Your guide to prizes and giveaways at Riverfest

The $10 you spend on a Riverfest button could be a drop in the bucket compared with some of this year’s prizes and giveaways during the nine-day festival.

Some contests are skill-driven, and others are based on pure luck. Prizes include a new bike, a remote-controlled plane, various amounts of cash and a new vehicle worth $26,289 from The Eagle’s Medallion Hunt.

Here’s your guide to some prizes and giveaways at this year’s Riverfest:

▪  Win a vehicle in the Medallion Hunt: The Eagle Medallion Hunt is a Riverfest tradition in which participants follow clues published in The Wichita Eagle and online June 2-9 to search for a plastic coin, 2 inches in diameter, hidden on public property in Wichita. Hunters can search individually or in groups, but only one person can claim the prize of a new vehicle from EddysEverything.com. The winner will get to choose from 13 vehicle options worth up to $26,289. Complete rules, eligibility requirements and updated clues are available at www.kansas.com/riverfest.

▪  New Belgium bike giveaway: Festivalgoers can enter once a day at the bike valet to win a custom cruiser by New Belgium. The winning draw will take place at 7:15 p.m. June 11 at the Kennedy Plaza Stage, and the winner does not have to be present to claim the prize.

▪  King of the Ring $500 prize: The winner of a soccer-like game called King of the Ring, which involves players wearing huge inflatable bubbles, will receive $500. Players pay $5 to enter the game, which will be open from 6-9:30 p.m. Friday and 3-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Play for fun or try to qualify for the finals and the prize money on June 6.

▪  Human foosball tournament: Six-person teams will duel one another in an oversized, human foosball tournament. The players grip a large pole, taking the place of the little plastic figurines in regular foosball. The tournament takes place from 2-6 p.m. June 11 at Ackerman’s Backyard in A. Price Woodard Park, along the Arkansas River next to Century II. Registration costs $15 per person, or $80 per team. The money supports Rotaract Club of Wichita – a community group for professionals 35 and under affiliated with Rotary Club of Wichita. Registration is open during open play.

Tournament prizes include six passes to Laser Quest and a party package at Fox & Hound as well as dart sets from Chilton Billiards and a gift certificate to Chilton Billiards for a two-piece inlaid pool stick worth about $145. Participants must be at least 5 feet tall. For more information about the game, visit www.facebook.com/rotaractwichita.

Don’t want to compete? Just play for fun in open play. The cost is $5 per person and it runs from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. June 11.

▪  Speedy Cash Golden Ticket $1,000 prize: Stop by the Speedy Cash booth at the RedGuard Stage area, near Water and Waterman, from 3-8 p.m Saturday and June 11 for a chance to win $1,000 with the Speedy Cash Golden Ticket.

▪  Riverfest Photography Contest: Amateur and professional photographers can submit photos of Riverfest online to Douglas Photographic Imaging by July 3. Judges will select one winner each for best of show and best selfie – each receiving $250. In six additional categories, judges will select winners for first place ($100), second place ($75), third place ($50) and runner-up ($25).

▪  Win $10,000 for a hole-in-one: The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame will give away $10,000 to the winner of its hole-in-one shootout. The shootout takes place from 5 to 6 p.m. Sunday, and participants must register between 1 and 5 p.m. that day. The golf tee will be on the east side of the river behind the Boathouse. The cup will be positioned diagonally south from the tee on the west side of the river. The entry fee is $3 per shot or two shots for $5.

▪  Children and teen paper airplane drop: Budding engineers ages 5-17 years can build a paper airplane with the assistance of an aerospace engineer from 6 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Exhibition Hall in Century II. Participants will try to land their planes in a target zone. The winner will receive a radio-controlled plane.

▪  Win $5,000 from the Kansas Lottery: Riverfest visitors have a chance to win $5,000 from the Kansas Lottery station at the food court near Century II. Participants can enter from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day by purchasing Treasure Hunt scratch tickets. The non-winning tickets can be entered toward the $5,000 prize. The drawing will take place about 6 p.m. June 11 at the Star Lumber Stage at the food court. People who buy $10 or more of lottery tickets at the booth will also receive a T-shirt.

▪  Riverfest Pedal Parade decoration contest: On June 11, winners of eight categories for bicycle decorations will win prize money ranging from $25 to $200. The parade takes place from noon-1 p.m. June 11. All human-powered vehicles are welcome, including trikes, wagons and strollers. To enter, visit WichitaRiverfest.com. Contestants will be judged in a tent at the parade for eight categories: best of show ($200), most creative ($100), group award ($100), best costume ($50), best helmet ($25) and best decorated bike in categories for adults ($50), 7- to 17-year-olds ($50) and 6 years and under ($25).

▪  Riverfest Recyclable Raft Race: Teams can build rafts from recyclable materials to compete in the raft race 5-6 p.m. June 11. Winners for fastest time, most original raft and feat of engineering will each receive $250.

▪  Paddle boat kayak races: Racers 16 years and older can enter the 1,000-foot race for a $5 entry fee. The race takes place at the Douglas Avenue Bridge from 6-8 p.m. June 11, and equipment will be provided at Riverfest. Racers can win $100 in six different categories. Participants can register online or under the Douglas Avenue Bridge that day.

▪  Intrust Wichita Flag Bike: Intrust Bank will give away a custom-designed Wichita flag bike. Enter online at www.intrustbank.com/contest by June 23. The winner must pay taxes, fees and surcharges on the bike. People can enter one time, and it’s open to residents of Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Employees and immediate family members of Intrust Bank and its affiliates aren’t eligible.

▪  Cardboard Regatta: Teams will have 90 minutes to construct cardboard vessels with material provided – duct tape, pool noodles and a box cutter – to ride in the river. The construction will take place from 1:30-3 p.m. June 5 at the Douglas Avenue Bridge, and the race will be from 3-3:30 p.m. that day. Plaques will be awarded for the fastest time, best design and most spectacular sinking. There’s no size limit on teams, but at least one player, 12 years or older, must ride the raft. Entry costs $20 per team at wichitariverfest.com.

▪  Sandcastle competition: Teams will have two hours to build a sandcastle that “reflects, resembles or looks something like a building, structure or iconic thing” in Wichita. The event takes place from noon-2 p.m. June 5 at Main and William. The team with the best sandcastle will receive $500. Teams can register beginning at 11 a.m. June 5.

This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Your guide to prizes and giveaways at Riverfest."