Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt: With $10,000 on the line, the 2025 medallion search has begun

It’s the biggest secret in St. Paul: Where’s the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt medallion hidden?

The object has been tucked away in secret locations around Ramsey County every winter since 1952. If you’re the clever hunter who figures out the clues for this year’s hunt, sponsored by Cub, you could be rewarded for your “noodling” skills with a cool $10,000 prize.

For first-time clue solvers and multigenerational family teams alike, here’s what you need to know before heading out into the cold. Good luck!

How to find the medallion:

1. Follow the clues: New hints are published every day until Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, or until the medallion is found. Clues will appear at midnight on TwinCities.com and daily in the print edition of the Pioneer Press.

2. Go to the right place: The medallion is hidden on public land in Ramsey County — with a few exceptions. The medallion will not be hidden on the State Capitol grounds, at Como Zoo & Conservatory, Rice Park, Silver Oaks Park, Maplewood’s Preserves and Open Space, Wakan Tipi/Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary nor Indian Mounds Regional Park. It also will not be under any skating surface, ski trails, on a golf course, nor under or on any artificial turf surface or at any construction site.

3. Be a courteous hunter: Please do not destroy anything to find the medallion! We’re serious about this. When you’re hunting, you must abide by all laws and requests of police officers or local officials. All medallion hunting is done at your own risk. The Pioneer Press reserves the right to discontinue the contest any time if public property is destroyed.

4. Some fine print: No purchase is necessary to win. And if the medallion is not found by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2025, the hunt ends and the Pioneer Press may donate the prize money to a local charity.

If you find the medallion:

Call the phone number on the back of the medallion right away. We’ll tell you what to do next. (Please let us know before you tell others, so we can officially verify your win!)

If you find the medallion itself, you can win $2,500, plus another $2,500 if you bring in all the published daily clues, whether clipped or copied from the Pioneer Press or printed from TwinCities.com. If you have a registered Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt Patch when you find the medallion, you can win an additional $5,000, for a total maximum prize of $10,000.

Please note a few more rules: If you find the medallion, you must complete the appropriate eligibility and release forms within 24 hours. Those under 18 may participate with a parent or guardian’s permission, but if the medallion is found by a child, an adult must provide authorization and claim the prize on their behalf.

Finally, while hunting in pairs or groups is certainly allowed, the Pioneer Press will recognize one individual winner.Groups cannot share a registered patch; each hunter must have their own patch registered to their name. To claim the full prize, Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt Patch registration must be tied to the winner’s name; it’s their responsibility whether or how to share the prize.

Full rules for the 2025 hunt are available online.