Maranda Rice, a junior at Pinecrest High School, has been selected by Cold Stone Creamery headquarters to compete in its national iMix America Contest.

As a contestant, Rice will represent the local Cold Stone Creamery store in Aberdeen and have the chance to win up to $30,000 in prizes, with the help of all local ice cream lovers.

Rice spent a morning at the Aberdeen Cold Stone with owners Ron and Rena Schrein and made her own unique ice cream creation, called "Maranda's Marble Swirl."

"I talked to all my friends, and we all agreed it had to have chocolate in it," Rice said.

Thanks to her friends' good advice, "Maranda's Marble Swirl" is a combination of two ice creams, Ghirardelli chocolate and cake batter, with fudge, chocolate shavings, a Ghirar-delli caramel square and a brownie mixed in.

The creation received the immediate approval of Rice's brother, Ridge.

Rice will post photos and a video of her creation on the social networking Web sites Facebook, MySpace and You-Tube.

She invites everyone who views her creation to come to the Aberdeen Cold Stone Creamery to try it.

"I'm meeting with my friends to talk about how we can get people to try my new creation," Rice said.

Everyone who comes to the store and orders "Maranda's Marble Swirl" will get a unique voting code that they will use to cast a vote for her creation on the Cold Stone Creamery Web site, www.coldstonecreamery. com.

If Rice receives the most votes in this nationwide contest, she can win a new car, and thousands of dollars in electronics, wireless products and clothing.

"I'm hoping everyone in the area comes to Cold Stone Creamery and tries 'Maranda's Marble Swirl,'" Rice said. "It really tastes wonderful."

Cold Stone Creamery is at 11088 U.S. 15-501 in Aberdeen (near PetsMart) in the Aberdeen Commons Shopping Center.?