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9-Year-Old New Jersey Boy Wins National Handwriting Contest

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FAIRVIEW, N.J. (CNN) -- A 9-year-old New Jersey boy went head-to-head with a quarter-million other kids -- and beat them all.

Edbert Aquino, of Fairview, won the Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest, making him the third-grader with the best penmanship in the country.

"I really didn't expect it," Aquino said.

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His national trophy is almost as tall as him. He first competed at the state level and won.

Aquino's cursive skills are spot-on perfect when compared side-by-side to the examples kids are copying inside Lori Solan's third-grade class at Our Lady of Grace School in Fairview.

"He pays very close attention to detail and I think that's what allows his handwriting to look the way it does," Solan said.

Aquino said the key to success is concentration.

"I ignore all the other things, like if I hear some sort of (noise), I turn my head and come back," he said.

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Aquino earned $1,000 for his school to put toward education materials, as well as a cash prize of $500 that he got to take home.

"I will, for now, save it because something might come up that my parents might need, I might need, so I'll always have that money in case," Aquino said.

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