Elderly man's Quaker Oats contest submission rejected because… it's hand-written

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Pepsico used snail mail to reject Smith's entry, possibly because there was noother way to inform him the contest required digital submissions. (Courtesy" William Smith)

(FoxNews.com) - William Smith has been eating oatmeal every morning of his life, so when the 80-year-old Massachusetts man saw a Quaker Oats "best recipe" contest, he was quick to mail in his favorite: oats topped with brown sugar, pineapple and coconut flakes.

But Smith's "Hawaiian Special" recipe, which he wrote by hand on a piece of paper, was rejected and returned to him a few days later -- with a letter accompanying it.

"Please be advised that your letter, with attachment, does not constitute a valid entry into the Contest in accordance with the Official Rules available at www.bringyourbestbowl.com," wrote a representative for PepsiCo, which owns Quaker Oats Company.

"The submissions are accepted through either the contest application on Quaker's website, select retailer websites, Twitter, or Facebook during the submission period," the March 3 letter read. "We will not accept entries via alternative methods of entry."