2021 Puzzle Design Competition

Entries

The Design Competition Guide (same content: photos, instructions, and notes) is available here.

The following is a summary of the 75 entries in the 2021 competition (click on images for larger photos).

All designs are copyrighted and are the intellectual property of the designer. All rights are reserved.

Ball and Ring Pseudo-Jiggle Puzzle

Designer: Kohno Ichiro
Goal: Place the pachinko ball at the top of the hill, with the wooden ring around the top of the hill.

Materials: Wood, iron ball, acrylic plate
Classification: Dexterity

Purchase: Contact the designer by for this or other puzzles.

Ball and Ring Pseudo-Jiggle Puzzle

Billard

Designer: Christian Cormier
Goal: Find the eight-ball

Materials: Aluminum/stainless steel
Classification: Sequential Discovery (2.1 Trick Opening, 5.5 Maze)

Purchase: Visit Chris.C. Puzzle on Facebook; US$485 plus shipping; limited edition of 100.

Billard

Bitcoin Maze

Designer: Robrecht Louage
Goal: Remove the coin

Materials: Trespa, steel balls
Classification: Sequential Discovery (Take Apart)

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Bitcoin Maze

Borromean Cage

Designer: Doug Engel
Goal: Remove the constellation from its Borromean cage, then return it to inside the cage.

Materials: Plastic
Classification: 3.6 Misc. Interlocking

Purchase: Contact the designer by or visit the Puzzleatomik Etsy shop; $19.59 plus shipping.

Borromean Cage

Box of the Celts

Designer: Numbskull Puzzles (Matt M)
Goal: Unravel the knot to unlock the mysteries and find your prize.

Materials: 3D-printed PLA+
Classification: Sequential Discovery (Take-Apart, Maze, etc.)

Purchase: Contact the designer by or message "FroodLoops" on the MP Discord or Reddit to be added to the "interest list"; no firm upfront commitment required.

Box of the Celts

Boxy

Designer: Laszlo Molnar
Goal: Pack the pieces into the box with rotating panels

Materials: Wood
Classification: 1.2 3D-assembly

Boxy

Brass Monkey 4

Designer: Two Brass Monkeys (Steve Nicholls, Ali Morris, and Brian)
Goal: Disassemble and reassemble the six piece cylindrical burr.

Materials: Brass
Classification: INT-OTH, RTF-ANY, OPN-OTH

Purchase: Visit TwoBrassMonkeys.com; £93 including worldwide shipping.

Brass Monkey 4

Burr Bot

Designer: Andrew Crowell
Goal: Discover what the Burr Bot has eaten.

Materials: PLA plastic and magnets
Classification: Hybrid - Burr Puzzle and Trick Opening Box

Purchase: Contact the designer by or visit arcWoodPuzzles.

Burr Bot

Butterfly Loops

Designer: William Waite
Goal:

  • Link the pieces outside the tray into a loop of any shape and any number of pieces from 3 up to all 12.
  • Fit the set of 12 pieces in the tray

Materials: Walnut and alder
Classification: 2-D assembly

Purchase: Visit PuzzleMist.com

Butterfly Loops

Caffe Latte

Designer: Bruno Hemon
Goal: Pack the seven pieces and the sugar cube into the cup, and enjoy your drink! Then also enjoy the unpacking experience.

Materials: 3D-print
Classification: ASS-OTH

Purchase: Visit puzzleddd.com

Caffe Latte

Chiral 2&2

Designer: Koichi Miura
Goal: Pack the four pieces into the box.

Materials: Wood, acrylic
Classification: 3D Assembly

Chiral 2&2

Coherent Convoys

Designer: Namick Salakhov, Goetz Schwandtner
Goal:

  • Move all ships from the starting (blue) channel through the lock (gray channel) and into the red channel.
  • Add the small spacer at the blue end of the lock, then move all ships from the red channel to the blue channel., except that the guard ships (light red and light blue) will remain in the lock.
  • Add the large spacer at the red end of the lock (remove the small spacer), then move all ships from the blue channel to the red channel, again leaving the guard ships in the lock.

Materials: Vinyl, acrylic
Classification: 5.3. Sequential Movement

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Coherent Convoys

Coin Puzzle

Designer: Kohno Ichiro
Goal: Remove the coin

Materials: Wood, acrylic
Classification: Take-Apart

Purchase: Contact the designer by for this or other puzzles.

Coin Puzzle

Croissant

Designer: Koichi Miura
Goal: Place the four pieces inside the hexagonal tray.

