The Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) is searching for the world's top five kidney cancer bloggers.  The public will nominate blogs and individuals selected from among the top five, selected in public voting, may be eligible to receive an iPod nano and an invitation to blog live from this fall's International Kidney Cancer Symposium in Chicago.  Finalists will be chosen by members and staff of the KCA.

Contest rules will be posted on the KCA Facebook Fan Page (http://facebook.com/kidneycancerassociation) not later than June, 2011.  To be eligible:

  * blogger must have been actively blogging for a minimum of 90 days, with blog entries at least monthly
  * blogger must not be directly affiliated with a healthcare provider or company manufacturing products related to
    healthcare, or governmental or non-governmental organization (NGO)
  *  blogger must not, within the past five years, have accepted payment for blogging or speaking engagements from
      the healthcare industry, related enterprises, or NGO

Bloggers we seek are truly independent, free of corporate bias or outside influence, and willing to blog freely from one of the world's most respected meetings dedicated exclusively to renal cancer, the International Kidney Cancer Symposium, held annually in Chicago.

From among the top five bloggers selected in public voting, the KCA may select two or more finalists who join a mentoring program for patient advocates who report to the proceedings of this medical symposium to patients and their families around the world.

Look for complete details on Facebook and the Kidney Cancer Association's website (www.KidneyCancer.org) in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, keep and eye on the web for your favorite kidney cancer bloggers.

The KCA is a charitable organization made up of patients, family members, physicians, researchers, and other health professionals globally. We fund, promote, and collaborate with the National Cancer Institute, American Society for Clinical Oncology, American Urological Association, and other institutions on research projects.  We educate families and physicians, and serve as an advocate on behalf of patients at the state and federal levels.

The Association was founded in 1990 by a small group of patients, including Eugene P. Schonfeld, Ph.D., and medical doctors in Chicago, Illinois. It is a nonprofit charity incorporated in the State of Illinois. It has also been designated as a tax exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service code. Donations to the Association are tax deductible.