Ore-Ida Calls for Kids’ Best Mash-ups

The Ore-Ida brand’s Steam n’ Mash “Mash Destruction Contest” asks kids to draw fun new ways to mash potatoes, for a grand prize of $5,000. Consumers can enter the national competition at www.mashdestruction.com.

Steam n’ Mash potatoes are chunks of real potatoes that are ready to microwave and mash according to individual preference. The contest challenges children to think of creative mash-ups.

“Whether it’s a punching bag full of potato chunks or a futuristic robot that steam-presses the potato chunks for you, we’re looking for creative ideas of how to mash real chunks of potatoes -- like those found in Steam n’ Mash -- in a way that only a kid would even think to be possible,” explained Teresa Hammond, brand manager for Ore-Ida, a brand of the Pittsburgh-based Heinz Co. “Whatever the winning masher idea might be, the contest is a perfect opportunity for kids and their parents to have creative fun together while also showing just how easy it can be to make homemade mashed potatoes.”

Parents can enter a drawing of their child’s mashed-potato concept, accompanied by a description of 50 words or fewer. Site visitors can vote online for their favorite ideas, and the 20 submissions with the most votes will be reviewed by a panel of Ore-Ida potato experts. The panel will then select one $5,000 grand-prize winner, and five runners-up who will each get $1,000. Additional ideas may be chosen to be adapted as webisodes.