contest

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Most New Zealand Contest Ever Has Crowned Its Winner

A raptor with no qualms about eating its opponents wins New Zealand's annual bird election

(Newser) - New Zealand's annual bird election is contested by cheeky parrots, sweet songbirds, and cute, puffball robins. This year's winner is a mysterious falcon that wouldn't think twice about eating them. Karearea, the Indigenous Maori name for the New Zealand falcon, was crowned Bird of the Year on...

Amid ... Everything Else, Fat Bear Week Soldiers On

Annual Alaskan contest kicks off next week, but first: a 'chubby cubby appetizer'

(Newser) - The brawny bruins on the Alaska Peninsula are ready to brawl it out to see which will win this year's fattest bear title in the wildly popular annual Fat Bear Week contest. The main event featuring adult bears starts next week, but first up Thursday is what the National...

Cheaters Even Show Up in Rock-Skipping Contests

At least per organizers of an event in remote Scotland, with accusations of doctored stones

(Newser) - A decades-old stone-skipping contest on a tiny Scottish island made waves this year—not for record throws, but for a cheating scandal. The rules of the Easdale island contest are simple: A competitor can use only naturally formed stones from Easdale itself, and nothing wider than 3 inches, verified...

There's $1M in Gold Hidden Somewhere in Canada

Clues, riddles point to loot in the Great Canadian Treasure Hunt

(Newser) - Canadians now have a fresh reason to roam the great outdoors: There's $1 million in gold—in the form of 1-oz. coins, 217 of them—hidden around the country, and finding it is the aim of the new Great Canadian Treasure Hunt , put together by the Northern Miner...

World Press Photo Winner Is 'Quiet' but 'Speaks Loudly'

Samar Abu Elouf's winning image shows Palestinian boy who lost his arms in Israeli strike

(Newser) - A portrait of a young Palestinian boy who lost both arms as a result of an Israeli attack in Gaza was honored Thursday as World Press Photo's photo of the year. The image, taken by Qatar-based Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf for the New York Times, shows 9-year-old Mahmoud...

Who's the Most Gorgeous Bat Around? You Decide

Bureau of Land Management holds its annual online beauty contest for the flying mammals

(Newser) - Move over, Fat Bear Week . A bat beauty contest is now stepping up to the plate. The Bureau of Land Management has hosted the online competition since 2019 to raise awareness about the animal's ecological importance. The federal agency posts photos of bats on its Facebook and Instagram accounts,...

Oh My Gourd! This Pumpkin Weighs in at Nearly 2.5K Pounds
This Pumpkin Weighs
More Than a Ton
Oct 15, 2024 11:22 AM CDT

This Pumpkin Weighs More Than a Ton

Minnesota's Travis Gienger wins Cali pumpkin-weighing contest (again), with a 2,471-pound entry

(Newser) - A Minnesota horticulture teacher remained the reigning champion Monday of an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern California, where his massive gourds have won the top prize four years in a row. Travis Gienger, of Anoka, Minnesota, beat his closest competitor by 6 pounds to clinch the victory at the 51st...

Switzerland Offers Cash for Solution to Lake Munitions
Swiss Have an Ammo Problem
Hidden in Their Scenic Lakes
in case you missed it
Aug 24, 2024 7:30 AM CDT

Swiss Have an Ammo Problem Hidden in Their Scenic Lakes

Military ammunitions were dumped in 4 lakes over decades and the risk of explosion is real

(Newser) - Switzerland is offering big money to those with creative solutions to the problem of military ammunitions in its lakes. Many visitors to the picturesque lakes Lucerne, Thun, Brienz, and Neuchatel have no idea they conceal thousands of tons of ammunitions dumped by the Swiss military between 1918 and 1964, per...

'Fingerhakeln': Germany Has a Lesser-Known Festival

Finger wrestling sounds like a surefire way to put your digit out of joint

(Newser) - Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, more than 150 Bavarian men came together to compete in Germany's unique national championship of "Fingerhakeln," or finger wrestling. The "finger wrestlers" met in a big beer tent in the small southern village of Bernbeuren, reports the...

Eurovision Contestant Booted Right Before Finale

Joost Klein of the Netherlands was removed over a backstage incident now being investigation

(Newser) - A Dutch public broadcaster reacted angrily after the Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from the competition hours before Saturday's final over a backstage incident that's being investigated by police. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision, said Swedish police were investigating "a...

