Got a new emoticon for us?

Time to get those creative juices flowing – the Yahoo! Messenger Emoticontest is here! Got a great idea for a new emoticon? Is there an expression or feeling that you always wish was an emoticon? Now’s your chance to bring that emoticon to life in the next version of Yahoo! Messenger.

To participate, just submit a photo of your emoticon idea to our contest. Remember we’re looking for new emoticon ideas, not your imitation of ones that already exist. You can see our full list of existing emoticons here.

Plus, be sure to vote on the ones you’d like to see in our next version. We’re using Bix.com, Yahoo’s online contest service to power the contest, and they offer some easy tools to help you submit your emoticon idea and vote for your favorite entries in face-off style.

We’re running this contest in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Emoticon, invented by Professor Scott Fahlman of Carnegie Mellon University. “When I first proposed the smiley face symbol, I never thought it would take off the way it has,” said Professor Fahlman.

“It started as a way to indicate humor — or attempted humor — among a small, local community of computer researchers. It has been fascinating to watch this small but infectious idea spread into new communities as the Internet has matured.” Read more about the birth of the emoticon on Scott’s website.

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