A Bemidji woman's New Year's resolution to get into shape has paid off.
Heather Hurd, 21, has won the $10,000 grand prize in Aquafina's national "Resolution Reality" contest, which called for people to submit a 30-second video depicting their New Year's resolution.
Hurd, who hails from a contest-savvy family, learned about the contest online while doing one of her occasional searches for contests on the Internet.
"When I saw the prize was a $10,000 Visa gift card, I just knew I had to enter," she said.
The Bemidji State University senior majoring in design technology developed the concept, starred in and edited the video, and uploaded it to the contest's Web site for consideration.
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She said she started the process by brainstorming a list of ideas for her video.
"I wanted to make it funny," Hurd said.
She said she decided to make a video of herself doing exercises people normally wouldn't do without specific gear. So, she demonstrated bicep curls with large jars of peanut butter, lunges and squats with bottles of laundry detergent, bench presses with a bag of dog food and running back and forth in the snow wearing snow boots.
"My mom shot the video for me," she said. "And I edited the video and uploaded it. It was tough to keep it to 30 seconds."
To make sure everything met the 30-second time limit, Hurd sped up the video to make it appear as though she was doing the exercises more rapidly. And in her video, she topped off her speedy routine with a quick drink of Aquafina.
Once finished, she uploaded her video to the contest Web site just before the Jan. 31 deadline. She said the entries were supposed to be judged during the first couple of weeks of February.
"That came and went," Hurd said.
When no winner had been announced on the Web site, Hurd called PepsiCo - the parent company of Aquafina -to see if a winner had been selected. She said she was told the winner would learn of the achievement when he or she received an affidavit in the mail.
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"I was really bummed out," Hurd said.
A couple of weeks passed. Then, while Hurd was getting ready for work Wednesday, a FedEx truck pulled up to the Hurd residence. She said her mother, Pat, handed her the envelope that had arrived from Aquafina with her eyes wide.
"She knew," Hurd said. "I opened it and we both started screaming. We were both really excited. I'm still shocked. I can't believe I won, still."
Hurd plans to use some of her prize money to realize her dream.
"It's always been my dream to move to New York City after I graduate in May," she said.
Her sister Hannah already lives in New York City and the two plan to get an apartment together. Hurd added that she will look for a job in the city.
The Hurd family isn't new to winning national contests.
Last summer, the entire family traveled to New York City after Hurd's mother won French's GourMayo Flavored Light Mayonnaise Brown Bag Lunch with The Duchess Recipe Contest. Her recipe for Focaccia Chicken Rolls with Mango Mint Dijon Salsa using one of French's flavored mayos won her a trip for three to New York City to have lunch with Sarah Ferguson, the duchess of York.
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Her mother's list of national contest wins also includes the $10,000 National Beef Cook Off and $25,000 Skippy Peanut Butter America's Nuttiest Family contest, in which the entire Hurd family starred in an original home video.
"She's won a lot," Hurd said. "We're actually leaving for the Pillsbury Bake-Off Saturday."
She and her sister Hayley will travel to Orlando, Fla., for her mother's third appearance in a Pillsbury Bake-Off.
Hurd said she owes a lot to her mother, who got her started in contests, and father, Bob. She said she got her knack for computers from her father, an industrial technology teacher at Bemidji Middle School.
"It's nice being in a creative family," Hurd said. "It pays off."
