There’s something about sweepstakes and winning that makes people’s hearts race and their dreams soar. Sweepstakes are meant to be fun, everyone knows that. Enter a contest, hope for the best and maybe win something that’ll make your day. But what if you won something truly outrageous, something that’s so outlandish it could change your life or at least make a good story for years to come? Well, these wild, real prizes from past sweepstakes were anything but ordinary. The possibility of winning any prize… whether it’s a life-changing sum of cash or an utterly bizarre bundle…can be downright irresistible and keep you coming back for more. Not all sweepstakes are created equal as some hand out the usual cash, cars or vacations and others have dared to get creative, offering outrageous, wacky and even downright ridiculous prizes. If you’ve ever thought, “what would I do if I won a giraffe?” or “could I really live in a house that means relocating?” then you’re in the right place! Though the giraffe is a tall order for a win, some prizes equally as outrageous do exist. Simply for your enjoyment, here’s a look at some of the most bizarre, lavish and downright outrageous prizes ever offered in sweepstakes history!
A 200-Year Supply of M&Ms
Let’s start with a sugar rush! In 1995, M&M’s launched a sweepstakes offering one incredibly lucky winner a 200-year supply of their colorful, chocolatey candy. That’s 48,000 bags of M&Ms and the ultimate sweet surge! If you break it down, it’s roughly 240 bags per year, or 4.6 bags every single week. Now that’s a lot of chocolate. Not only is the amount absurd, but how many people even live long enough to consume all that candy? Let’s just say this is a prize best enjoyed with a massive group of friends with the ultimate sweet tooth.
The Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas
You’ve heard of replicas, but this one takes the cake. In 1990, a Las Vegas hotel and casino ran a sweepstakes offering a full-sized replica of the Eiffel Tower. Yes, you read that right…a 300-foot replica of the iconic Paris landmark. This was part of a promotion to entice visitors to their casino. For one lucky winner, the prize included not just the tower, but also its entire construction and relocation process. Imagine hauling an Eiffel Tower across the country, piece by piece. This contest was part of an over-the-top marketing campaign for the opening of the Paris Las Vegas hotel, which still boasts its own replica of the Eiffel Tower. But the winner? They didn’t get a tower, they got a giant check for $1 million instead!
A Golden Toilet
In 2016, a New York-based art museum took things to the next level by offering a solid gold toilet as part of an exhibition. What started as a work of art quickly became a high-profile sweepstakes prize. The Golden Toilet was valued at $4.8 million and was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. The installation wasn’t just a funky luxury, it was an actual functioning toilet, installed in a bathroom for anyone who wanted to give it a try. It became the subject of global attention, but, ironically, its ultimate fate was theft! Someone snatched it right out of the museum. The toilet was named America and became a viral sensation before it disappeared. No one quite figured out how you’d move a 24-carat gold toilet, but it did make for a memorable prize nonetheless!
Your Weight in Gold
How about winning your weight in gold? That’s exactly what one lucky contestant got in 2012. This sweepstakes offered a prize where the winner’s weight was literally converted into gold, making it a pretty heavy payout. The winner walked away with gold bars, roughly equivalent to the amount they weighed. It was a contest where every pound counted, but it certainly made the winner feel golden.
A Submarine
In 1969, a cereal company called Sugar Pops (now part of Kellogg’s) decided to offer something truly bizarre…a 46-foot-long submarine. As part of a sweepstakes contest, the winner received a real, functioning, military surplus submarine. The submarine could hold up to 12 people, making it the ultimate party prize. For the adventurous at heart, this was the ultimate escape pod. Imagine cruising through waters in your very own sub…talk about living the dream! The winner of the submarine was a man from California. It turns out, the boat wasn’t exactly an ocean-going vessel. It was more of a novelty than a practical form of transportation!
A Private Island
What could be more extravagant than winning your own private island? In 2001, Virgin Airlines offered the prize of a lush, tropical private island in the British Virgin Islands. The sweepstakes winner would get to call Necker Island, the island owned by Richard Branson himself, home. Whether they wanted to build their own tropical palace or just enjoy an all-inclusive vacation forever, the lucky person would be living in ultimate luxury. Richard Branson has an affinity for giving away prizes like this…he once gave away a ticket to space via his space tourism company!
A Lifetime Supply of Beer
In 2016, Miller Lite offered up a lifetime supply of beer to a lucky winner in its “Un-Tap’d” contest. The prize was a year’s worth of beer every year for life, delivered straight to the winner’s door. While this might sound more practical than extravagant, it’s outrageous when you consider the fact that it would mean unlimited beer for the rest of your days. How much beer are we talking about here? About 5,000 cans per year! Whether you’re sharing it with friends or simply enjoying a frosty one after a long day, this is a prize that would certainly give life a buzz!.
A Castle
In 2001, Hanes Underwear upped the sweeps game with one of the most luxurious sweepstakes prizes of all time: a real castle. The winner would get a stunning, medieval-style castle in the Scottish Highlands, complete with all the majesty of the rolling hills and a historic estate. So, not only did the winner get a huge home, but they’d also get a piece of history and possibly even ghosts. Because, castles always have ghosts, right?
Final Thoughts
Some of the most outrageous prizes offered in sweepstakes weren’t just about material wealth…they were about offering people experiences they could never have dreamed of. Whether it was owning a golden toilet, cruising in a submarine, or simply having a lifetime supply of candy, these quirky and extravagant prizes remind us that sweepstakes are about pushing boundaries and embracing the unexpected. So next time you enter a contest, just imagine: you could be the lucky person who wins something completely, utterly and wonderfully outrageous! These weird prizes can be fun and full of awe while some are impractical and downright strange. They certainly make the world of competition interesting. But for me… I think I’ll stick with cash, cars, new homes and vacations…which you can almost always find on our wonderful world of sweepstakes website!
