MINOT (AP) -- A Minneapolis man failed to put an exclamation point on a $1,000 first prize in a text messaging contest at the North Dakota State Fair. He settled for $200.
Beth Brevik, 32, of Minot, defeated Kevin Taylor, 30, in a sudden death playoff of cell phone users at Saturday's contest. Taylor finished in 30 seconds, ahead of Brevik, but left off the exclamation point at the end of the phrase.
"I was very lucky," said Brevik, who correctly tapped out the phrase, "I hope I win the grand prize of $1,000 so I can buy a new phone. Whoo!"
Brevik and Taylor finished ahead of 38 competitors, many of them teenagers. Organizers said the contest was patterned after a similar event in New York, where a 13-year-old girl won $50,000.
One of the fastest competitors Saturday was Macy Iverson, 16, of New Town, who was knocked out in the semifinals when she misspelled a word. She said she sends or receives about 13,000 text messages a month.
ADVERTISEMENT
"That was what intimidated me the most. They text so much more than even I do," Brevik said of the young challengers. "I just came here with the hope that I could beat out about 75 percent of the competition. I was hoping to win but didn't really expect to."
Taylor, who was performing at the fair with a singing group, said he uses the cell phone frequently because he's usually on the road.
"I communicate with a lot of friends that way. It's efficient," he said.
Phrases were posted on a screen that contestants text-messaged to the judges, who verified the answers for accuracy. The contest was sponsored by a cell phone company.
Brevik said she thought she lost when Taylor put his phone down in the final round. Seconds later, Taylor realized his mistake and exclaimed, "Oh, no!"
