Vitaminwater has announced that it is raising a challenge for smartphone addicts: ditch the gadget for a year and win a whopping $100,000.
The staggering amount may sound enticing, but the task itself is harder than it sounds. Vitaminwater is willing to pay anyone who can live without their smartphone for a year, announced via Twitter with a hashtag #NoPhoneForAYear.
$100,000-Contest Mechanics
Of course, the company is well-aware of free-loaders and time-wasters, so it laid out some simple mechanics. To join the contest, entrants must head on to Twitter or Instagram and post how they will spend 365 days without the device. United States residents from 18 and above are qualified to enter as long as they have a smartphone.
Judges will look into humor, creativity, and relevance of the posts. Entries must be submitted on or before Jan. 8 and Vitaminwater will choose the contestant on Jan. 22. The candidate should sign a contract which contains the mechanics, although specific contents of which were undisclosed to the public.
A 1996 cell phone, like what Cher used in the coming-of-age, rom-com film Clueless, will be provided to the chosen one, perfect in times of emergencies. It may be hard to swallow being seen with a retro phone, but if the candidate couldn't survive for a year, $10,000 is still rewarded for the 6 months of hard work.
The mechanics allow the contestant to use computers or desktops, but not smartphones or tablets, even those owned by other people, or anything which the candidate can scroll or swipe on. Amazon Echo and Google Home are permitted.
While most people may dismiss the contest as an walk in the park, Vitaminwater will test the candidate's honesty by submitting to a lie-detector test at the end of the year. This contest, the company said, is a bid to break people's usual boring routines with smartphones by providing an exciting reward to the successful candidate.
"We don't think there's anything more boring than mindlessly scrolling through your phone, and this is an opportunity to take that stance against routine," Vitaminwater associate brand manager Natalia Suarez said.
Contest Not Ideal For Millennials
Looking at numbers, this contest may deem hardest for millennials to finish. According to Pew Research Center, 92 percent of that generation owns smartphones. Majority (67 percent) of baby boomers and Gen-Xers (85 percent) also have the device.
In millennials' case, smartphones have been increasingly touted as vital in completing tasks every day, such as shopping online, streaming films and series, or simply browsing social media feed. According to a Gallup survey, eight out of 10 in that age range use their gadget to accomplish chores.
