PHOTOGRAPHY: Rayko presents its 5th Annual Plastic Camera Show, featuring the work of local, national, and international photographers who were picked from thousands of entries, including Robert Holmgren, a past best-of-show winner. (6 to 8 p.m., Rayko Photo Center, 428 Third Street) more ›

FILM: Photographer Scott Pasfield presents a slideshow, discussion and signing of his new book, Gay in America, featuring 140 gay American men in 50 states. Purchases of the book will benefit non-profit AIDS fighting organizations... more ›

Gothamist is interested in adding more long-form non-fiction features to our websites. Last month, we premiered the results of our first call for features, "Confessions of a 'Rape Cop' Juror", on our New York site. We are happy with the results: Sales have been good, the feature and writer were covered on numerous blogs and newspapers (even on TV), and we learned a lot about how to publish e-books. more ›

Gothamist is interested in adding more long-form non-fiction features to our websites. Last month, we premiered the results of our first call for features, "Confessions of a 'Rape Cop' Juror", on our New York site. We are happy with the results: Sales have been good, the feature and writer were covered on numerous blogs and newspapers (even on TV), and we learned a lot about how to publish e-books. more ›

IndieMart: IndieMart celebrates Indian Summer with a "full fledged metal & psych rock fest, loaded with short sleeves a plenty, foxy ladies in fringe, summer BBQ, one too many beers and oh yeah, the best part- 100 rad vendors," including DIY-ers, makers, designers, screenprinters, illustrators, artists, typographers, vintage, a few carpenters, and foodies. more ›

Like others, Andrew Dudley of Haighteration was baffled by the many, many, many $2000 Rap Contest flyers that seemingly popped up all over San Francisco this past weekend. To find our more, Dudley, called the posted number to find out. Haighteration reports: more ›

A photo/video contest called "Why I Choose Oakland" will award the grand prize winners two round-trip tickets and lodging if they can deftly and cleverly captured why they choose to live in Oakland. The instructions are simple: Upload a photo or video (3 minutes or less) that exemplifies why you "choose to live or own a business in Oakland." Add a brief description, then visit Oakland's Facebook page to vote. You may vote once per day for each category. So, you know, the winner might not be the best recipient. more ›

Update: Contest Closed. Here's a chance to win a pair of tickets to this Thursday's Matcha at the Asian Art Museum, featuring Balinese Jazz Guitar. Email your full name to sfistevents@gmail.com and include Matcha in the subject heading, and the fifth entrant wins the tickets. more ›

Want to watch movies in theaters for free? Want to help those in need? Well, you're in luck: those who donate blood in northern California during February "could be eligible for to win free movie tickets for one year, according to the American Red Cross." Four weekly drawings will be held, winners will receive 12 pairs of movie tickets. more ›

The Usual Suspects (AKA Barbary Coast Consulting) is holding an election contest where you can win $500. It involves perceiving who will win the election after the Department of Elections runs their ranked choice voting process, "liking" their Facebook page, the gods of fate working in your favor, and all sorts of other fun stuff. If wonk is your game, then winning $500 could be your game. Or whatever. Visit SFUsualSuspects for more details. (Oh, and the contest ends at 5 p.m. today. Get on it.) more ›

The SF Zoo is holding a naming contest for their new Anaconda snake. If your name is selected as the winner for the 16-year old snake, "you and ten of your besties will be able to get a VIP tour of the zoo, and also a plush anaconda toy," notes Curbed. We're partial to "Snakey-Snake" or "Diane." What about you? (Oh, and you can enter the SF Zoo's contest here.) [Curbed] more ›

If you follow SFist on Twitter, you can win a chance to win a dinner for two at Michael Mina's wine bar, RN 74. The meal, which includes wine, is for either October 7 or October 9—just follow SFist on Twitter and retweet this message to win! Courtesy of the new Lexus IS—Wield Precision. more ›

On October 30th, Gorillaz will hit the stage at Oakland Arena for one magnificent concert. To celebrate, SFist is giving away one pair of tickets to the show. On this post, enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets by sharing the following in the comments section: your best tip for participating in or avoiding Critical Mass (which, reminder, is tonight!). For example, the best place to start out, the best place to end up, or best way to maneuver Market Street to avoid the cycling melee. Or whatever. However you put it, everyone in San Francisco has their own suggestion for Critical Mass, so tell us one. Full details of the contest are below. more ›

In lieu of trudging up those darned Noe Valley hills or having to deal with crazy neighbors, Anna Alberi, winner of this second annual Dream House Raffle, will receive $1.5 million in cash. The Oakland resident, who chose a cash prize over a fancy house, received a call informing her that she held the winning ticket on Saturday, July 10. "I’ve never entered a raffle like this before, and I couldn’t believe it when I got the call telling me I had won—I thought it was some kind of joke," says Alberti. "I had bought the tickets because I wanted to support YBCA, but now I’m so excited to be able to use the money to pay off my Oakland house." more ›

COMEDY: As SFist noted last month, the whole loveable Aqua Teen gang (except for that wet blanket Frylock or Err), aka Dave Willis and Dana Snyder, will be bringing the laughs at Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live. Tickets are still available! The event will feature readings from scripts, unseen videos clips from upcoming episodes of ATHF and Squidbillies, plus "free junk" and a "Show your Meatwad Competition". more ›

