$26K Treasure Hidden in Northeast Has Been Found

The treasure has been found. A $26,000 gold trophy at the center of an East Coast treasure hunt was discovered Tuesday evening, according to Project Skydrop's website, which showed a trail-camera image of a person wearing Adidas sneakers reaching down to pick up the trophy amid a wooded area blanketed with leaves. Beginning Sept. 19, participants who paid $20 into an additional prize pot for the winner received daily clues about the treasure's location, initially revealed to be in a 500-mile radius in the Northeast. By Tuesday, the location had been narrowed down to a 27-mile radius largely in Massachusetts but including a portion of southern Vermont, per the Times Union.

The pair behind Project Skydrop, video game designer Jason Rohrer and collaborator Tom Bailey, confirm the trophy made from 10 ounces of 24-karat yellow gold was discovered, per WCVB. But as of Wednesday morning, neither Rohrer nor Bailey had heard from the individual who found it, per the Times Union. Some participants have suggested the individual should be disqualified because cameras surrounding the trophy didn't show them filming themselves as they approached. According to CBS News, to claim the bonus pot of $87,600, "the winner must take a first-person video of themselves walking up to the trophy and upload it to YouTube." The trophy itself is said to be worth $26,626.35. (More treasure hunt stories.)