Essentia Water and Runa Announce the Winner of the “Own the Winter” Photo Contest

BOTHELL, Wash. - April 1, 2014 - PRLog -- Essentia® Water and Runa® are pleased to announce the grand prizewinner of their joint “Own the Winter” Photo Contest, which asked consumers to submit photos via Facebook showing how they live winter to the fullest. After pouring over hundreds of entries from followers across the country, the judging team selected eight weekly winners from which they ultimately selected the photo submitted by Cristina “Crissy” Hill from Leavenworth, Wash. The photo depicts Crissy ice climbing at Rainbow Falls, Icicle Canyon in Leavenworth, Wash. As the contest winner, she and a guest will receive an eight-day trip to the Ecuadorian Amazon. The entries, including the winning photo, can be viewed at www.facebook.com/essentiawater and www.facebook.com/drinkruna.

“Choosing the winner was a daunting task with so many amazing entries from consumers who are clearly passionate about living healthy, active lifestyles,” said Paul Curhan, Essentia’s vice president of marketing and innovation.  “It was Crissy’s positive spirit that really struck us.”

Bothell, Wash.-based Essentia Water, the innovator of the first bottled functional water brand in the United States, and Brooklyn, NY-based Runa, the first company to bring the guayusa super-leaf to the U.S., are both beverage industry innovators with a passion to promote good health and positive energy. The “Own the Winter” contest was designed to inspire consumers to share how they conquer the winter doldrums, as well as to promote the importance of staying hydrated and energized to make the most of the season.

Corey Scult, marketing coordinator for Runa adds, “We wanted a photo of someone who was out having the time of their life even though it was cold and icy. Crissy’s picture encapsulated that, and you can tell from her photo that she’s incredibly enthusiastic to be on an adventure. Not only was the picture itself great, but it gave us confidence that she would really take advantage of the prize and would enjoy exploring the Amazon.”

In her own words, Crissy is “pretty shocked” to win the contest.  “I never win anything!  I told myself I don’t care about winning the grand prize.  I was stoked to have won a case of Essentia water to bring to workouts and Runa tea to drink in the afternoon.  The day the grand prize winner was announced I had been skiing nine inches of fresh power all morning and was already having a spectacular day, so when I found out I won I was literally bouncing off the walls!”

For more information about the brands, visit www.essentia.com or www.runa.org.