The
puzzle design must be first manufactured or otherwise made public no earlier than two
years before the competition: June 2022 - June 2024. In this context,
"design" refers to both the puzzle's operation and its physical
appearance.
The
puzzle must be a new design, or an inventive new application of a known
principle.
Each entry must be
submitted by the
actual designer (or designers) of the puzzle. Up
to three entries are allowed from the same designer.
Anyone
can participate with any qualifying design, regardless of Puzzle Party
affiliation. The designer need not be a Puzzle Party participant. Additionally, the puzzle does
not need to be part of the Exchange, nor does being in the Exchange
necessarily qualify or disqualify a design. Participation in the Design
Competition does not entitle the designer to an Puzzle Party invitation.
All
commonly recognized classes of
mechanical puzzles are eligible for the competition. This includes: Put-Together, Take-Apart, Interlocking, Disentanglement, Sequential Movement,
Dexterity, Vessels, Vanish, Folding, and Impossible Objects.
If you are
planning to submit a puzzle design, please send advance email to
as early as possible,
so that we know to expect your entry.
A complete entry (except for puzzles), must be received no later than
June 1, 2024 (approximately one month
prior to the Puzzle Party). The entry must include the following:
2 complete, working versions of the
puzzle - Prototypes are acceptable, but you should recognize
that some judges may consider finished quality as significant. Puzzles may come from the designer or borrowed from other
collections.
A detailed
description - Use the online Entry
Form to provide the following information for each entry:
Puzzle Name
Designer
your name
e-mail address (for all official communication)
full postal mailing address and phone number (for returning your puzzles)
Manufacturer
Date of design
Date of first public disclosure or manufacture
Materials used
Goal/problem statement
Solution (maximum one page; include images or drawings if needed)
Puzzle classification
Entry fee - Nonrefundable US$50 per design entered. PayPal is recommended, and should be sent to design@puzzleparty.org, adding 3% from inside the US, or adding 4% from outside the US. Please include a note indicating your name and the name of the puzzle(s) entered.
US bank checks are also accepted; please make US$ checks (or money order) payable to the International Puzzle Collectors Association. Please do not send cash.
Optional
information:
Buyer's
Guide: instructions for how collectors can purchase your puzzle
after the Puzzle Party. Please include price and quantity produced.
Slocum Puzzle Museum: Please indicate your interest in donating or selling your puzzle entry to the Slocum Puzzle Foundation for the permanent collection at the Lilly Library/Slocum Puzzle Museum.
Other
descriptive information is welcome, including the relevant history,
motivation, construction process, recommendation on how to present puzzle
during judging, etc. However, please note that this information may be
reduced or not included in the official judging guide.
Submit your entry
in four parts:
Complete the Online Entry Form (by June 1). Any
additional information (such as solution images) should be
submitted via email to
.
Send the
entry fee (by June 1):
Send entry fee via PayPal to
.
If you desire to send a USD check or money order, please send
email to
for further instructions.
Send the
first puzzle to the Design Competition chair (rec'd by June 1):
Nick Baxter/Puzzle Design Competition
[ Please request the mailing address ]
USA
Most puzzles
shipped to the US will have the duty waived under the US Customs
Service Harmonized Tariff Schedule, #9503.60.20.00. You may note
this number on your customs form.
Mail the second copy of
the puzzle to the IPP41 parcel coordinator (rec'd by June 15):
TBD/Puzzle Design Competition
[ Please request the mailing address ]
USA
Most puzzles
shipped to the US will have the duty waived under the US Customs
Service Harmonized Tariff Schedule, #9503.60.20.00. You may note
this number on your customs form.
If puzzles are send by someone other than the designer, please include the designer's name on the package so that we can correctly identify the entry.
The puzzles
will be returned after the competition; all other portions of the submission
will be retained by the committee and will not be
returned by normal mail. Owners that request special mail services, or oversized
puzzles, must pay the cost of additional/excessive postage or customs duty. The Competition Committee
will not be responsible for puzzles lost or damaged during transit.
Each puzzle description submitted
may be marked with an appropriate
copyright. However, the puzzle itself should not include any identifying
markings, if possible, so that the design can be kept anonymous during judging.
General
The names of the
designers will not be revealed until the announcement of awards. This is a
preference of the competition organizers and judges, and should also be
observed to the extent possible by the participants. Any undue promotion of competition participation (campaigning, etc.) will be considered a breach of rules and entries subject to disqualificaiton.
Each participant
understands that the puzzles will be subjected to hands-on use during the judging process. Reasonable care will be
taken by the organizers to prevent damage, but neither the Competition Committee, the Puzzle Party organizers, nor the Puzzle Party participants will be liable for any damage
or loss due
to such use. In case of minor damage, routine repairs will be attempted.
It is possible that more designs are submitted than can reasonably be judged by
the jury and by the Puzzle Party participants. If the total number of entries is
greater than 50, then the judging committee may perform a first round of judging prior to the IPP, reducing the number of entries to no less than 50. As a courtesy, entries eliminated in this round will not by publicized, nor will they appear in the competition guides. Please note that based on recent trends, the jury will endeavor to bring the number of published entries close to around 60.
Photos and descriptions of the entries may appear in publications about or promoting the competition, including but not limited to the IPP Souvenir Booklet, CFF, and the Design Competition web site.
Any issues not covered by the existing rules will
be resolved by the committee at its discretion.
These
rules go into effect on Nov 1, 2023, and are considered unofficial and
subject to change until that time. Any
substantial rule changes made after Dec 1, 2023 will be noted
below.