DO YOU WANT TO WIN a $135,000 prize package?
A stocked 40-foot modified container plus $35,000. Judged video entry, not random. Important site and permit requirements apply.
Giveaway details + how to enter
Emergency Shelter Project Budget: Site, Permits and Upkeep
- Prize
- One 40-foot by 8-foot modified shipping container plus $35,000 toward tax responsibility
- Ends
- November 24, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
A large shelter project has to be assessed as both an object and a property commitment. Delivery access, approvals, preparation and long-term upkeep may matter as much as the advertised structure. This guide organizes those questions without presenting promotional bunker imagery as a safety certification. Its connected contest offers a modified shipping container, so the practical connection is the planning needed before accepting such an award.
Columbia Don’t Panic Room Contest offers One 40-foot by 8-foot modified shipping container plus $35,000 toward tax responsibility. A skill-based video contest. The container is awarded as-is and is not represented as a manufactured home or code-built residence. Winner handles site preparation, permits, installation, connections and upkeep; $35,000 may not cover all taxes.
The guide below explains the practical choices connected to this prize. The opening ENTER HERE button takes you to the complete promotion details on this page. The final official button opens the sponsor destination; you still need to complete its required actions yourself. Freebie Mom Entry Tickets are separate site rewards, not entries in this sponsor promotion, and they do not change its outcome. No purchase is required for the entry method described here.
Separate emergency supplies from a permanent property project
Household preparedness can involve a portable supplies kit, a communication plan or improvements to an existing home. A forty-foot modified shipping container is a different kind of commitment. Before treating any large structure as a solution, identify what purpose it would serve and what responsibilities would come with owning it.
Start with the location and the people who would use it. A product described as a bunker in a promotion should not automatically be treated as a certified shelter or a habitable home. Check the manufacturer's documentation, the sponsor's actual prize description and the requirements of the authority responsible for your property. Marketing language does not replace those documents.
Keep an ordinary household preparedness plan useful even if a contest is never won. Use official public-agency guidance relevant to your area and circumstances when preparing emergency supplies or evacuation arrangements. A contest video is an entry task; it is not a professional assessment of the household's readiness or permission to undertake risky demonstrations.
Columbia's Don't Panic Room Contest offers a modified shipping container and a separate cash component intended to help with taxes. The total stated value is not an unrestricted cash award. The official rules specifically limit what the container is represented to be. Read those conditions before investing time in a video or imagining a site where it could be placed.
Check land, access and approvals before planning delivery
A large delivered object needs more than an empty patch of ground. Consider property rights, access from the road, turning space, overhead restrictions and the area where delivery equipment would operate. Measurements on a product description are a starting point for questions, not proof that a truck or unloading equipment can reach the intended location.
Contact the relevant local authority and, where applicable, the homeowner association about the proposed placement and use. Requirements can differ by location and intended purpose. Ask what documentation is needed before agreeing to a delivery. Do not assume a temporary-looking structure is exempt from every permit or approval requirement.
Site preparation may involve grading, a suitable support or foundation and other work. Get advice from qualified local professionals for the actual project. The sponsor's rules assign important responsibilities to the winner, including permissions and acceptance of delivery. An offered prize does not authorize a change to land the winner does not control.
Keep a written list of unresolved questions before estimating costs. Examples include who coordinates unloading, what work must be finished first and what happens if the site is not approved. Columbia's rules include a deadline for proof of the necessary permissions after prize-acceptance paperwork. A potentially suitable property needs to be assessed early enough to meet that process.
Build the project budget around costs the prize does not cover
For any large property installation, list the award separately from the expenses that remain yours. Possible categories include site assessment, preparation, professional labor, connections, anchoring, upkeep and applicable taxes. Use the actual rules to identify which costs are assigned to the winner rather than assuming a high prize value pays every invoice.
A hypothetical worksheet could show three columns: sponsor-provided items, owner-paid work and items still awaiting a quote. Leave unknown amounts blank instead of entering zero. An unresolved installation cost is different from a free installation. When quotes arrive, compare their scope and exclusions as well as the final number.
The Columbia award includes $35,000 intended to help offset the tax responsibility associated with the prize. The sponsor expressly says it may not eliminate that responsibility. Do not describe that component as covering every tax or as extra money available for any project regardless of the winner's circumstances. A selected winner can seek individualized advice before accepting the award.
The modified container is awarded under substantial as-is conditions. The rules do not describe it as a manufactured residence built to residential code. Consider how that affects your intended use, maintenance and willingness to accept it. A valuable prize can still create obligations that make it unsuitable for a particular entrant or property.
Make a compliant contest video rather than a risky stunt
This is a skill-based contest, not a random giveaway or an instant-win game. Judges score survival-skills demonstration, problem solving and adaptability, and creativity and engagement. Build the video around a clear situation and explain the decisions you make. Original, understandable presentation is more useful than a dramatic sequence that ignores the official criteria.
The rules require an English-language video of no more than five minutes and specify accepted upload formats. They also restrict artificial-intelligence-generated and automated entries. Use your own work and review the complete content guidelines, including permissions for other people, locations, music or other material that might appear. Do not assume that a social-media trend clears those requirements.
Choose a demonstration you can perform safely and lawfully. The article does not provide fire-starting, weapon, foraging or other hazardous survival instructions. You can show planning and practical decision making without putting yourself, bystanders or property at risk. Follow the sponsor's restrictions and applicable location rules when deciding what to film.
There are two entry methods with one entry allowed through each: the website upload and a qualifying public Instagram post. The final section supplies the required tags and the official rules link. Freebie Mom Entry Tickets have no role in the judging. Scrolling to the entry button does not upload a video or submit either of your permitted entries.
Columbia Don’t Panic Room Contesta $135,000 prize package?
A skill-based video contest. The container is awarded as-is and is not represented as a manufactured home or code-built residence. Winner handles site preparation, permits, installation, connections and upkeep; $35,000 may not cover all taxes.
How to enter without a purchase
- Read the official rules and Appendix A before filming. Confirm you could meet the site, delivery and permit requirements. Create your own English-language video of no more than five minutes demonstrating survival skills in the stated fictional disruption scenario; avoid risky or unlawful stunts.
- For website entry, open DontPanicRoom.com below, complete the required personal/contact fields and upload the video in an accepted format: MPG, MP4, MOV, WMV or AVI. Greater Rewards membership does not affect selection.
- Optional second method: follow @Columbia1938 using a public Instagram account; post the video to your feed with @Columbia1938, #DontPanicRoom and #Contest. Keep the account public and remain a follower for at least 15 days after the Contest Period. Limit one entry by each method, two total. AI-generated or automated entries are prohibited.
- Submit by November 24 at 11:59 PM ET. Judges score survival skills 50 points, problem solving/adaptability 30 and creativity/engagement 20. Judging runs December 2–18. A potential winner has three days for required acceptance paperwork, and 30 days after the sponsor receives it to prove required permissions and approvals.
Claim post tickets once per article per day. Resets at midnight Eastern.
Your official giveaway entry
Click below, follow the official entry steps and submit your entry.
ENTER HEREOpen the official contest, then submit your own compliant video.
Official rules · Sponsor rules control. Checked November 3, 2026.
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