Grand Prize of $10,000 Educational Scholarship Awarded to Ava Lloyd of South Dakota
CHICAGO (Nov. 5, 2012) –Prevent Blindness America is pleased to announce the grand prize winner of its 2012 “Most Beautiful Eyes Contest” as Ava Lloyd, age 4, of South Dakota. Lloyd has been awarded a $10,000 educational scholarship. Lloyd and her family were flown to Chicago to attend the Prevent Blindness America Annual Awards Banquet on Nov. 2 at Chicago’s Conrad Hotel.
The national contest took place earlier this year when parents of children ages zero to 17 were encouraged to submit a photo of their child online. Voting took place on Prevent Blindness America’s Facebook page at facebook.com/preventblindness. The contestant with the most votes from each state, with the exception of Rhode Island, advanced to the final round, followed by the selection of the grand prize winner by celebrity judges- ORA TV’s Larry King, “Fox NFL Sunday” Host Curt Menefee and legendary performer, Barbara Eden.
“During our family vacation, my husband captured an amazing photograph of Ava, and we said ‘That's it! This is the photo we will submit to Prevent Blindness America!’” said Meggen Lloyd, Ava’s mother. “Not only are we happy that Ava will benefit with this generous scholarship for her future education, but we are also proud to be a part of something that brings awareness to the importance of healthy vision for children.”
The scholarship prize was made available by Marchon Eyewear, Inc. Additional prizes and sponsorship were provided by Real Kids Shades (RKS), Eagle Eyes®Optics and Walters Golf.
“On behalf of Prevent Blindness America, I want to congratulate our winner, Miss Ava Lloyd, and thank everyone who participated in the Most Beautiful Eyes Contest for helping us extend the message that keeping our children’s eyes and vision healthy should be a priority for everyone,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness America. “And, we want to thank our generous sponsors for helping to make this contest possible.”
For more information about the Most Beautiful Eyes Contest or general children’s eye health and safety, please visit preventblindness.org, facebook.com/preventblindness, or call (800) 331-2020.
Download a copy of the Most Beautiful Eyes press release.