Materials: Acrylic
Classification: 3D Assembly

Croissant

Crypt

Designer: Artifact Design Co (Will Hughes)
Goal: Access the secret compartment and decipher the plaque inscription.

Materials: Painted PLA+
Classification: Take-Apart

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Crypt

Cuplik

Designer: Cristian Poliziani
Goal: Assemble the 27 cubes to obtain a 3x3x3 cube with each of the six faces showing a single unique color.

Materials: Walnut, Plexiglass, Poplar plywood
Classification: Put -Together

Purchase: Keep informed through NoWayPuzzle on Instagram or visit NoWayPuzzle.

Cuplik

Cyclone

Designer: Kyoo Wong
Goal: Disassemble and assemble the four mutually interlocked pieces.

Materials: Zinc alloy
Classification: Take-Apart

Purchase: Available from Hanayama resellers.

Cyclone

Darwin's Drawer

Designer: Theo Geerinck, Symen Hovinga
Goal: Put the four pieces into the drawer and close it.

Materials: PLA
Classification: 3D assembly

Purchase: Visit No Problem Puzzle Shop; price: From US$30 plus shipping; 3D printed on demand.

Darwin's Drawer

Double Circle Real 6x6x6

Designer: Carl Hoff
Goal: Restore the puzzle to its solved state. Each face should be a single color, with the exception of super-stickered components that have a secondary color to give otherwise identical pieces a unique position and orientation in the solved state.

Materials: SLS Nylon and Laser Cut Acrylic
Classification: SEQ-GRP (Twisty Puzzle)

Purchase: Visit the grigorusha shop Etsy shop; also available as kits through Shapeways or i.Materialise (Contact the designer by )

Double Circle Real 6x6x6

Double Jigsaw Puzzle 5 alpha

Designer: Sky Huang
Goal: Arrange the five two-layer puzzle pieces so that their bottom layer fills the 5x5 frame, and that there is no overlapping in the top layer.

Materials: Acrylic
Classification: 1.2. 3D assembly / JIG-LAYR

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Double Jigsaw Puzzle 5 alpha

Double Jigsaw Puzzle 6 alpha

Designer: Sky Huang
Goal: Arrange the six two-layer puzzle pieces so that their bottom layer fills the 6x6 frame, and that there is no overlapping in the top layer.

Materials: Acrylic
Classification: 1.2. 3D assembly / JIG-LAYR

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Double Jigsaw Puzzle 6 alpha

Double Trouble

Designer: Maja Dziwok
Goal: Intertwine the two elements until they are fully locked. Then disassemble the elements.

Materials: Laser-cut wood
Classification: 3.6 Miscellaneous interlocking solid

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Double Trouble

Dozen of Bottles

Designer: Ryuhei Uehara
Goal: Pack the 12 bottle pieces in the frame in an anti-slide configuration.

Materials: MDF
Classification: ASS-OTH

Dozen of Bottles

Dump Them 1

Designer: Theo Geerinck, Symen Hovinga
Goal: Pack the five polycubes in the box with the swinging lid shut.

Materials: PLA
Classification: 3D assembly

Purchase: Visit No Problem Puzzle Shop; price: from US$25 plus shipping; 3D printed on demand.

Dump Them 1

Feed the Monkey

Designer: Two Brass Monkeys (Steve Nicholls, Ali Morris)
Goal: Please help the monkey fully swallow 17 brass bananas.

Materials: Brass, powder-coated aluminum
Classification: ASS-OTH

Purchase: Visit TwoBrassMonkeys; price: £116 GBP including postage. The puzzle is not limited and further copies will be made to satisfy demand.

Feed the Monkey

Flippe Ball

Designer: George Bell
Goal:

  • Open the ball.
  • Understand how it works.

Materials: PLA plastic, steel ball
Classification: [2.1] Take Apart, OPN-OTH Opening other objects

Purchase: Visit the PolyPuzzles Etsy shop or Grand Iillusions.

Flippe Ball

4 PAC

Designer: Hajime Katsumoto
Goal: Pack four identical pieces into the case.

Materials: Wood (case, piece), Acrylic (lid)
Classification: 1.2 3D assembly

4 PAC

Geneva

Designer: William Hu
Goal: Assemble the four pieces into a 4x4x4 cube (with holes).

Materials: Wood
Classification: 3.2 Interlocking Solid

Geneva

Gump's Chocolates

Designer: Zhao Yue
Goal:

  • Put the two-sided pieces in the box so that same-color chocolates do not share an edge.
  • Put the two-sided pieces in the box so that same-colored chocolates are connected.

