Clif Bar is challenging people to share inspirational stories about how they have chosen to play differently and why.

The grand prize winner will get a trip for two to Napa Valley and the chance to hang out with the Clif Bar team on its annual Epiphany bike ride, plus a special dinner and a year's supply of Clif bars. Other winners will receive a $1,000 shopping spree. You have to submit a small essay (500 words or less) to enter, and you can do it here...

Hellmann's has teamed up with Yahoo and Bobby Flay to offer a $20,000 Ultimate Backyard Barbecue. The grand prize package includes everything from a new grill to a hot tub.

You must enter by Sept. 2.

OK, I don't have kids, and I really don't know anything about the The Raggs Kids Club Band. In fact, I hadn't heard of them until about two hours ago. But I would bet that a lot of you parents out there know them!

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall informs me that she's got tickets for the upcoming Raggs Kids Club Band show in Durham on Sept. 13, and she's giving them away over on our Mom2Mom site.

As usual with Mom2Mom giveaways, you need to write a short submission and post it as a comment to enter. If you are already registered here on Taking Stock or newsobserver.com, your login information will work on Mom2Mom. The deadline to enter is Sept. 7. The winner will be announced on Sept. 8. Here's the link!

Cascade is running a contest to promote its new Cascade Ultimate dishwasher packs. Grand prize is a brand new dishwasher. Or, you could win $1,500 toward a purchase at your favorite cooking store. You can enter here... 

Here's a good excuse to play with your food...

Noodles & Co. (a restaurant chain that has been expanding into the Triangle this year) is hosting a "Doodle" contest asking people to create food-based representations of themselves like this one. The idea is to express who you are with food, though I'm not sure what exactly Lynn is expressing by using mini-cupcakes for her eyes here...

At any rate, if you would like to enter, the deadline is Friday, Aug. 22. You must submit a photo of your doodle and a 50-word essay about why your doodle exemplifies who you are on the official contest Web site. There will be three age groups, and the grand prize winner in each will receive a year of free meals from the company and a private tasting. There will also be a People's Choice prize for each age group.

Dawn is promoting its new Dawn plus Hand Renewal liquid soap by offering a Transform Your Hands Sweepstakes. You could win $3,000 toward a ring or a bracelet. Click here if you are interested. The link to the contest is at the bottom of the page.

There's a contest from Hebrew National hot dogs in which you could win $25,000 for a complete back yard makeover. You can also win a bunch of smaller prizes as well. Check it out... 

Triangle resident Randy Hayes is a finalist in the Sheetz convenience store YouTube video poem contest. There are only five finalists, so Randy stands a pretty good chance of winning the $5,000 prize. You can help by going to this Web site and voting for Randy before voting closes at midnight on Friday.

My favorite line from his poem? "Liquid morsel filled my torso till the scat came back to me..."

Shutterfly is giving away 15 free 4x6 prints for each picture you upload and post on its "travel map." Basically, if you've got a picture of a place you've visited, you upload it to the big map and then get your free prints. Max of 75 prints per household. Each photo you upload also gets you into a contest to winn bigger prizes.

And TrueValue is asking for 250-word essays nominating either yourself or someone you know as a DIY (do it yourself) All-Star. You also need to submit a video about the DIY projects this person has completed. The winner gets $5,000...

Carrabba's Italian Grill is inviting you to help name a new limited edition wine being made for the chain by Ruffino. The person who comes up with the winning name wins a prize package worth $1,500 that includes a case of the wine, an in-home dinner for 12 and a year's worth of dinners. The deadline to enter is the 31st.

What could it hurt? Click here...