It's Stock Up for Summer month here at The Motley Fool, and we want to hear about some of the stocks that you're storing away.

The great investor and mutual fund manager Peter Lynch said that you should be able to explain in 60 seconds why you invested in a company. Well, we want you to do it in half that time. In our contest, you'll have 150 words to sell us on the merits of your favorite stock.

The challenge: to explain why you own a particular stock and why everyone else should, also. You can try an emotion-laden appeal, you can try a data-driven pitch, you can throw everything but the kitchen sink at us. The only rule is that you can't use more than 150 words. When you've come up with your best sales job, post it on our Sell Me a Stock Contest discussion board.

We'll pick three winners and award them one-year subscriptions to Tom Gardner's Motley Fool Hidden Gems. And to help get you into the selling mood, we'll shout: "But wait, there's more!" Everyone who enters online will also have a shot at participating in The Motley Fool Radio Show's "Sell Me a Stock" segment... meaning we'll select a few of you to tape an interview with David and Tom Gardner for possible airing on our show.

Here's the scoop, in a nutshell:

  1. Explain, in your own words, why you own a stock and why others should, too. Entries will be judged on several criteria including, but not limited to, how persuasive your pitch is.

  2. Limit your post to 150 words or less. If you exceed 150 words, not only will your entry be ineligible, but it also will be printed out, rolled up, and used to swat you over the head.

  3. Post your entry on our Sell Us a Stock Contest discussion board by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, June 23 (yes, that's one minute before midnight).

  4. The top three entries will receive a one-year subscription to Tom Gardner's Motley Fool Hidden Gems newsletter.

  5. The official contest rules, as provided by our crack legal team (headquartered in a small, one-room shack on the banks of Raccoon Bayou in Cut Off, La.), are here.

Good luck with your entry, and we'll see you on the Sell Us a Stock Contest discussion board!