'Best Jobs in the World'finalists announced

SYDNEY - Eighteen finalists for Tourism Australia's "Best Jobs in the World" contest were announced Wednesday, and will travel Down Under in June for the final stage of the global competition.

Three finalists will compete for each of the six dream jobs, including outback adventurer, wildlife caretaker and lifestyle photographer.

They will face challenges set by the states and territories where there dream job would be based, including creating tourism videos, blogging about their travel experiences and handling the pressure of an impromptu media conference.

"It's show time. The candidates now face their very own Australian working holiday -- a week of tests and challenges which will ultimately decide who ends up winning these six dream jobs," said Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy.

After receiving applications from 330,000 individuals from 196 countries over six weeks, the 18 finalists were chosen based on a 30 second video entry and their success in securing high profile endorsement and publicity to support their application.

The finalists come from 12 different areas, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, England, Belgium, the US and Afghanistan.

The six winners will be announced in Sydney on 21 June 2013.