Stakes Double for Treasure Hunt in Singapore

Coins—especially if they're gold or silver—lend themselves to scavenger hunts. Precious metal coins are lustrous and stand out but are still small enough to hide in a variety of places.

You'll often see coins used as the items being sought after in one of these games. However, a promotion being held in Singapore promises a modest fortune to the winner who finds the gold coin!

Grand Prize

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An organization called Sqkii has set up its second annual "Hunt the Mouse" event in the wealthy island nation.

Nearly a quarter of a million people participated last year. Treasure hunts and scavenger hunts are an obvious boon for public engagement and civic life.

Moreover, finding a way to associate such contests with gold is also a popular theme. In the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai specifically, the government has actually run promotions in the past where citizens who participated in a two-month campaign to lose weight were rewarded in actual gold based on how many kilos they shed.

Upping the Ante

This year, the payout for the scavenger hunt in Singapore is $100,000—double last year's total! The winner of the event, which is being promoted with the hashtag #HuntTheMouse and receiving regional press coverage in Asia One, will be the first to find a small golden coin hidden somewhere in the country. (Singapore is only the size of a major city.)

In addition to the grand prize, participants can also find one of several silver coins scattered around the island. They can be redeemed for the still-substantial sum of $1,000.

Of course, there are always detractors who call such promotions disruptive or a waste of energy.

Elsewhere, in Tokyo and Munich, the seasonal promotion of displaying a Christmas tree made entirely of Austrian Gold Philharmonic coins is also celebrating the second year of the tradition.

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