Folgers(R) Announces Five Finalists in 'The Best Part of Wakin' Up(TM)' Jingle Contest

ORRVILLE, Ohio, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The votes are in!  Today, Folgers® announced the top five finalists in the first-ever "The Best Part of Wakin' Up™" Jingle Contest, who will move on to the final judging event in New York City. On June 3, 2010, the top five finalists will perform live in front of a panel of judges including one of the nation's most well-known judges of musical talent, multi-award winning songstress Kara DioGuardi.  One finalist will be named the Grand Prize Winner and receive $25,000 and have the chance to appear in a future Folgers commercial.

This spring, Folgers asked America to vote for the best rendition of the iconic jingle to help determine the top five finalists. After combining scores from the nationwide online vote and the initial round of judging, the top five finalists are:

Helena M. and Maria M. from Hacienda Heights, CA

Ethan T., Dan C., Landon L. from Missoula, MT and Jenny S. from Tacoma WA

Chase H. from Wrightsville Beach, NC

Amanda L. from Charleston, SC

Troy K. from Mount Juliet, TN and Wesley W. from Nashville, TN

"I'm looking forward to hearing all of the finalists perform live at the judging event and hear first-hand how they used their musical talent and creativity to make it their own," said DioGuardi.  "The Folgers Jingle is classic and I'm honored to be a part of its history."

On June 3, 2010, the five finalists will put their musical skills to the test and perform their original renditions of the jingle for Kara and a panel of judges in New York City.  The judges will score each jingle performance based on musical performance, stage presence and creativity/originality.  The finalist with the highest score will win $25,000 and a chance to appear in a future Folgers commercial.

"Throughout this contest we've heard many unique and memorable renditions of the iconic Folgers Jingle in genres ranging from rock to gospel to country," said Maribeth Badertscher, Vice President, Corporate Communications, The J.M. Smucker Company. "The imagination and originality of entries submitted by the top finalists is inspiring. We are excited for the final stage of this contest and to hear the five original renditions performed live."

Musicians from across the country shared their original renditions of the jingle from January 19 through February 28. All submissions underwent an initial round of judging to determine 10 entries that would compete in an online vote.  From March 28 through April 21, the top ten semi-finalist entries were posted to www.bestpartofwakinup.com for a public vote.  The top five finalists were determined based on points awarded from both the preliminary judging round and online vote totals.  

Visit www.bestpartofwakinup.com to view the finalists' video entries and complete Official Rules.

About The J.M. Smucker Company

For more than 100 years, The J.M. Smucker Company has been committed to offering consumers quality products that help families create memorable mealtime moments.  Today, Smucker is the leading marketer and manufacturer of fruit spreads, retail packaged coffee, peanut butter, shortening and oils, ice cream toppings, sweetened condensed milk, and health and natural foods beverages in North America. Its family of brands includes Smucker's®, Folgers®, Dunkin' Donuts®, Jif®, Crisco®, Pillsbury®, Eagle Brand®, R.W. Knudsen Family®, Hungry Jack®, White Lily® and Martha White® in the United States, along with Robin Hood®, Five Roses®, Carnation®, Europe's Best® and Bick's® in Canada. The Company remains rooted in the Basic Beliefs of Quality, People, Ethics, Growth and Independence established by its founder and namesake more than a century ago. The Company has appeared on FORTUNE Magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in the United States 11 times, ranking number one in 2004. For more information about the Company, visit www.smuckers.com.

The J. M. Smucker Company is the owner of all trademarks, except Pillsbury is a trademark of The Pillsbury Company, LLC, used under license; Carnation is a trademark of Societe des Produits Nestle S.A., used under license; and Dunkin' Donuts is a registered trademark of DD IP Holder LLC used under license.

SOURCE The J.M. Smucker Company