KUALA LUMPUR: It would not be a stretch to say that 38-year-old Faiz Aizuddin Azami is one of the luckiest men in the country.
In the past 10 years, the father of three has won a slew of big prizes, including a VIP holiday package for 10 people to four theme parks in the US, complete with spending money worth RM100,000
This does not include cash prizes worth RM24,000 and holiday packages to the UK, Turkiye, France, Japan, Korea and more.
His impressive "resume" of contest wins also includes 55-inch TVs (10 units), refrigerators (20 units), washing machines (30 units), hundreds of electrical appliances including smartphones and even a home renovation package worth RM10,000.
Faiz has also won eight motorcycles, a Proton X50 and a Mini Cooper.
His numerous victories have also allowed him to meet A-list celebrities and sports figures including Neymar, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Bieber.
Faiz said his interest in contests began when he entered a competition organised by a telecommunications company at the age of 18.
The grand prize was a cash amount equivalent to a 10-month salary. He won and pocketed RM24,000.
"I was shocked because I was still studying and I wasn't even earning. But the organisers took into account the minimum (average) salary and the amount was given to me," he told Harian Metro.
After notching numerous wins, Faiz said he decided to quit his job as a teacher as he did not want the trips he won to affect his work.
He also said he realised he could get good returns from winning contests if he joined them consistently.
"For example, in one year, I aim to win 1,000 contests and prizes worth around RM100,000.
"So I will work hard to achieve my target," he said.
Aside from joining contests full-time, Faiz is also an academic motivator.
Faiz said to win a contest, participants must have their strategy, which sometimes involves a lot of investment as some contents with big prizes require purchases.
He also said there were times he was unlucky, having spent tens of thousands for a contest and failing to win it.
There were also times he won contests but was never given the promised prize.
"It hurts when we don't see the returns of our investments in a contest but this is part and parcel of joining contests," he said.