Saint Paul Winter Carnival Puzzle Contest

The Saint Paul Winter Carnival Jigsaw Puzzle Competition 

with Puzzles by PuzzleTwist!

Puzzle Contest Registration Is Closed

ALL TICKETS ARE  SOLD OUT

If there are cancellations we will reach out to our wait list or offer tickets for no shows prior to the contest start time,  walk-in tickets may be made available 10 minutes prior to the contest. 

Do you love jigsaw puzzles? Then this is the event for you! The Saint Paul Winter Carnival is home to the largest annual jigsaw puzzle competition in the country! This is your opportunity to puzzle with hundreds of other puzzle enthusiasts from around the country! The event is open to all puzzlers - competitive and casual alike. Grab your friends and family for two days of lively puzzle fun!

COMPETITION SCHEDULE AND DETAILS:

Saturday, January 24th, 2026 Competition Details

9am-10:30am: 500 Piece Teams Challenge Contest – This contest is for those who want to compete with the fastest puzzlers or challenge themselves to complete the puzzle in under 90 minutes. Four person teams will have 90 minutes to assemble a new commemorative Winter Carnival PuzzleTwist puzzle.

11:15am-2:15pm: 1000 Piece Teams Contest – This contest is for anyone wishing for another challenge or wanting a longer puzzle experience. Four person teams will have 3 hours to complete a new commemorative Winter Carnival PuzzleTwist puzzle.

3pm-5pm: 500 Piece Teams Open Contest #1 – This contest is for those who want the more traditional 2 hour time to complete the puzzle. Four person teams will assemble the same puzzle used for the Challenge division

Sunday, January 25th, 2026 Competition Schedule

9:30am-11:30am: 500 Piece Pairs Contest – Pair up with a pal for more fun! (or split your 4 person team!) Two person teams will have 2 hours to complete a new commemorative Winter Carnival PuzzleTwist 500 piece puzzle. Pairs will choose to compete in the Regular or Senior (55+) category. This event is open to all. Two person teams will have 2 hours to complete a new 500 piece puzzle.

12:15pm-2:15pm: Individual Solo 500 Piece Contest – A fun Winter Carnival challenge! Individual puzzlers will have 2 hours to complete a new 500 piece puzzle from PuzzleTwist. Solo contestants will choose to compete in the Regular or Senior (55+) category. Note: you can’t do both the Family and Solo contest since they run at the same time using the same puzzle.

12:15pm-2:15pm: Family Teams Contest – This contest is for four person teams which include at least one member under 16 years of age. (this is a lower age than in previous years) Four person teams will have 2 hours to complete a 500 piece puzzle from PuzzleTwist. Note: you can’t do both Family and Solo since they run at the same time using the same puzzle. 

3pm-5pm: 500 Piece Teams Open Contest #2 – This contest is for those who want the more traditional 2 hour time to complete the puzzle. Four person teams will assemble the same puzzle used for the Challenge division Open Contest #1 on Saturday.

VERY IMPORTANT! 

You have 30 minutes to complete the registration process or the tickets will be released. This year registration will require that you fill in information on each of your team members. Be prepared with every team member's name, email and home city/state.  Be prepared prior to starting the ticket buying process.   If you are purchasing multiple pairs and/or solos for your team, you MUST put in their info including the cell phone number of the Pairs captain or solo participant.  If changes to team details and contestants are required prior to the event date, please contact the Event Organizer via the link at bottom of page. 

To register,  a Team Captain or Ticket Buyer  may register their team for 

• ONE 500 Piece Team Contest (Challenge, Open #1 or Open #2) 
• ONE 1000 Piece Team Contest
• ONE 500 Piece Family Contest
• TWO 500 Piece Pairs Contests
• Up to FOUR 500 Piece Solo Contests

You MUST provide the information for each team member in their respective registrations (Name, Email, City/State) - you may NOT use your own information for multiple Pair / Solo registrations. If your team members prefer to do their own Pairs & Solo registrations themselves instead, that is perfectly fine.

NOTE: Registration will allow you to sign up for only one of the three 500 Piece 4-Person Teams contest because they will all use the same puzzle. We have more than one section of this contest to give as many people as possible an opportunity to participate. No duplicate contestants are allowed, even if it is only one repeat person on your team and the other three are new to the puzzle.  You can register for the Solo and Family contests, but note that these contests are occurring at the same time on Sunday. The Solo and Family contests will be using the same puzzle concurrently.

All tickets include ticket price + booking fee and transaction charges. 

How much does it cost to purchase a ticket?

*Fees, Charges and Taxes: A booking fee of 0.43 cents will be added per ticket to cover costs of ticketing system and processing. A transaction charge is added per order to cover card payment processing (2.9% +0.30 USD). No taxes are applied since the Saint Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation is a non-profit.

Important Links: 

For FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS click on this link to find answers regarding the event: SPWC Puzzle Contest FAQs. This includes questions regarding details on ticketing, registration, venue, parking, hotel accommodations, etc.

For questions regarding the CONTEST RULES, click on this link: SPWC Puzzle Contest Rules - 2026

For ALL questions not answered in our FAQs and Rules, please email puzzle@spfhf.org

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