KYMA names Mercedes Pilego winner of 2026 Father’s Day contest

Mercedes Pilego gave KYMA’s Father’s Day contest a familiar Yuma County feel: a local family, a stack of community sponsors and a holiday prize meant to make one weekend stand out a little more. After dozens of submissions, KYMA named Pilego the winner and said her family would receive a prize pack valued at more than $500.

The giveaway tied together six local sponsors: Todd Craig Team at Nova Home Loans, J.T. Pro's Sandwich Shop, El Centro Motors, Liberty Motorsports, Pro-Tech Automotive and Barber's Lounge. That mix of businesses turned the contest into more than a simple holiday promotion. It became a reminder of how local stations can draw in readers, reward participation and spotlight the kinds of family moments that travel fastest through Yuma-area neighborhoods.

The timing added to the appeal. KYMA announced the winner on June 19, 2026, just ahead of Father’s Day weekend, when families across the United States were preparing for the third Sunday in June. The station’s note was light in tone, but the draw was clear: a reader-submitted family story became the centerpiece of a seasonal celebration with a tangible payoff for one household.

KYMA has used the same formula before. Earlier in 2026, the station ran a Mother’s Day Photo Contest and named Brenda Arroyo the winner, with a grand prize valued at $400. In 2022, KYMA’s Father’s Day contest named James Teasley as the winner, and that prize included $250 from Yuma Palms Mall. Across those contests, the pattern has stayed the same: readers submit entries, local businesses supply prizes and the station turns a holiday observance into a neighborhood-sized contest.

For Yuma County, that recurring setup gives Father’s Day coverage a local angle that goes beyond cards and cookouts. It puts real families at the center and shows how a small community promotion can still draw attention, build goodwill and give residents one more reason to notice what is happening around them.