KOROR (Palau Horizon) — The winners of Palau’s Quit & Win 2000 contest were announced at the recent World No Tobacco Day Walkathon.
All the contestants who were successful in remaining tobacco-free from May 2 to May 31 were entered into a national drawing. Those contestants who were under 18 years of age, who are employees of the Ministry of Health, or who are a part of Team Palau were also entered into special category drawings. Potential winners were vouched for by witnesses, and were asked to complete a biochemical test for nicotine to ensure that they had remained tobacco-free throughout the contest.
The winner of the top national prize of $2,000 was Kimo Ngirmekur, who will now be entered into the regional drawing for $2,500 and international drawing for $10,000. Also in the national drawing, Laura Mangham received the second prize of $1,000, and Jennifer Toribiong received the third prize of $500.
In the Ministry of Health special category, the winners are Lydia Rekali, Monaliza Melayong and Ucheriang Agerkeroi.
The winners for the youth category are Imengel Louch, Felices Ngidimau and Francine Omelau.
The Quit & Win contest was a great success, with 269 individuals participating from Palau, and a total of over 1 million people participating from 98 countries around the world.
Those who were able to remain tobacco-free for the entire contest period should be offered congratulations for their success.
Quitting tobacco is a very difficult challenge, and those who were not able to quit completely for the contest are encouraged to continue trying.
