Congratulations Ben!

It's official - the island caretaker (Best Job In The World) is Ben Southall from the UK. Well done and congratulations Ben.

The Best Job in the World

Queenslanders are justifiably proud of their 'Sunshine State', complete with its catchphrases like, "Where else but Queensland" and "Beautiful one day, Perfect the next". Snappy though these well-known slogans may be, their usefulness in promoting tourism has now been eclipsed by the mother of all marketing campaigns.

Several months ago Tourism Queensland teamed up with a Brisbane based advertising agency to invent the 'Best Job In The World'. Their plan was nothing short of inspired. 34,500 applicants from around the globe auditioned for the position of 'Island Caretaker'. The job description called for a creative person with the ability to photograph, video and blog about the islands of the Great Barrier Reef to the rest of the world. Ultimately the successful candidate would be responsible for raising public awareness about the islands above the GBR as holiday destinations.

Applications took the form of a 60 second video. In 60 seconds each candidate had to demonstrate why they were the right person for this dream job. The perks (other than being paid to visit some of the most stunning scenery in Australia) would be accommodation in a penthouse apartment on Hamilton Island and a generous salary of $150,000 for the term of the six-month contract.

Yours Truly joined in (with 34,499 other people) and submitted a video. Here is the finished version.

Unfortunately Yours Truly didn't make it to the final selection process, but had plenty of fun trying. For the 16 candidates who did get through (15 selected by TQ and 1 'Wild Card', chosen on the most votes) tomorrow is the last day of what has been an extraordinary interview. The final 16 are currently on Hamilton Island being put through their paces in a 4 day marathon event, where they must prove to TQ and the rest of the world that they can sustain mass media interest.

My personal favourite has been the Australian candidate James Hill whose photography is outstanding. Photography skills aside, the other candidates each have their own assets and in the end it will be a tough decision for TQ to make. I wish them good luck!