Materials: PLA
Classification: ASS-CART

Gump's Chocolates

Harun

Designer: Dr. Volker Latussek
Goal: Pack the six pairs into the box.

Materials: Cherry, Bubingo and Maple
Classification: 3D packing

Purchase: Visit Rombol Puzzles

Harun

Heavy Oden

Designer: Noboru Hayashi
Goal: Disentangle the seven parts

Materials: Steel nail
Classification: Disentanglement

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Heavy Oden

HexTrios

Designer: Eric Fuller, Matt Dawson
Goal: Open all three boxes to reveal gems hidden inside.

Materials: Maple, purpleheart, yellowheart, goncalo alves, metal
Classification: 2.1 Trick Opening

HexTrios

Holonomy Maze 1

Designer: Henry Segerman
Goal: Remove the green piece from the purple sphere.

Materials: 3D printed (SLS) nylon plastic, dye
Classification: 5.5 Maze & route

Purchase: Visit Mathematical Art at Shapeways

Holonomy Maze 1

Jigsaw Cube [4-colors]

Designer: KUMIKIYA (Ueda Harunobu)
Goal:

  • Is it possible to assemble all eight pieces into a cube?
  • If you think it is impossible, think about why. Otherwise, think about how to do it.

Materials: Nylon plastic
Classification: Possibly impossible ojbect

Purchase: Visit Kumikiya shop; cost assembled: ¥15,000. Alternatively, visit DMM.make or Kumikiya Shop at Shapeways.

Jigsaw Cube [4-colors]

K3 Tiling Puzzle

Designer: KUMIKIYA (Ueda Harunobu)
Goal: Put all the pieces into the inner frame.

Materials: Natural wood (maple, black walnut, padauk) and MDF
Classification: Put-Together

Purchase: Visit Kumikiya shop; Price and timing are undecided.

K3 Tiling Puzzle

Kawai Tsugite Joint Puzzle

Designer: Roland Koch
Goal: Assemble eight pieces to form a hollow cube.

Materials: PETG
Classification: INT-POLY

Purchase: Contact the designer by . Prints on demand in two different sizes. If there is enough interest, a limited wooden or metal printed version may be made.

Kawai Tsugite Joint Puzzle

Light Oden

Designer: Noboru Hayashi
Goal: Disentangle the four parts

Materials: Steel nails
Classification: Disentanglement

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Light Oden

Lutz

Designer: Dr. Volker Latussek
Goal: Put all four pentominos inside the frame so that they can slide out of the opening in the side of the frame.

Materials: Various woods
Classification: 2D Packing

Purchase: Visit Pelikan Puzzles

Lutz

Midi

Designer: Laszlo Molnar
Goal: Pack the pieces into the box with the sliding lid panel.

Materials: Wood
Classification: 1.2 3D assembly

Midi

Minii-Moment

Designer: Zhongyu Jiang
Goal: Place all the pieces into the frame.

Materials: Wood
Classification: 2D Assemby

Purchase: Contact the designer by ; price: US$29.90 plus shipping.

Minii-Moment

Nail Quartet

Designer: Noboru Hayashi
Goal: Disentangle the four parts

Materials: Steel nails
Classification: Disentanglement

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Nail Quartet

Nips

Designer: Cristian Poliziani
Goal: Separate the two parts of the spinning top, and reveal the prize.

Materials: Poplar and birch plywood
Classification: Take-apart

Purchase: Keep informed at NoWayPuzzle on Instagram or visit No Way Puzzle.

Nips

OsCube

Designer: Ilya Osipov
Goal: Twist the faces so that all surfaces are retracted.

Materials: Plastic
Classification: SEQ-GRP

Purchase: Will be available retail in 2022.

OsCube

The Pill

Designer: Jesper Bille
Goal: Find the flag and figure out the mechanisms, then put it back together.

Materials: Aluminium, PLA plastic, steel spring and pin
Classification: INT-BOX

Purchase: Contact the designer by or visit Puzzleboxes.dk; price is US$164. So far 50 has been produced; more can be produced quickly.

The Pill

Pime

Designer: Cristian Poliziani
Goal: Move the five pieces in the inner maze until the central square can be completely removed.

Materials: Poplar plywood
Classification: 5. Sequential Movement

Purchase: Keep informed through NoWayPuzzle on Instagram or visit No Way Puzzle.

