Winners announced in Socket's citywide coloring contest

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Six local children received prizes in the recent Hello Neighbor Coloring Contest. The second annual contest was sponsored by Socket, a Columbia-based telephone and Internet provider, and was conducted throughout the month of June. Community children put their coloring skills to the test to win prizes from Big Surf Waterpark, Shakespeare's Pizza and the YouZeum.

A total of 328 children submitted entries to be judged by Socket employees based on creativity and overall presentation. The entries were separated into two age groups: three to seven year olds and eight to 12 year olds. The top three winners were chosen in each category.

• Grand Prize: Big Surf Waterpark family season passes- Junah Jang, 7 and Samm Leal, 12
• 1st Prize: Shakespeariences- Quinn Tyler, 7 and Ester Whang, 10
• 2nd Prize: YouZeum family passes- Bertie Binfield, 6 and Michelle Collins, 11

Entrants were asked to color in the outline of a storefront like their favorite local business. Several Columbia staples made appearances, including: Sparky's, Sub Shop and Cool Stuff. Every child who entered received a free pass to Going Bonkers.

"It was really inspiring to see how creative Columbia's youth are and how much they like local businesses," said George Pfenenger, President and Co-founder of Socket.