The Festival Medallion Quest marks the official countdown to the Smoky Hill River Festival. Beginning in 2009, the Medallion Quest brings the community together to celebrate the arts in a creative and connected way, while also encouraging patronage at the Festival Art Show. Over the years, families and friends have searched side by side, solved riddles, and endeavored to find the Medallion.
The first Medallion Quest clue will be shared via news release and websites at 7:30 am on Wednesday, May 13. The second clue will be released the same day at 4:30 pm. Each day following, two different Festival Medallion Quest clues will be provided at 7:30 am and 4:30 pm until the Medallion is found.
There is no cost to participate in Festival Medallion Quest. Participants must be 18 years of age to claim any prize. See complete Medallion Quest rules at festivalmedallionquest.com.
The Festival Medallion Quest 2026 prize package includes the following:
- $1,000 in cash
- $2,000 in Festival Gift Certificates, to be used for purchases in any of the exhibiting artists’ booths throughout the Festival grounds, including the Demonstration Area during the weekend
- Four (4) Festival admission wristbands
- One (1) on-ground Festival parking pass (weather permitting)
- Four (4) invitations to the Festival’s Art Patron Party on Thursday, June 11
- Four (4) Smoky Hill River Festival t-shirts
- Gift Certificate for two (2) tickets to attend the theatrical release of the film 4 Days In June at the Salina Art Center Cinema, running July 10 – 15, 2026
“The Festival Medallion Quest is a wildly anticipated lead-up activity to the Festival weekend,” says Art Services Coordinator Crystal Hammerschmidt, “I’ve never seen such eagerness to solve a community-wide mystery, with families and friends stepping out together and exploring the city with excitement.”
Since the Medallion Quest’s inception, thousands have taken part. The Medallion is a unique object designed each year by an artist. The custom-designed Medallion looks different each time. It has been made from wood, paper, clay, resin, or plastic in a wide variety of objects to ensure a challenging hunt.
The Medallion will be hidden on public property within the Salina city limits, which may include city parks. Curfew hours for all city parks remain in effect during the Quest and are posted at each park. It will not be hidden at Kenwood or Oakdale Parks, on private property, or on Salina Airport Authority property. Locating the Medallion does not require the destruction of property.
All clues and notifications will be posted on the Festival Medallion Quest and Smoky Hill River Festival websites, through participating local media partners, and physically outside the west entrance of the Salina Arts & Humanities Office at 211 West Iron Ave.
Organizers encourage people searching for the medallion to search with friends and family, explore the city and pick up trash along the way to keep our community clean and beautiful.
For more information on the Festival Medallion Quest or the Smoky Hill River Festival, call 785-309-5770, visit festivalmedallionquest.com, riverfestival.com, or Facebook.com/SHRiverFestival.
For needed accommodations, please call Amanda Morris at Salina Arts & Humanities at 785-309-5770 between 8:00 am - 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday. Every effort will be made to accommodate known disabilities. Please call at least five working days before the event for material or speech access.
Salina Arts & Humanities, a department of the City of Salina, has served a unique role as an arts advocate and resource partner since 1966. The Smoky Hill River Festival, Horizons Grants Program, Smoky Hill Museum, Arts Infusion Program in schools, Community Art & Design, and Creative Connections are among the Salina Arts & Humanities programs located at 211 W. Iron Avenue in Salina.
