Woman wins $10,000 in hidden contest after reading insurance contract fine print

The travel insurance company also donated an additional $10,000 (£7,680) to a children's literacy charity

Donelan Andrews won the grand prize (Squaremouth)

A teacher from Georgia won $10,000 (£7,680) after reading the commonly overlooked fine print on an insurance contract.

Donelan Andrews recently purchased travel insurance from the company Squaremouth for an upcoming trip to London she has planned with friends.

While reading over the fine print of the contract, which she told CBS News she does for all contracts, policies, and agreements, Andrews noticed the company was hosting a contest with a prize of $10,000.

The contest, which was reportedly included in the fine print of all of the company’s travel insurance contracts, informs the reader they are eligible for the chance to win the grand prize.

“If you’ve read this far, then you are one of the very few Tin Leg customers to review all of their policy documentation,” the contract read - along with an email address where customers could email in.

According to the company, the first person to email in would win the money - which happened to be Andrews.

After awarding Andrews the prize, Squaremouth explained the contest on its website, writing: “We understand most customers don’t actually read contracts or documentation when buying something, but we know the importance of doing so.

“We created the top-secret Pays to Read campaign in an effort to highlight the importance of reading policy documentation from start to finish.”

According to the company, Andrews won the contest just 23 hours after it launched.

In addition to rewarding the high school teacher the $10,000 promised, Squaremouth also donated an additional $5,000 (£3,840) to both of the schools Andrews teaches at - Upson-Lee High School and Lamar County High School, and $10,000 to children’s literacy charity Reading Is Fundamental.

As for her plans for the money, Andrews said she and her husband will be taking a trip to Scotland to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary.