Sears, Kmart announce finalists for Shop Your Way Rewards contest

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. Sears and Kmart is getting close to announcing a winner for its Shop Your Way Rewards contest, in which half of the prize will be donated to charity.

The contest, which launched earlier this year, asked customers what they would do with one billion points. Thousands of Americans expressed their generous nature and their loyalty to Sears and Kmart by submitting an online, 45-second, personal video message answering the question "What Would You Do with One Billion Points?" Videos ranged from wishes of helping educational, diabetes and wildlife charities to personal desires of using the points on everything Sears and Kmart has to offer, including outfitting a home with appliances, electronics, sporting goods, tools, indoor and outdoor home furnishings, jewelry, apparel and footwear for the whole family.

The contest was designed to celebrate the first anniversary in November of the Shop Your Way Rewards program, which has already acquired more than 23 million participants. In addition, the program is meant to educate customers and members about the value of Shop Your Way Rewards points, and most importantly provides Sears and Kmart customers an opportunity to give back to charity in a big way.

"The Shop Your Way Rewards 'What Would You Do with One Billion Points?' contest has been a huge success, and we've enjoyed learning about our customers' personal interests and how they would help others through charitable giving," said David Friedman, SVP and marketing president at Sears Holdings. "Many of the entries were heartfelt and focused more on how our customers would share their winnings with others versus how they would use the points themselves. The charity donation is a key component of the contest and it was wonderful to see this embraced by our customers."