Pime

Psi Quantum Entanglement

Designer: Carl Hoff
Goal: Restore each face to a single color, just like a Rubik's Cube.

Materials: SLS Nylon and Laser-cut Acrylic
Classification: SEQ-GRP / 5.4 Twisty Puzzles

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Psi Quantum Entanglement

Quadro

Designer: Yavuz Demirhan
Goal: Pack all pieces inside the box.

Materials: Wenge, ash, sapelli, acrylic
Classification: Box Packing

Purchase: Visit CRUX; also at PuzzleMaster or Puzzle-Shop.

Quadro

Rakkako

Designer: Laszlo Tompa
Goal: Construct the 54-layer block containing 120 embedded cylinders.

Materials: Oak or maple wood
Classification: 3D Geometric Object

Purchase: Visit rakkako.com; US$1,330.

Rakkako

Rakkako Cube

Designer: Laszlo Tompa
Goal: Construct the 20-layer cube containing 12 embedded stair-cones.

Materials: Oak wood
Classification: 3D Geometric Object

Purchase: Visit rakkako.com; US$180.

Rakkako Cube

ResQ

Designer: Frederic Boucher, Eric Fuller
Goal:

  • Free the visitor from his psychic prison
  • Unlock the vortex
  • Retrieve the spaceship without using rotations (to avoid making the vortex even more unstable)
  • Navigate the vortex and retrieve the spaceship parts:
    • Thick and thin antenna assemblies
    • Silver fuel disk
    • Gold reactor orb
    • Six-orb navigation AI module

Materials: Woods: koa, canxan, catalox, bloodwood, chakte viga, etc.
Classification: Take-Apart

Purchase: Sold out; possible re-released in the future.

ResQ

Safe Safari

Designer: Sjaak Griffioen
Goal: Complete the placement of pieces so that no animal can "attack" any other (based of various chess move-like abilities).

Materials: Plastic board and pieces and paper booklet
Classification: 1.3 Miscellaneous put-together

Purchase: Available from Popular Playthings resellers.

Safe Safari

Saturn

Designer: Doug Engel
Goal: Disassemble and reassemble the planet

Materials: Plastic
Classification: 3.6 Misc Interlocking Solid

Purchase: Contact the designer by or visit the Puzzleatomik Etsy shop. Quantity can be increased as needed. Price $12.00 plus shipping.

Saturn

Sequential Discovery Cubed Box

Designer: Junichi Yananose (Juno)
Goal: Open the box

Materials: Wood, metal
Classification: Sequential Discovery (2.1 Trick-opening)

Sequential Discovery Cubed Box

Shackles

Designer: John Liu
Goal: Remove the metal ring.

Materials: Metal, cloth
Classification: Disentanglement

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Shackles

Shape Changer

Designer: Sándor Bozóki
Goal: Assemble the pieces into a 4x4x3 block.

Materials: Plastic Abercubes, metal screws
Classification: 3.2 Geometric Object

Shape Changer

Shardinaires-9

Designer: George Sicherman, Kate Jones
Goal: Arrange 9 pieces to form each of the 12 pentominoes and each of the 5 tetrominoes.

Materials: Laser-cut acrylic pieces
Classification: 1.1 2D Put-Together

Purchase: Visit gamepuzzles; price: US$39.

Shardinaires-9

Shrinking Soma

Designer: Dr. Volker Latussek
Goal: Fill and support the top layer of the box with the seven parts of Soma Cube in an antisliding way.

Materials: American walnut and maple
Classification: 3D Assembly

Purchase: Visit Pelikan Puzzles

Shrinking Soma

Six Circles

Designer: Doug Engel
Goal: Disassemble and reassemble the circles.

Materials: Plastic
Classification: 3..6 Misc. Interlocking Solid

Purchase: Contact the designer by or visit the Puzzleatomik Etsy shop. Price US$15 plus shipping.

Six Circles

Snowfall

Designer: George Sicherman
Goal:

  • Completely cover-up the green pieces with the white pieces.
  • Put all the pieces into the main tray without overlapping.

Materials: Acrylic
Classification: 1.1 2D Assembly

Purchase: Visit WoodWonders; price US $19.

Snowfall

Social Distance Soma Cube

Designer: Lucie Pauwels
Goal: Assemble the pieces to form a cube.

Materials: Wood, MDF
Classification: 3D Put-Together

Social Distance Soma Cube

Soma Burr

Designer: Rod Bogart
Goal: Fit the Soma pieces inside the traditional three board knot burr.

