2nd Annual Artifact Puzzles USA Speed-Puzzling Contest

This is our 2nd annual Artifact Puzzles USA Speed-Puzzling Contest that you can participate in from the comfort of your living room!

Like last year, we're partnering with the folks at Speed Puzzling who will moderate the contest over Zoom. 

Which Puzzle? Everyone will do at the same time the same totally secret, never-before-seen Artifact wood jigsaw puzzle. Each puzzle will have 200-275 pieces, and be average-hard as our puzzles go. You keep your contest puzzle after the contest.   

How Do I Get It? We will ship the contest puzzle to all entrants in early April. It will say "Do NOT open." Everyone opens up their shipping boxes at the same time on the contest Zoom video-conference, and starts puzzling at the same time.  

Individuals/Pair Categories: You pick if you'd like to complete in the solo (Individuals) or in a team of 2 (Pairs) by purchasing the right variant of this product.  The puzzles will be different, so you can compete in both. 

When: 

• Contest happens Saturday April 16 at 11:00 CDT for Individuals and 3:00 pm CDT for Pairs on Zoom
• The puzzle and directions arrive early April.  Do NOT open the white shipping box

Where: Your living room! Join us on Zoom (by computer). If you've never used Zoom before, and we can set-up a practice zoom call with you. 

Cost: 

• Individuals Contest: $57 (you keep the puzzle) 
• Pairs Contest: $59 (you keep the puzzle)

Prizes: Yes! Three prizes for each of the Individual and Pairs categories:

• First Place: your choice of any puzzle we make with 700 pieces or less or a 6 month membership to the Hoefnagel Puzzle Club
• Second Place: your choice of any puzzle we make 400 pieces or less
• Third Place: your choice of any puzzle we make 300 pieces or less

How Do I Register?:  Just purchase this product and make sure to fill in your email, phone number, and shipping address when you check-out.

How Many Contestants Will There Be?: We are limited to 99 entrants each for the Individual and Pairs contests (last year there were around 70 entrants each). 

USA/Canada Only:  Because of the complexities of getting everyone the secret contest puzzle in time, we can only accept USA and Canadian entrants. 

More Details: 

• We'll ship you the puzzle early April. 
• The puzzle is a new Artifact Puzzles that has never been seen before, and will not be listed beforehand on the Artifact Puzzles website. 
• The puzzle will be average hard as our puzzles go. We expect the fastest puzzlers to be able to complete it within an hour, but it might take casual puzzlers 2-3 hours. 
• The picture of the puzzle will be on-the-box, and it may help you go faster if you use the picture effectively. 
• We'll email contestants a link a few days before to join the Zoom meeting on April 16th.
• The judges will check each contestant’s camera setup and that they have not opened the white shipping box guarding the puzzle.
• There will be brief instructions given, and everyone will open their shipping box and remove the wrapping LIVE, on camera.
• Then we will start the timer, and everyone will puzzle simultaneously.
• After the contest is over, and all entries have been verified, we will the blog the completion times and names of the fastest puzzlers. 
• Puzzling Tools: Sorting trays and box top holders are allowed. Other tools
  (spatulas, magnifying glasses, cell phone cameras) are NOT.

How Is This Contest Different From the 2021 Contest?

• We have different puzzles for Individuals and Pairs this year, so people can compete in both contests if they want (to do so, buy both the Individual and Pairs variant of this product).
  
• The puzzles will be a little harder to do this year, though the Individual puzzle might have fewer pieces than last year (we're still working on the design!)
• People will be encouraged to signal they are finished visually rather than shouting "Done!" which many contestants found distracting.