SANDY — Brett Winn's musical style of "Latin fusion" won him plenty of swoons and applause from concertgoers at the Mormon Times Summer Showcase performance Thursday night. His unique and varied sound also won him $5,000.

Winn, 35, came in first in the online music contest, which began in May. People could watch and listen to original songs submitted by Mormon artists at music.mormontimes.com, then vote for their favorites. Six finalists were selected to perform at the concert at Sandy Amphitheater, where the top three winners were announced.

"It was amazingly intense," said Winn of his competition. "They were all amazing."

Winn's original song, "The Only One," was the favorite out of about 50 submissions. The San Diego native had his brother and a volunteer from the audience perform a Latin dance on stage as he sang the song, which he said is sometimes interpreted as narcissistic.

"(It's about) someone who just doesn't get it," he said before the music was cued. "They don't get how important you are to them, and this song basically just informs them of it."

Winn said the single is available for purchase at www.ltdrecords.com.

He said he plans to put some of his prize money toward his music career, and a portion of it will go to help a nephew in need of an operation.

The second-place prize of $2,000 went to Nathan Osmond, whose cousin Brandon won the first Showcase contest in March. Osmond, who grew up performing in the Osmonds Second Generation, recently released his first solo country album, "Feels Like Heaven," which is available at www.nathanosmond.com.

"It was fun," said Osmond after the concert. "I had so much support from my family."

He also has support from hundreds of fans, some of whom he left the stage to serenade as he sang his original song "I Believe in Love."

The third-place winner, Abby Pauslen, a BYU-Idaho student, took home $1,000 and had the loudest cheering section out of the group. She sang her original pop music with the help of her cousins on bass, guitar and drums as she accompanied on the piano.

"I just want to say, 'Thank you.' Thank you to all who voted," she said after she was announced a winner.

The three other finalists were Cameron Nichols, Rachel Sonderegger and Jesse Lacko. Two guest artists — Ryan Innes, who was a finalist in the first Showcase concert, and Anna Kaelin, who was a contestant on Season 8 of American Idol — also performed.

e-mail: mfarmer@desnews.com