Materials: Wood (figured maple and chechen)
Classification: 3.4 Burr

Purchase: Visit CubicDissection; 3D printed version also available at Operating Machinery.

Soma Burr

Squary Pack No.10

Designer: Yavuz Demirhan
Goal: Pack all pieces inside the box.

Materials: Wenge, ash, sapelli, acrylic
Classification: Box Packing

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Squary Pack No.10

Static Soma

Designer: Mike Quigley
Goal: Using the standard Soma pieces construct an anti-slide structure (all directions) inside a 5x5x5 box.

Materials: Exotic woods and acrylic
Classification: 1.2 3D Assembly

Purchase: Contact the designer by ; limited quantity available.

Static Soma

Trapezoid Enthusiast

Designer: Zhongyu Jiang
Goal: Place all the pieces into the frame.

Materials: Wood
Classification: 1.1 2D Assembly

Purchase: Contact the designer by ; price: US$29.90 plus shipping.

Trapezoid Enthusiast

Turn Back

Designer: Kyoo Wong
Goal:

  • Slide the cubes in order to make all black faces upward.
  • Slide the cubes so that the upward face of the cubes match the color of the base.

Materials: Plastic
Classification: 5.6. Misc. Sequential Movement

Turn Back

Turn Them In

Designer: Theo Geerinck, Symen Hovinga
Goal: Pack the four pieces in the box with the lid shut.

Materials: Wood PLA
Classification: 1.2 3D Assembly

Purchase: Visit No Problem Puzzle Shop; price:US$50 plus shipping; 3D printed on demand.

Turn Them In

Turtle Trip

Designer: Gerard Hudson
Goal: Help the turtle find his pants and join the Pond Party.

Materials: PLA Plastic, metal, electronics
Classification: Sequential Discovery

Purchase: Visit Bayou Puzzles; puzzle is restocked around every two months.

Turtle Trip

Twin Tetrahedra

Designer: Masakazu Kobayashi
Goal:

  • Assemble two tetrahedrons from the 12 pieces
  • Combine two tetrahedron

Materials: Wood: hinoki
Classification: 1.2 3D Put-Together

Twin Tetrahedra

Twist-Cubes 16P [Checker & Rainbow]

Designer: KUMIKIYA (Ueda Harunobu)
Goal:

  • Make a 4x4x1 block
  • Make six different checkered patterns: each with white and just one of the other colors: red, purple, yellow, orange, blue, and green (in rough order of difficulty)
  • Make a rainbow (diagonals are ROYGBPW in order). What color is the back?

Materials: Wood: tochi
Classification: 1.3 Misc. Put-Together

Purchase: Visit Kumikiya shop; Price and timing are undecided.

Twist-Cubes 16P [Checker & Rainbow]

2LIT

Designer: Kris Antibus, Matthew Hochberg
Goal: Put the five pieces into the box and completely close the door.

Materials: 3D Printed PLA
Classification: 1.2. 3D Assembly

Purchase: Visit Skill Required

2LIT

UFO

Designer: John Liu
Goal: Remove the ball and then restore it

Materials: Plastic, metal
Classification: 2.1. Trick opening box

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

UFO

What Symmetry?

Designer: Bram Cohen
Goal: Figure out the symmetry property the object.

Materials: Plastic
Classification: PAT-OTH

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

What Symmetry?

Yoga Blocks

Designer: Lucie Pauwels
Goal: Assemble the seven pieces to a 6x6 square. Additional challenges:

  • 4x4 square (3 pieces)
  • 5x5 square (5 pieces)
  • 3x5 rectangle (3 pieces)
  • 4x5 rectangle (4 pieces)
  • 5x6 rectangle (6 pieces)
  • 4x9 rectangle (7 pieces)

Materials: Wood, metal
Classification: 1.3. Misc. Put-together

Yoga Blocks

ZenBreak

Designer: Gavin Duffell, Dominic Murphy
Goal:

  • Move the red piece from the bottom to the top double square position.
  • Move the copper colored T-piece from its position.

Materials: Epoxy resin & acrylic for case
Classification: 5.3. Sliding Pieces

Purchase: Visit Dmpuzzles.com

ZenBreak

Ziggurat

Designer: Bram Cohen, Eitan Cher
Goal: Fully disassemble the tower of pieces, then reassemble them. You may use any number of pieces, but six is a good starting challenge.

Materials: 3D Printed Plastic
Classification: 3.4. Burr Puzzle

Purchase: Visit Eitan's Google Form to order one printed in your favorite colors.

Ziggurat

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