Premium Bonds winner scoops £1m prize with a bond bought only six months ago

A Kent resident is celebrating a life-changing £1million win in the latest National Savings and Investments Premium Bonds prize draw from a bond bought just six months ago.The lucky winner of one of two seven-figure jackpots held £21,000 and the bond was bought in February, meaning March was the first time it was eligible in a draw.They become the 25th jackpot winner from the county since the £1million prizes began in 1994. The other winner of the £1million jackpot is from Hampshire and Isle of Wight. They purchased their winning Bond in March 2022 and hold £49,850. They are the 8th person to win the £1million jackpot in the area. Two Premium Bond holders are celebrating an unforgettable August after winning £1m eachRandom number generator machine Ernie drew more than 6.2million prizes this month worth more than £433million. Since Ernie's first draw in June 1957, it has now dished out 850million prizes.The odds of winning a prize per £1 Bond is 22,000 to one, while the annual prize fund rate is 3.8 per cent and all prizes are tax-free.How many quick £1m winners have their been?Other notable wins in this month's draw include a £1 bond from 1971 winning £1,000, a holder scooping £100,000 with a £650 holding only bought in March, and a winner in Kent scooping £50,000 from a £20 holding bought in July 1981. How many quick £1m winners have their been?Exclusive data from NS&I for This is Money shows there have been 42 winners of the £1million prize since 1994 that have held the winning bond for six months or less.The two quickest have scooped £1million after holding the winning bond for just 59 days.This was a winner from Surrey in March 1997 who won with a £10,100 holding and a Bedfordshire winner in March 2018 with a £7,500 holding.In total, there have been 13 jackpot winners who have won in the second month of buying a bond. Unclaimed prizes NS&I says more than 99 per cent of prizes have been paid to winners since the draw began in 1957.But there are still 2,837,572 unclaimed prizes worth £125,420,775 waiting to be claimed by Bond holders.In Kent, there are currently 74,859 unclaimed prizes worth £3,330,250.Meanwhile in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, there are 80,595 unclaimed prizes worth £3,501,100. They include three £25,000 prizes and one £10,000 prize.If you believe you have an unclaimed prize, simply check by entering the account holder's name into NS&I's online prize checker or via the app.Most of the time, Premium Bond prize winners will receive notifications of their winnings each month via their chosen method such as email or text if they have registered their contact details. However, if someone moves house, changes contact or bank details and forgets to update NS&I, this can lead to unclaimed prizes. Instead of putting money into general savings accounts and earning interest, those with Premium Bonds enter a monthly prize draw in a bid to win between £25 and £1million.Their numbers are generated by a random-number generator called Ernie and each £1 Bond has some odds of winning.Winners are announced at the start of the month and money is paid into accounts by the 7th.Andrew Westhead, NS&I retail director, said: 'With our jackpot winner from Kent only purchasing their winning Bond earlier this year, Ernie reminds us that every £1 Bond has an equal chance of winning and that a visit from Agent Million could be just around the corner.'They’re not the only ones with a reason to celebrate. Ernie has drawn over 6.2million tax-free prizes worth over £433million, this month.' Premium Bonds Winners Prize Area Value of bond £1,000,000 Kent £20,000 £1,000,000 Hampshire And Isle Of Wight £40,000 £100,000 Sefton £25,000 £100,000 Surrey £100 £100,000 Nottinghamshire £49,998 £100,000 Hertfordshire £25 £100,000 Newcastle Upon Tyne £50,000 £100,000 Surrey £5,000 More August 2026 winners View list of August 2026 winners