Birdsong Gregory

This new shopper marketing program from Barilla, the pasta maker and CPG giant, aims to help families spend more time together at the table in 2010.

Called Share Your Dinnertime Moments, this contest invites families to submit photos, videos or blog posts demonstrating how they’re making dinner a more significant, fun and tasty occasion. All eligible entries are then entered for a chance to win multiple prizes, including a $5,000 dining-room makeover and a year’s supply of Barilla pasta and sauce.

Consumers who visit the site through Feb. 22 can choose one of five key areas that best describe their family’s story — from decreasing distractions at the table to boosting participation by family members — and submit a photo, video or blog that shows how they’ll improve their shared mealtime.

Behind the new program is new research by Barilla revealing that U.S. families want better-quality dinnertime interactions — with more conversation and fewer distractions — along with better meals prepared together.

The owner of 53 production facilities, 13 of them in Italy, Barilla produces such international brands as Mulino Bianco, Voiello, Pavesi and Wasa.