Microsoft Announced America's Favorite Zoo Contest

Microsoft Game Studios has taken the promotion of its latest title, Zoo Tycoon 2, into the wild. The company invited 50 zoos from across the United States to submit materials to a panel of judges in hopes of garnering the top prize of "America's Favorite Zoo" and the $25,000 cash prize that comes along with it.

The judging panel consists of the 2002 Ultimate Zookeeper Challenge winner Jonathan Gilmour from Zoo New England, a member of the National Wildlife Federation, a Microsoft Game Studio employee, and a Blue Fang Games employee.

That panel will narrow the field to 15 on Sept. 20, and then voting gets turned over to the animal-loving public, who will narrow the field to five at the official Zoo Tycoon site until voting closes on Oct. 15. Those five will then compete in a straight-up, online run-off, with the winner being crowned on Nov. 2.