Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc.’s popular Bitz of Summer contest just wrapped up another successful run. This was the second annual contest for the company where participants are asked to share images or videos of their summer adventures while they are enjoying Arctic ApBitz dried apple snacks or fresh apples. The winner is then chosen by public vote.

This year’s contest winner, and the recipient of the $1,000 grand prize travel voucher, was James Bartholomew of Fort Lauderdale, FL. Bartholomew’s winning entry saw him enjoying a package of ApBitz dried apples in front of some spectacular scenery in Iceland. 

“I suffered ruptured quadriceps and am going to use the Arctic apple travel certificate to fly to work with rehabilitation experts,” said Bartholomew, who is hoping to also have some of the prize voucher left over for a vacation or to fly to a popular televised athletic competition he competes in.

The second place entry was a video of one family’s summer adventures that included a trip to Niagra Falls, and the third place entry showed some summer fun on a trampoline full of apples.

“This social media contest has proven to be an effective tool in increasing engagement with our followers. Our website saw traffic increase by more than 225 percent during the voting period,” said Rebecca Catlett, OSF’s director of marketing and communications. “Our team loves seeing all the creative ways people incorporate our Arctic ApBitz snacks into their summer adventures. Stay tuned for our third annual contest next summer.”

Arctic ApBitz apple snacks are made of only 100 percent Arctic apples and were created by OSF’s want to reduce waste and use all of their apples regardless of their size or shape.