Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect Announces Launch of Second Annual Parents' Picks Awards

Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect Announces Launch of Second Annual Parents' Picks Awards

Nationwide Online Poll Invites Parents to Nominate Favorite Family Resources, Beginning May 5

NEW YORK, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect announces this year's annual Parents' Picks Awards, where parents can pick their favorite businesses and local resources in their communities across the country. Starting May 5, parents nationwide can vote online at http://www.nicksparentspicks.com/ for the best of the best in 30 different categories, including: best museum for families; best toy store; best playground/park; and more. Voting for the awards will end on July 15 and winners will be announced on Aug. 15.

"ParentsConnect is a great resource for families to find information that is helpful in their everyday lives," said Tanya Van Court, Senior Vice President and General Manager of NOGGIN, ParentsConnect and Nick Jr.com. "With Parents' Picks, we want to hear what parents have to say about the best places to eat, shop and play in their local communities. Their ideas, opinions and recommendations are key ingredients in ParentsConnect's mission to serve as a quality resource and authority on what's great for families all over the country."

ParentsConnect's Parents' Pick Awards will identify winners from more than 10,000 nominees in 52 major U.S. cities. Winning venues will receive a "Parents' Pick 2009 Winner" seal to display in their storefront windows, and will be featured on Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect for the rest of 2009 as one of the best family resources in the area.

Last year, more than 165,000 votes were cast for ParentsConnect Parents' Picks Awards. All Parents' Picks businesses are nominated based on recommendations from Nickelodeon's local city editors that live and work in the cities they cover, in conjunction with the sites' user feedback. User votes ultimately determine the winning venues in 30 different categories.

Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect Local offers families a weekly events calendar and a complete listing of family-friendly resources near them. It allows parents to search for activities, events and attractions by their kids' ages and activity preferences. With content from a local editorial team, coupled with content and reviews submitted by parents, ParentsConnect Local features the most comprehensive city guide for parents looking for everything from party planning and summer fun to pediatric dentists and kids' shoe stores. The site also offers a weekly Events newsletter featuring local editors' top picks for family events and weekend fun in more than 52 cities across the U.S. and a weekly Deals & Steals newsletter that shines a spotlight on great family-oriented local and national discounts.

Featuring the tagline "We're not perfect, we're parents," Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect is the online resource providing parenting advice and community, celebrating the reality of parenthood and making parents' lives easier. Geared towards parents with kids of all ages, from babies to teens, the site offers unique features like personalized profiles that help parents connect with each other; advice from top-tier parenting experts; a digital multi-media scrapbook; seasonal crafts, recipes and activities; a weekly meal-planner; a weekly newsletter focusing on the behavior and development of your child; and guest celebrity editorials. Each age-related section on the site provides users with daily content to help them through both large and small parenting challenges.

Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 98 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com/. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE: VIA.B) .

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses of Nickelodeon, +1-212-846-7326,
Joanna.Roses@nick.com; or Blain Howard, +1-212-689-6360,
Blain_Howard@bhimpact.com

Web Site: http://www.nickpress.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment