DiscoverAmerica.com Online Travel Guide Teams with USA TODAY for Online Travel Photo Contest

Washington D.C.– April 29, 2009 - USA TODAY and DiscoverAmerica.com, an online travel guide, announce the launch of an online travel photo contest called the "Picture America Contest." Kicking off on April 10, the online photo contest is a unique partnership between USA TODAY, the nation's top-selling newspaper, and DiscoverAmerica.com, the first-ever Official Travel and Tourism Website of the United States. Contest submissions, details and rules can be found at http://pictureamerica.usatoday.com.

The "Picture America Contest" photo contest invites readers to submit their iconic images of America that capture the essence of the country and best represent it for international travelers. Images from 10 finalists, including three winners, will be used as part of a new Discover America marketing campaign to promote American travel destinations abroad. The online contest finalists' photos will be also be displayed on DiscoverAmerica.com and USATODAY.com.

Photo contest finalists will be selected by three judges: Mick Cochran, director of photography for USA TODAY; David Griffin, director of photography for National Geographic magazine and Bob Krist, independent travel photographer and three-time winner of the Society of American Travel Writers "Travel Photographer of the Year." USA TODAY readers will get to vote for the first-, second- and third-place content winners.

The winners of the online picture contest will each receive a trip prize from Travelocity and a $500 American Express voucher toward the airfare purchase. Hotel options include a four-night stay at Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas, Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans or the Regal Sun Resort in Orlando. The first prize winner will also receive an inkjet printer from Kodak.

About DiscoverAmerica.com
Discover America, LLC is a wholly owned entity of the U.S. Travel Association and operates DiscoverAmerica.com, the Official Travel and Tourism Website of the United States, under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Website's content and travel guides are presently available in five languages: English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese. For more information, visit www.DiscoverAmerica.com.

About USA TODAY
USA TODAY was founded in 1982 with a mission to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Through its flagship newspaper and popular website, USA TODAY engages the national conversation and connects readers online through social media applications. USA TODAY, the nation's top-selling newspaper with a total average daily circulation of 2.3 million, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website which launched in 1995, reach a combined 5.5 million readers daily. The USA TODAY news and information brand also includes: USA TODAY Education, USA TODAY LIVE, USA TODAY Mobile, Open Air magazine and USA TODAY Sports Weekly. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).