Evening star., 1937-08-29
CONTEST CRAZE ON
More Than 1000 Washingtonians Have
Won Prizes in Advertising Contests
in the Last Year or So.

good loser. She has really learned "a
take it! 1t was only couple Of week,
ago that she received a telegram
from contest sponsor advising her
that her entry in their contest had
been submitted to the nnal judges for
consideration for 4 major award.
tnat II she WAS named FIRST prizs
winner she would receive 4 81 600
trailer and, at any event, she was
assured OF a cash prize. She got tn.
cash prize all right! Five dollars.
She had missed top prize by Just four
prizes and 1895.
Far from being disappointed, she
didn't even give 1T second thought.
1t had happened too many times
before. The first time was in con-
nectlon with trip TO Europe and,
after receiving the telegram that her
entry was among the fnalsts. she
had been so sure of winning that she
had stopped the party she was attend
ing and had had the guests gather
around the radio to hear her name
announced. Was her face red when
no name that sounded even remotely
like Francis Maurine Irwin" was
mentioned!
| The Star has its own contest fan
in the person Of Jim Bergman Of the
sports department. 1t was not 50
many moons ago that Jim stopped
drawing Drawn long enough TO WELD
his pen in a few descriptive words
about how he lathered himself up in
a certain beauty soap and emerged
all peaches and cream. So we'll
chosen were his remarks that the
soap company awarded him one OF
the first prizes-his choice of $1,000
or trip to Europe in the company OF
some 10 or. 20 other peaches and
cream compilations. But it was Papa
Bergman who received the telegram
and, without consulting jim, he wired
back TO send the $1,000, that James
was staying at home. Oh we'll, the
younger Berrymans had already won
one trip to Europe and there is nothing
like check for 81 900 to vary the
monotony Of contest prizes!
UNUSUAL things are always hap
pening to contest winners. There
is Mrs. Mona Nelson for instance.
another Washingtonian who wins
frequently and who is an avid radio
fan. A contest gave her the chance
to brag that she had reversed the
usual order and instead Of writing a
fan letter to the radio performer, she
had received one.
IL came about when a radio publi-
cation sponsored a contest to criticize
Ben Bernie's program. Mrs. Nelson
won first prize and few days later
she received notice from the post
| ONCE that there was letter for her
IN Pittsburgh with no postage. She
Immediately dispatched the three cents
and a few days later her curiosity
was satisfied when a letter bearing for
return address Ben Bernies Music.
Hotel Roosevelt, New York"-an
address she knew had been vacated
by Ben Bernie and his lads a number
OF years before. "Ha." she thought,
wouldn't Winchell love to know about
this Bernie frugality-savinz his sta
| tlonery from way back when and
mailing his letters without stamps"
However, when she opened the letter
1t proved to be from one OF his
vocalsts and such a nice letter that
she considered three cents quite a
bargain price for it.
AS many years as advertisers have
been paving out their money-miIlions
OF dollars-in contest prizes, tn.
general public still seems 10 think
contests are fakes, that the prizes.
If paid at all, 20 to relatives Of the
sponsor. 1t was to overcome this
belief and to sponsor contest that
was absolutely fair TO every one that
the advertisers jumped with such
alacrity to the great names" contest.
The sponsors had much to learn and
1t is likely that they are the most
disappointed Of all that this type OF
contest is not the fair proposition
they had hoped it would be.
TO BEGIN with, no one dictionary
! OF even the most complete type
will solve all the puzzles. The con-
testant must have two or more Of the
best unabridged dictionaries or must
solve his puzzles in the public Libraries.
Then came the rackets that follow in
the wake OF big prize Offering In
! dlVlduaLS and firms began to sell the
! puzzle solution and reap rich reward
from a gullible public. Some OF thes.
solutions were fairly accurate, others
were merely hoax
| Washington puzzle fans can Pat
| themselves on the back that they are
considerably better than one of the
best OF these professional puzzle eolv-
ing firms. In the last tie-breaker for
that cigarette FIRMS contset, the con-
testants had from Thursday morning
until midnight on Tuesday to solve
80 puzzles-and tough babies they
were. BY noon on Sunday the ma
Jority of the Washington puzzlers had
their 80 solutions perfect-checked
and double checked. It WAS not until
in the afternoon on Monday that a
list selling for s25 was made COM
pletely accurate by corrections tele-
! graphed to the purchasers
There were not so many WASHINGTON
]
but they worked with an unbeatable
system. They worked in groups of
six or eight One person in each
| group acted as telephone headquarters,
assigned certain puzzles to each mem
Der Of the group to solve and received
their solutions for checking and for
trading with other groups. With few
solutions in. the intergroup tele-
phonlng for the trading Of names be-
gan. Each name traded must be
accompanied by 4 detailed syllable by
syllable solution to be acceptable. Fo,
the most part these group heads were
perfect strangers to each other but by
the time the contest closed they were
good friends. They would recognize
each others voice over the telephone
any time but they could pass on the
street without ever dreaming that the
other was their contest pal.