• by Karl Greenberg , April 26, 2010

Pizza chain Papa John’s is launching a social-media campaign at its Facebook site, called “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge� asking consumers to suggest a new pizza.

And in an unusual twist, the company is offering the winner of the promotion a portion of profits from sales from the top pie, which will join the menu list at restaurants and a $1,000 to help market the pie during the month when the finalists compete for sales volume.

When consumers go to Facebook.com/PapaJohns, besides entering the toppings list they’ve devised, they also have to write a brief rumination of 250 words or less what makes their pizza unusual, special, or generally audacious for a chance to win. The company is judging the pies on appeal, taste, creativity of the name and the quality of the back story on how the contestant dreamed up the pie.

While the company says all entries will be featured in a gallery on Papa John’s Facebook page, the company’s president “Papa� John Schnatter and associates will choose ten semi-finalists, whose recipes will get cooked and tasted-tested by Schnatter and other judges at Papa John’s Louisville, KY headquarters. The top three recipes will be showcased on the chain’s menu through August. The highest-selling pizza wins, and the winner gets free Papa John’s pizza for life, an appearance in a “Papa’s in the House� TV commercial.