Saugeen Shores in the top 4 for the Kraft Heinz $250,000 grand prize!

Today (Oct. 12), Kraft Heinz, TSN, and RDS announced the Top 4 finalists for the Kraft Heinz Project Play 2019 program. These community projects are in the running for the $250,000 grand prize for much-needed upgrades.

The finalists include:

  •  Twin Elm Rugby Park in Nepean, ON

Would like to rejuvenate their decades-old facilities to offer the community a place to enjoy rugby for years to come. Among the upgrades are structural issues such as a new roof and accessible amenities.

  • Lanigan Swimming Pool in Lanigan, S

After years of use, the community pool is in need of repair. A new pool will give residents of Lanigan an accessible, user-friendly place to swim.

  • Lamont Sports Park in Saugeen Shores,

Would like to build more ball diamonds which will help get more community members involved in baseball, fastball and softball. With a growing waitlist, more fields would give the community more opportunity to play. 

  • The Larch Hills Nordic Society Trail Lighting Project in Salmon Arm, BC

With night falling as early as 4pm in the winter months the Larch Hills Nordic Society is hoping  to light up the ski trails to allow users to ski safely and for more hours

“Places to play are truly at the center of Canadian communities and this was clear in the thousands of stories we received from coast to coast,” said Matt Bruce, Brand Manager, Kraft Heinz Canada. “This is the 11th year of the program and it’s always amazing to see how communities come together to rally behind projects so close to their hearts.”

Canadians can join in to celebrate and support these communities by voting for their favourite finalist story at kraftheinzprojectplay.com from October 18 at 12:00 p.m. ET, until October 20 at 12:00 p.m. ET. The Kraft Heinz Project Play Grand Prize winner will then be announced on Monday, October 21 in the 6 p.m. ET edition of TSN’s SportsCentre, and in RDS’s weekday sports news show Le 5 à 7, earning a quarter of a million dollars ($250,000) for a sports facility upgrade. The other three finalists will each receive $25,000.

The final four were selected by a judging panel that evaluated each nomination based on the following criteria: the community project’s importance within the community, how the prize money would be used, and the nominated community’s spirit and passion for play. New this year was the consideration of rally points, as well – measured by the number of stories submitted by a community, social media sharing, photograph or video additions, and reactions.

This year’s top four finalists were revealed by Kraft Heinz Project Play ambassadors James Duthie of TSN and ValĂ©rie Sardin of RDS during the networks’ live broadcast of the October 12 CFL game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes.

Over the past 10 years, Kraft Heinz Project Play has awarded nearly $3M to 77 communities. In total, Kraft Heinz has supported 183 communities, contributing over $7.4M to play-based infrastructure projects across Canada.

To learn more about these communities, visit kraftheinzprojectplay.com and show your support on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #ProjectPlay.