I have been recently doing a bit of research on the laws behind contests in Canada.  After pages of “legalise”, I came across a question and answer section designed for Joe Public.  In layman’s terms, it outlined the difference between an adequate and inadequate skill test.  According to the Competition Bureau of Canada:

The following have been found to be adequate skill tests:

• estimating the time it would take a barrel to travel a specified distance down a river
• estimating attendances at a fair and the future temperatures of cities
• estimating the number of beans in a jar
• estimating the number of votes to be cast in an upcoming election
• a four-step mathematical question

Okay, those seem reasonable.  Now for the absolutely hilarious inadequate skill tests.

The following are examples of skill tests found (in other words, these may have been required by contestants at one point in time) to be inadequate:

• shooting a turkey at 50 yards
• a potato peeling contest
• memorizing answers given to contestants earlier on
• estimating how many passengers would be carried on a railway at a future date

I’m trying to think of the last time a retailer had a contest winner shoot a turkey at 50 yards to redeem their prize!  Hmmm…perhaps this document needs to be updated.

Click here for more information on contests in Canada.  You will either learn something or it will help you overcome insomnia 😀