Everything You Need to Know About World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships, Including How to Participate

The World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship is an annual event that is organized by the World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation and supported by multiple national associations such as the United States Jigsaw Puzzle Association and the Australian Jigsaw Puzzle Association. The annual event is a tournament that brings together worldwide puzzlers to compete in puzzle challenges and help them showcase their puzzle abilities, connect, and make new friends.

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World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship

History of World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship

The World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship is an annual event organized by the World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation. The World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation was founded in 2019, and the championship made its debut in Valladolid, Spain, which was held in September 2019. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 and resumed in 2022. The 2024 event was also held in Valladolid from 17 to 22 September.

Requirements to Participate in the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship

Interested participants for the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship must meet up with some of the crafted requirements below. Note: Participants don't need a qualification in the national championship or permission from their country; anyone can represent their country. For the requirements, you must:

Be at least 16 years old.
Represent a country in the United Nations (UN).
Register for the competition on the official website.
Pay the registration fee (including the competition and the puzzles used).
If people from different nationalities are together in the pairs or teams categories, only one country will be represented

Championship Categories

The World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship consists of three categories: teams, pairs, and individuals. The event consists of a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 4 competitors representing the same country. This category has two phases: qualifying and final round, with a maximum of 306 teams participating in the qualifying round.

Team Category

The team category consists of a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 4 competitors representing the same country. This category has two phases: qualifying and final round, with a maximum of 306 teams participating in the qualifying round.

Registration fee: €125 per team
First-round rules: each team has 3 hours to complete two 1000-piece puzzles. Your team can choose 2 models among 4 options and discard the other two.
Qualification: the best team from each country (up to 20 countries) and the remaining teams (up to 35) in order of qualification.
Final round rules: each team has 3 hours to complete 2 unpublished (next year catalog) 1000-piece puzzles. If nobody finishes under 3 hours, the winning team is the one who has placed the highest number of correct pieces.

Pairs Category

The Pairs Category consists of two competitors that represent the same country. This category has 3 rounds: first, semifinal, and final. A maximum of 816 pairs join in the competition, divided into 4 groups.

Registration fee: €50 per pair
First-round rules: each pair has 75 minutes to complete a 500-piece puzzle.
First-round qualification: 90 pairs (per group) qualify for the next round. Qualify the best pair from each country (up to 45 countries) and the remaining pairs (up to 90) in order of classification. The top 12 pairs in each group will have a single table in the next round, the remaining will share a table with others.
Semifinal round: has the same rules as the first round. The best pair from each country is classified to the final round and the remaining pairs (up to 90 per group) in order of classification.
Final round: a time limit of 75 minutes to complete a 500-piece unpublished (next year catalog) puzzle.

Individual Category

The Individual Category consists of one competitor from any country. The category has 3 rounds: first, semifinal, and final. There is a maximum of 1224 players in the competition, divided into six groups.

Registration fee: €50 per player.
First-round rules: each player has 90 minutes to complete a 500-piece puzzle.
First-round qualification: 60 players (per group) qualify for the next round. Qualify the best players from each country (up to 30 countries) and the remaining participants (up to 60) in order of classification. The top 8 players in each group will have a single table in the next round, the remaining will share a table with others.
Semifinal round: has the same rules as the first round. The best players from each country and the remaining participants (up to 90) in order of classification go to the final round. The 12 players from each semifinal will have a single table in the final round.
Final round: a time limit of 90 minutes to complete a 500-piece unpublished (next year catalog) puzzle.