21 affordable ideas for scavenger hunt prizes

A good scavenger hunt prize does not have to be expensive to feel special. Whether you are planning a party, a team-building activity, or a family get-together, the right reward can make the experience even more memorable.

Below, you’ll find affordable scavenger hunt prize ideas for adults and kids, split into two categories: classic crowd-pleasers and more environmentally conscious options.

Classic crowd-pleasers as scavenger hunt prize ideas

and

Environmentally conscious scavenger hunt prize ideas

Classic crowd-pleasers as scavenger hunt prize ideas

1. An impressive amount of sweets. For instance: 5 kilograms or 10 pounds of chocolate from different brands. According to one of our event professional partners, the best prizes are candies: they’re cheap, and people usually love them.

“For low-budget prizes, candy and chocolates are always a hit. We usually overwhelm the winning team with several kilos of sweets. Who doesn’t love chocolate? The winners often react like kids in a candy store, sharing their haul with the other teams.”

Therefore, do not be afraid of rewarding grown-ups with something as simple as chocolates or candies!

2. If your scavenger hunt includes photo challenges, turn the best team photos into memorable prizes. Print a favorite photo from each team at the end of the game and add a simple frame that they can display at home or in the office. It’s an affordable scavenger hunt prize; it gives participants a personal keepsake from the event. Note: With Loquiz, you can automatically add visual frames in the augmented photos feature during such challenges.
3. A gift card from an online store. While it may seem a bit impersonal, it’s a great idea because it allows the winners to choose whatever they want.
4. Tickets to a cultural or sports event. Music, art, and sports always get people excited!
5. Carabiners with your logo on them: You can attach useful items to bags and other belongings.
6. A gift card to a restaurant, a cooking course, or a masterclass. It allows them to have unique experiences in their life.
7. Balloons: As Winnie the Pooh once said, “Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.” This is even more true if the balloons are twisted into balloon animals. It turns handing out scavenger hunt prizes into another fun activity.
8. Good-natured pranks; for example, the winning team gets to choose a set of funny sweaters or hats that the losing team has to wear for the rest of the event or even a day at work!
9. A discount voucher for their next event with you. It’s a great way to upsell and maintain the relationship for future opportunities.
10. A chalice trophy engraved with “Greatest Team”. They can proudly display it in their office!

11. Branded items from a partner looking to promote their brand. Many companies have surplus high-quality branded items in their warehouses, so you can put them to good use.
12. A promise from the CEO. For example, if the team reaches 1000 points in your game, the CEO will have to work for a whole day as a janitor.

Environmentally conscious scavenger hunt prize ideas

13. Ask each participant to bring an item from home that they no longer need. This needs to fit a certain size and value criteria.
    (e.g. smaller than a baseball/tennis ball and less than 10 euros or dollars). Create a large goodie bag from these items. Then at the end of the activity, let each participant draw one item from the bag without looking.
14. Good old candies Vol. 2! Find a local producer selling handmade sweets. In that way, you create extra novelty, and you support local businesses!
15. Actually, local producers make excellent scavenger hunt prizes for adults. Consider items like honey from beekeepers, farm products, cheese, or handcrafted goods made by local artisans.
16. Make the winning team choose an environmental charity to send a certain amount of money. Here’s a good example: One For One Program | One Tree Planted.

17. Handicrafts from local workshops that support people with special needs. Support their efforts by purchasing these items as prizes for scavenger hunt winners.
18. Choose a cute postcard featuring a picture of a dog. The postcard itself is just a fun element; the real prize is the message inside, informing the winner that they have won the chance to walk and play with a shelter dog for 2 hours!
19. If you know someone who offers classes, such as yoga, dance, martial arts, or cooking; consider giving the winners a gift card for one of these classes!

Some original ideas for a Scavenger Hunt prize

20. A fork. Or a pen. Or a magnet. Anything simple, pointless. But in the heat of the moment, with the thrill of the victory, any small item can create a significant memory! And it’s affordable for sure.
21. Nothing but words of recognition. Make a beautiful and hilarious speech when you’re revealing who the winning team is! It’s affordable… But I do not recommend this personally.

We hope this list of scavenger hunt prizes has inspired you for your event. Most importantly, we hope it provides you with ideas to brainstorm your own original competition prizes!

If you need any ideas for your scavenger hunt and/or your prizes, feel free to contact me; I’ll be delighted to discuss them with you!