The UNCLE BEN’S^® Brand Awards Second Grader $30,000 for School Cafeteria Makeover and $15,000 Cash Prize for Inspiring Families to Cook Together

Rancho Dominguez, Calif. (January 9, 2013) – The UNCLE BEN’S® Brand, the number-one selling brand of rice in the United States, named Claire Noles, 7, and her mother Rachel of Boaz, Alabama the grand prize winners of the Ben’s Beginners™ Cooking Contest. The Contest was created to help children make healthier eating choices by getting in the kitchen at an early age.

Three finalists were selected from nearly 1,000 entrants (grades kindergarten-8th) who submitted videos of themselves and their families preparing a rice-based dish as part of the second annual cooking contest. Claire and Rachel Noles were selected as the grand prize winners and awarded with a $15,000 cash prize, two appearances on the Rachael Ray Show and a $30,000 cafeteria makeover for Corley Elementary School, located in Boaz, Ala., where Claire attends as a second grade student.

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