Unusual Prizes for Winning Competitions
Competitions usually reward winners with predictable prizes—money, trophies, or medals that gather dust on shelves. But sometimes, contest organizers think outside the box, creating memorable rewards that leave winners either thrilled or thoroughly confused.
The world of competition prizes can be wonderfully bizarre, stretching far beyond the typical cash rewards or golden statuettes. Here is a list of 14 of the strangest prizes ever awarded to competition winners.
A Small Island
Imagine winning a contest and walking away with your very own private island. This actually happened when a Norwegian reality TV show called ‘Alene’ (Alone) awarded the winner a 270,000-square-foot private island off the coast of Norway.
The contestant had to survive alone on the island for 12 weeks to claim their prize—which conveniently became their property afterward.
1,000 Pounds of Cheese
The Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling competition in England doesn’t just offer participants the thrill of tumbling down a steep hill chasing a wheel of cheese. The winner of this bizarre race actually takes home the 9-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese they were pursuing.
One particularly successful competitor has won so many times that he’s accumulated over 1,000 pounds of cheese from his victories, enough to open a small cheese shop.
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Live Animals
The Calgary Stampede rodeo in Canada has been known to award live animals as prizes. Champions have walked away with breeding cattle, prized horses, and even chickens.
One competitor famously had to figure out how to transport his new prize bull 2,000 miles back to his home, requiring specialized equipment and permits just to claim his “trophy.”
A Visit with the Pope
Winners of certain Italian religious art competitions have been awarded a private audience with the Pope. This unique prize might not have monetary value, but for devout Catholics, it represents something far more meaningful than cash.
One young artist from a small village said the experience was ‘like meeting a rock star, except holier.’
A Luxury Coffin
A particularly morbid fishing competition in New Orleans once offered a custom-made luxury coffin as the grand prize. The mahogany casket, valued at over $3,000, featured a velvet lining and custom engraving.
The winner, a 78-year-old man, reportedly said it was ‘the most practical prize he’d ever won’ and kept it in his living room as a conversation piece.
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Weight in Beer
The Wife-Carrying World Championships in Finland offers one of the most liquid prizes around—the winner’s weight in beer. Competitors race through an obstacle course while carrying their wives (or designated partners), and the champion receives their partner’s weight in beer cans.
One winner walked away with nearly 200 pounds of beer, enough to host quite the victory celebration.
An Audience with a Dictator
In North Korea, winners of certain state-sponsored competitions have been awarded the dubious honor of meeting the country’s leader. While this might sound impressive on paper, former winners have described the experience as terrifying rather than rewarding.
The “prize” typically includes a brief, heavily choreographed interaction and a photograph that becomes mandatory display material in the winner’s home.
A Job as a Professional Eater
The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest doesn’t just award a mustard-yellow belt to its champion. Winners often receive sponsorship deals and professional eating contracts worth tens of thousands of dollars.
Joey Chestnut, the most famous competitive eater, parlayed his hot dog contest victories into a career earning over $500,000 annually from eating competitions and endorsements.
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Rocket Launch
A science competition for high school students sponsored by NASA once awarded the winning team the opportunity to have their experiment launched into space. The teenagers designed a small payload that traveled to the International Space Station, allowing them to conduct zero-gravity research and essentially become the youngest space researchers in history.
A Village
In 2012, a lottery in Spain called ‘El Gordo’ (The Fat One) awarded an entire village as the prize. The small, nearly abandoned hamlet called Sodeto collectively purchased tickets, and when they won, each resident received enough money to essentially own the entire village collectively.
The once-dying community experienced a revitalization as a result of their shared good fortune.
Bizarre Food Supply
A competitive eating championship in Japan awarded its winner a 50-year supply of nattō—fermented soybeans known for their strong smell and unique texture. The winner, who ironically didn’t even particularly enjoy the food, received monthly deliveries of the pungent delicacy.
His neighbors reportedly knew when each delivery arrived by the distinctive aroma wafting through their apartment building.
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Human Remains
A particularly macabre art competition in the early 2000s awarded human skull fragments as prizes. The controversial contest, focused on mortality-themed artwork, provided winners with ethically sourced medical specimens.
The competition was eventually shut down after ethical concerns were raised, and winners were asked to return their unusual prizes.
Personal Robot
A robotics competition sponsored by a tech giant awarded the winning team a custom-built personal robot assistant. The sophisticated machine could perform basic household tasks and was valued at approximately $75,000.
The team members had to draft a complex sharing agreement to determine who would house their mechanical prize and when.
A Mountain
Perhaps the most geographically significant prize ever awarded was a small mountain in Wales. A Welsh poetry competition at an eisteddfod (cultural festival) once offered the deed to a small, picturesque hillside as the main prize.
The winning poet not only received acclaim for his verse but also became the legal owner of a 2.5-acre mountain peak, complete with ancient standing stones and breathtaking views.
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Beyond Traditional Rewards
These unusual prizes demonstrate the creativity and sometimes questionable judgment of competition organizers worldwide. From geographic features to consumable goods, the world of competition rewards extends far beyond the typical medal or monetary prize.
The next time you enter a contest, perhaps consider what you might do if the grand prize turns out to be 500 pounds of pudding or your own desert island—you might need a bigger trophy case.
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