We have officially kicked off our third annual #BerryHoliday event, and I’m stoked. This is my first year involved with the contest, and I’m genuinely excited to see the entries start to roll in from #TeamBlackBerry. The #BerryHoliday veterans tell me I need to expect two things: creative/fun entries, and serious prize excitement.

To that, I say bring it on! I hope you’re ready to flood @BlackBerry with #BerryHoliday posts. And since I believe that those of you who read the Inside BlackBerry Blog are the best BlackBerry fans around, I’m even going to let you in on a couple of secrets about this year’s #BerryHoliday:

1. Secret 1: The word on the street is that a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, a BlackBerry Music Gateway device, t-shirts and other swag is up for grabs this year.
2. Secret 2: #BerryHoliday isn’t the end of the giveaways as we ramp up to BlackBerry 10. Anybody remember #JanuBerry?

I can’t say any more without spoiling the surprise. Make sure you’re keeping an eye on the Inside BlackBerry Blog and following @BlackBerry on Twitter for your chance to win some great stuff. Check out the Terms and Conditions to learn more!

Have you participated in #BerryHoliday or #JanuBerry in the past? Have you won any sweet prizes? Tell us about it in the comments below!

If someone you love has visions of BlackBerry ® smartphones dancing in their head, I’d like to help you make their dream a reality. As you may know, next Friday November 23rd is “Black Friday” in the United States, and it’s usually the biggest shopping day of the year! We want to be sure you make the best of it, so we’re giving away a new BlackBerry ® Bold ™ 9900 or BlackBerry® Bold™ 9930 smartphone to one lucky winner to celebrate Black Friday!

To enter, simply answer this question in the comments below between today, November 14, 2012 and Friday, November 16, 2012 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET: Why should you be the one to give the gift of a BlackBerry Bold smartphone this year? The reason could be anything: You gave the person a terrible gift last year; you spent all year bragging about your BlackBerry devices; your friend or family member would LOVE a BlackBerry Bold; or simply because you’re an all-around great gift-giver.

Entries will be judged on style, relevance and overall impression between November 26th, 2012 and November 28th, 2012.

Good luck and happy BlackBerry Black Friday!

*No purchase necessary. Contest open to residents of US and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are age of majority. One (1) prize avail to be won. ARV: $500US. Odds depend on the number of eligible entries received and the likelihood of receiving the highest score based on the Judges decision. Skill testing question applies for Canadian residents. Contest sponsored by Research In Motion Limited. See Official Contest Rules for complete details.