The Rotten Sneaker Award Goes To . . . . .

Talent comes in many forms - Some people can dance, others sing - And then there is Joshua Boothe who has become famous for his unusual talent for creating really smelly sneakers.

The seven-year old boy from American Fork, Utah was recently declared the official winner of the 34th "Odor Eaters Rotten Sneaker" contest - and his sneakers enshrined in the company's famous 'Hall of Fumes'. It is rumored that Joshua's sneakers were so smelly that even the experts had to cover their noses.

The annual contest organized by Odor Eaters, a company that manufactures foot odor products, was held in the small town of Montpelier, Vermont. The seven finalists, ranging from seven to fifteen, were randomly picked from the winners of regional contests held in different parts of the country. They all had one thing in common - smelly sneakers that were falling apart.

Joshua's strategy to get his sneakers smelly was to wear them everywhere he went, until they got so smelly that he had to wash his hands, every time he touched them.

Even after winning the regional title, he didn't rest on his laurels, continuing the hard task of making his shoes smellier than they were before. He went fishing with them, smeared them in the mud, poured some fish 'juice' on them whilst cleaning the fish and even stepped on some rotten apricots and plums.

His efforts paid off! The smelly sneakers earned him a cash prize of $2,500 USD, a Golden Sneaker award trophy, a years supply of Odor Eaters products and an all expenses paid trip to New York, where he got to go sightseeing and to the Broadway production of the 'Lion King'. However, the best part of winning the contest was all the fame it has brought him.

While Joshua cannot enter the contest again, he is showing his younger brother all his winning strategies and, awaiting the results of a Reading Rainbow contest, where he has submitted a book entitled 'Where Can You Go With Stinky Sneakers?'

sources:heraldextra.com, odoreaters.com