Icelandic yogurt brand Siggi’s holds smartphone detox contest with $10,000 prize

American residents older than 18 can register for the contest by writing a 100- to 500-word essay explaining why they want to embark on the digital detox journey and what they thought the benefits of such a challenge would be.

Registration is free and open until the end of Jan. 31, after which 10 contestants will be selected to enter the no-smartphone challenge.

Each selected contestants will receive a $10,000 check, a lock box for their smartphone, a simple mobile phone with a pre-paid sim card that only allows them to call and text others, and three months’ supply of Siggi’s yogurt.

A no-smartphone challenge is not a novel concept, as beverage brand Vitamin Water hosted a similar contest in 2018 where it offered $100,000 for contestants to give up smartphone for a year.

Writer Elana Mugdan was the only contestant selected out of 100,000 applicants, and she also won the prize.

According to time tracking software provide RescueTime, the average person spends three hours and 15 minutes a day on their smartphone, which is a huge distraction to their work and daily life.