Hard Mountain Dew is offering a $1 million prize to anyone who can provide verified proof that Bigfoot exists as part of a new nationwide challenge.
The alcoholic Mountain Dew brand is launching its first-ever “Bigfoot Bounty” on September 15, giving Bigfoot hunters across the US until November 30 to submit evidence of the legendary creature.
The challenge is open to anyone aged 21 or older, but simply sending in a blurry photo won’t be enough to claim the seven-figure prize. Hard Mountain Dew has laid out specific requirements for what it considers compelling evidence.
Entrants must submit an essay alongside evidence that meets at least four of seven categories outlined by the company.
Those include a Bigfoot footprint measuring between 37 and 38.5 inches long and pressed six inches into solid gravel, or a documented 13-inch handprint with unusual characteristics.
Hard Mountain Dew will also consider thermal imaging showing a seven to nine-foot-tall heat signature moving between 20 and 25 mph through dense forest, as well as hair samples containing unknown DNA markers.
Other qualifying evidence can include unexplained audio recordings consistent with reported Bigfoot activity, environmental remnants without signs of machinery or storm damage, and a photo that appears to show Bigfoot photobombing the entrant.
However, meeting the entry requirements alone isn’t enough to win the money. Hard Mountain Dew says the $1 million prize will only be awarded if the submitted evidence provides actual, verified proof that Bigfoot exists.
Evidence will be judged using standards developed with Bigfoot researcher Bryce Johnson, who has starred in and produced a docuseries following Sasquatch researchers searching for evidence of the creature.
Even if nobody manages to claim the $1 million bounty, Hard Mountain Dew is offering another incentive to participate. A total of 100 entrants will receive the cash equivalent of a free 12-pack for submitting their best evidence.
“Hard Mountain Dew has always been about chasing bold experiences, and Bigfoot Bounty takes that mindset to the next level,” senior brand director Erica Taylor said.
“Every fall, someone’s got a story of a shape in the trees or a sound they can’t explain. Whether you catch Bigfoot or just catch a good story trying, there’s nothing better than an ice-cold Hard Mountain Dew at the end of the hunt.”
The challenge comes just weeks after a Maine town was sent into a frenzy over reported Bigfoot sightings, prompting local police to investigate.
Officers in Damariscotta eventually tracked down the supposed creature sitting on Main Street, only to discover it was a man wearing what police described as a “very convincing costume.”
For anyone hoping to claim Hard Mountain Dew’s $1 million bounty, they’ll need to come up with something a little more convincing.
