Yellowknife (Feb 20/04) - The numbers are in and organizers of the Quit and Win contest are looking forward to seeing nearly 500 people in the NWT try to kick the smoking habit over the next three months.

Rosella Stoesz, coordinator of the contest, said they are still accepting entries as long as they are postmarked Feb. 14.

So far things look good.

"It is probably the same numbers that we did last year, if you eliminate the teens in the contest," she said.

Organizers were determined to try and reach all 33 communities in the NWT during this year's campaign and hoping to attract approximately five per cent of all adult smokers. Stoesz said they are pleased with their results.

"We know that right now we have participants in 28 communities," she said, an increase from last year when they had contestants from 24 different communities.

"Launching the contest just after the new year helped to capture the attention of smokers who may have already been thinking about quitting," said Susan Ashton, project manager for Quit and Win.

Now that the cessation period for contestants has begun, small interim prizes will be awarded in March and April to help keep them focused. The draw for the main prize, a trip to Mexico, will be made on May 31, World Tobacco Day.

Stoesz said they will determine a winner by drawing names out of a hat. If the person whose name is drawn says he or she has been smoke free for the three-month period, the committee will then follow protocol to make sure they are telling the truth.

This includes asking the "buddy" questions and also having the potential winner provide a urine sample.