If you want to go to Coachella and for whatever reason haven't snatched some tickets, here's your chance. SFist is giving away one pair of Festival Passes to this year's event, taking place April 16th through 18th. more ›

Get out there and shoot some photos of your favorite neighborhood spots this weekend, or dig through your archives. Good Magazine, in partnership with Pictory Magazine, is looking for some great shots of local spots to include in their upcoming Neighborhoods Issue, such as a "bar, coffee shop, library, park, bench, record shop, water fountain—whatever it is that gives you that 'I love this neighborhood' feeling." Pictory will also include the winning shots in one of their showcases. more ›

Taking a cue from American Idol, team Newsom is having a contest where you, the voter, get to decide which logo will represent Gavin Newsom's crapshoot for Governor of California. more ›

While we cannot stomach the taste and mouth feel of warm fruit, many of you love pie -- apple pie, especially. Some of you even have recipes. Grandma's famous apple pie recipes, if lore is to believed. So, why not enter your favorite warm slice in this Sunday's Johnny Appleseed Apple Pie Contest. No, not a pie eating contest -- where do you think you are, east of I-5? --but a regular old pie contest. The Divisadero Farmers Market (Grove Street, at Divisadero) will be hosting the showdown this Sunday. more ›

Friday's the deadline for the last (Grand Prize) drawing of the San Francisco Dream House Raffle, which benefits Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Buy a $150 ticket, and you could win a $2.4 million Dream House in the Sunset or $1.8 million in cash. Most people would be smart to take the cash, unless they can afford the huge taxes on the house. Or, if they already own a less dream-worthy house, they could sell it to pay the taxes, or something. Either way, your $150 benefits a great cause. The final, Grand Prize drawing takes place July 25. more ›

The SF Zoo's baby gorilla, whose mother abandoned him soon after birth, has bee christen. After a baby naming contest has the entire city holding its breath in anticipation, the winning name is... Hasani. Which means "handsome" in some nonsense language. And it isn't as fetch as "Chad" or 'Darnell" would have been. And it also means hot belly dancing, with sexy results. Anyway, the winning name was chosen by Hasani's father after selecting a yellow cantaloupe early this afternoon. We're not even going to try explaining that one. It makes little sense. Go here to learn more about how, exactly, Hasani got his name. more ›

Word has it that Absinthe chef and Top Chef cheftestant Jamie Lauren has been stung harder by the fame bug more than she has arugula's peppery tang. (Fame is fleeting, Lauren! Your palette and plates, much like your tattoos, are forever!) But in a fusion of attention grabbing and culinary trickery, Lauren and 7x7 Magazine are having a springtime veggie contest. It goes like this: You create a phenomenal original first-course dish using asparagus, one that would fit in with Absinthe’s "American-influenced French brasserie and Northern Italian cuisine" menu, and your creation will be featured on the menu for two weeks. Also, you'll get a complimentary dinner for two at Absinthe, a swank KitchenAid stand mixer, and coverage in 7x7. more ›

Need to catch all of the Best Picture nominees before Oscar night? We can help. SFist is offering one (yes, just one) ticket to a screening of Milk, The Reader, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, and Frost/Nixon, all of which will play in one dedicated auditorium back-to-back throughout the day. It's all part of the AMC Best Picture Showcase. The film marathon screens on Saturday, February 21, the day before the Academy Awards telecast. more ›

Ever hug a bottle of cheap vodka caked with cocaine residue? That's what hugging a journalist is like. And this Sunday, Feb. 15, is Hug a Journalist Day -- at least according to this newly created holiday on Facebook. more ›

by Tiffany Maleshefski more ›

Aw. Well, this is just downright sweet. And smart. You see, Cafe de la Paz, which has received a three-star rating by the Yelp mafia, is throwing a contest for Kern County queer couples only. The nuevo Latino and tapas restaurant is inviting Kern County to win a marriage ceremony and a small reception dinner at the Berkeley restaurant. more ›

Oh wow. Mission Mission is offering a free pack of "I Lost Me to Meth" coasters to one lucky reader who can come up with the niftiest meth-related anecdote. So, tweakers of San Francisco, now it is your turn to shine as bright as your foreheads. Send Mission Mission your choicest sex-for-cash, this-month's-rent-goes-bye-bye, and sold-my-DVDs-to-Amoeba tales of meth-related woe. (Required PSA of concern: If you've succumbed to speed's siren song, there's nothing to be ashamed of, you know? Simply visit Tweaker.org for more info on getting help.) more ›

Here's your chance to win a spot on Grand Ole Party's guest list for their upcoming concert with Rogue Wave on Saturday night at the Fillmore. We promised and we never break our promises. (Well, at least we try not to.) more ›

Perfect for celebrating Earth Day, Citizen Sugar is offering one lucky winner $500 in gas relief. ("Gas relief." Har.) All you have to do is register and take a brief quiz (e.g., "how much does it cost to fill up a 2008 Hummer 2 [H2]?"), and then you'll be be entered in lottery. And if you win, you'll can temporarily stop whining about the price of gas these days. more ›