Flash app they’ve put together to browse through the coasters—though being entirely in Flash, it’s not link-friendly. More eye candy.

I’ll have to see what images I have to upload… you never know.