Calling it: three times = trend. That would be the ploy of running a contest in search of some lucky SOB who'll get to partake in a super-fun gig in exchange for a good chunk of change and a larger hunk of publicity for the contest sponsor. Ben Southall is reporting for work as of July 1, after beating out 35,000 applicants to score the sweet gig in Hamilton Island, Australia, where he gets paid six figures to snorkel and blog about it for the remainder of 2009. Over in Sonoma County, CA, the Murphy Goode winery is wrapping up their search for the "Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent. The winner in this case will get paid $10,000 a month to drink wine, scout picnic locations, and of course, blog all about it to all the jealous armchair travelers. Applications are due June 19. Adding to the fray, Orlando is launching a contest to find a couple (a new twist!) who can take 67 days (why 67? I don't know) to ride every ride in the half-dozen theme parks in the Orlando area, including Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios.

Just in time for the ending of the previous Best Job in the World (congrats to UK's Ben Southall), another has come along to take its place. This "Best Job in the World" is located in our own Sonoma County, close to San Francisco. It's a pretty fantastic gig: Your title would be the “Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent,” and you would be expected to taste lots and lots wine, then blog/tweet/Facebook about it (as well as play plenty of poker and Liar's Dice).

The best job in the world -- you know the one. where you get paid cash money to hang the fuck out and blog about paradise? Yeah, that one, the one in Australia. Well, the contest is almost over. It's been narrowed down to 16 contestants who are currently getting a whirlwind tour of Australia -- snorkeling, blogging, scuba diving, blogging, spa treatments, blogging ... all the fun things you're not doing right now.

Joie de Vivre Hotels is ramping up for a fabulous contest, where the winner takes all with two free nights at each and every one of the chain's 35 properties, all located conveniently in California. Each of the 25 grand prize winners will get a cute little "passport," giving access to the hotels up and down the coast. There are no blackout dates, and as a little bonus, the hotel rooms are transferable to friends and family, though the deal expires in two years.

All right, contest junkies. This one is a doozy. The grand prize is a $25,000 "Dream Trip" to anywhere in the world. Entry is easy: Just upload your favorite travel photo to the Conde Nast Traveler site and write something pithy about why it was such a poignant travel moment for you. If you win, you'll get travel guru Wendy Perrin's expert planning advice and counsel to figure out all the ways you're going to spend every last dime of that 25K, because you can't take home the leftovers.

USA Today and the U.S. Travel Association want your photos. They've launched a contest today with the theme "America" (broad enough for you?) and are encouraging aspiring photogs to submit images that most represent the USA. These shots will be used in a campaign to promote the red, white, and blue overseas. The ten finalists will have their photographs displayed on Discover America, the USA Today site, and in USA Today itself. You know, the nation's newspaper!

Or Hawaii. Or Brazil. Febreze (all hail the miracle smell remover that rendered my cigarette-smoked coat so fresh and so clean. amen) has launched a new series of room sprays and candles in "destination" scents. Though I haven't tried them myself, the peeps over at Jaunted have given them a go; they say the Hawaiian scent was little overpowering, the Moroccan Bazaar was just OK, and the Brazilian Carnaval was the best of the bunch.

Got a funny/tragic travel story? Endless Vacations (of the Wyndham brand) wants to send you on a vacation to make up for it. Submit your 100-words-or-less funny-hard luck story to the Your Fat Chance site from now until April 28 to have a chance to win. The top 25 funniest entries, as chosen by the Endless Vacation Rentals judges, will be announced on May 13.

Your answer in the form of a question is, "What is awesome?" See post title. Jeopardy is turning 25 this year, and in celebration, they're hosting a contest. The spoils? An all-inclusive 10-day trip to the Galapagos Islands, hosted by none other than "the other silver fox" Alex Trebek. You'll be exploring in style on the National Geographic Endeavor as you cruise from port to inlet snorkeling with penguins (!), gazing at sea lion colonies, checking out the tortoise breeding center, and hanging out at the Charles Darwin Research Center.

Looks like the Desires Hotels, which includes such properties as the Sagamore, the Hotel Astor, and The Betsy in South Beach, and the Hotel Mela in New York, is looking for some free marketing advice in their latest contest called "You name it, we claim it." They're opening a new hotel this summer, in the Flatiron area, real close to Madison Square Park (and Shake Shack), and they want you to christen it.