It will be a battle to the finish for cash and bragging rights in the 2012 Meadowlands Winter Survival Challenge

. The online handicapping competition begins on Friday, January 13 and runs through Saturday, April 2012.

The winner is determined by the highest total bankroll at the end of the challenge based on a $2 across the board wager [win, place and show] on selections for three designated races each program.

To continue in the game entrants must "survive" by finishing in the the money [first through third] with at least one of their selections each day. Failing to do so or not making selections knocks the player out of the game.

A new addition to the game for this edition of the contest is the "lucky horseshoe", a free pass given to all Challenge participants. The "lucky horseshoe" allows the player to survive if he/she does not make selections for a race card or if all three selections fail to make the board.

The grand prize is $2,000, while second place takes home $1,000 and third place gets $500.

For more information and to enter the challenge, click here.