Judge Orders Lindell to Pay Contest Winner $5M

MyPillow founder says he'll appeal

(Newser) - A federal judge on Wednesday affirmed a $5 million arbitration award against MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell in favor of a software engineer who challenged data that Lindell said proves China interfered in the 2020 US presidential election and tipped the outcome to Joe Biden. Lindell said he plans to...

Have You Gotten 'Whammed' Yet This Holiday Season?
39 Years Later, Wham!
Tops UK Christmas Chart
updated
Dec 23, 2023 5:45 PM CST

39 Years Later, Wham! Tops UK Christmas Chart

George Michael wanted a holiday No. 1, Andrew Ridgeley says

(Newser) - The avoidance game that's all the rage apparently is not hurting the popularity of "Last Christmas," released by Wham! 39 years ago. For the first time, the song is top of the Christmas chart in the UK, the BBC reports. Andrew Ridgeley said the other half of...

Reese's $25K Contest Might Violate Federal Law

Feds haven't commented on whether investigation has been opened

(Newser) - Reese's may be in violation of state and federal laws with its new sweepstakes offer currently advertised on packs of peanut butter cups, the AP reports. The promotion on two-cup packages reads "You could win $25,000" and, in smaller print, "See details inside." But only...

Ever Wanted to Race Through a Bog? No? Keep Moving
Well, This Is an
Unusual Contest
Aug 29, 2023 11:25 AM CDT

Well, This Is an Unusual Contest

Ever wanted to snorkel your way through 120 yards of a Welsh peat bog?

(Newser) - If slogging through mud potentially infected with bacteria doesn't seem like a good idea to you, this will probably also fail your survival test: Intrepid athletes donned snorkels and slithered through slime over the weekend during one of Britain's quirkiest sporting events, the World Bog Snorkeling Championships. The...

Hemingway Look-Alike Wins Contest, Despite Big Difference

'I only have one wife,' jokes Gerrit Marshall, 68, victor of annual Key West doppelganger contest

(Newser) - On his 68th birthday, a white-bearded Wisconsin man won the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, a highlight of Key West's annual Hemingway Days celebration that ends Sunday. Gerrit Marshall, a retired television broadcast engineer from Madison, prevailed over the weekend at Sloppy Joe's Bar, a frequent hangout of Ernest Hemingway...

Amid Air Raids, Ukrainian Group Preps for Eurovision

Tvorchi, featuring Andrii Hutsuliak and Jeffrey Kenny, will perform 'Heart of Steel' Saturday in UK

(Newser) - Last year, Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra took home the grand prize at Eurovision for "Stefania," just a few months after the Russian invasion that has upended life there since. Per NPR , there's now a "special spotlight" on Ukraine for its entry this year into the international...

Woman Eats Chip Potentially Worth $120K
Woman
Eats Chip
Potentially
Worth $120K
in case you missed it
Feb 26, 2023 12:00 PM CST

Woman Eats Chip Potentially Worth $120K

UK woman was unaware of a contest being run by Walkers Crisps

(Newser) - A single mother in the UK may have missed out on a huge cash prize after eating an essentially perfect heart-shaped potato chip. Walkers Crisps (the British version of Lay's) is holding a contest, offering a £100,000 ($120,000) prize to the person who pulls the best...

Mind Taking the Middle Seat? Will a Big Prize Convince You?
Airline Gets Creative in Getting
Travelers to Take Middle Seat
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 29, 2022 12:50 PM CDT

Airline Gets Creative in Getting Travelers to Take Middle Seat

Virgin Australia launches $147K lottery, with prizes each week for those who sit in least desirable spots

(Newser) - Is there ever anyone who actually wants the middle seat during a flight? If there is, we haven't met them, but that may soon change thanks to some coaxing on the matter by Virgin Australia. Per a recent social media poll offered by the airline, a paltry 0.6%...

Epic Mullet Contest Is Upon Us
Epic Mullet Contest Is Upon Us
Aug 18, 2022 5:05 PM CDT

Epic Mullet Contest Is Upon Us

Finalists from 16 states are competing for best 'business in the front, party in the back'

(Newser) - Summer will soon be coming to a close, but that doesn't mean the party's over quite yet—especially for everyone sporting a mullet, a haircut affectionately described as "business in the front, party in the back." That's because the USA Mullet Championships are currently underway,...

Betty White Gets Unusual Honor in Minnesota

'Betty Whiteout' snowplow has been named after her in 2nd annual naming contest

(Newser) - Betty White fans came through and donated to animal rights causes in her name after her death on New Year's Eve. Now, a new honor for the late comedian and actress, albeit a more unusual one. MPR News reports that Minnesota's Department of Transportation has held a snowplow-naming...

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