A Canadian fintech launch is giving away prizes most people would never book for themselves. Konek, a new digital wallet powered by Interac and backed by major Canadian banks, has opened a Waitlist Contest with five grand prizes spanning sports, food, music, travel and adventure — with stated retail values ranging from $17,400 to $39,500 CAD each.
The lineup is genuinely varied. Sports fans can enter to shoot hoops with Kyle Lowry as part of the Toronto icon's retirement celebrations, with a signed jersey and game tickets thrown in. Food lovers get the flashiest perk: a Michelin-starred tasting at aKin in Toronto, then a private jet hop to Montreal with five guests for a street-food-filled urban picnic, plus a hotel night and ground transfers.
Music lovers can win a platinum-level OSHEAGA weekend in Montreal for three friends, complete with a stage-side moment with a lineup artist and daily hair and makeup — plus flights from Toronto and four nights in a luxury Airbnb. On the adventure side, there's a three-night wellness retreat at Nimmo Bay Resort in B.C.'s Great Bear Rainforest, reached via Vancouver and a light aircraft transfer through Port Hardy. And the biggest bucket-list item: a six-night Tundra Buggy Lodge polar bear expedition in Churchill, Manitoba, with flights from Winnipeg and accommodation included.
Entry is free and simple: sign up for Konek on its website, complete the entry form and pick the category you want. There are also 40 $100 gift cards up for grabs as secondary prizes. The fine print matters, though. The contest runs from September 30 to November 20, 2026, is open only to Canadian residents of age of majority (Quebec excluded), limits you to one entry per person, and requires a skill-testing question. Winners are drawn per category, so your odds partly depend on how crowded your chosen waitlist is.
For travellers, the real draw here is that several of these prizes unlock experiences that are nearly impossible to book casually — Churchill polar bear lodges and Nimmo Bay both sell out seasons ahead and cost a small fortune independently. Even entering costs nothing, so the only real investment is a few minutes of form-filling. If you're in Canada and have ever priced a subarctic wildlife safari, this is an easy yes.
