Gibsons Open Jigsaw Championships (2025)

The Gibsons Open Jigsaw Championships returns for the twelfth time to Newmarket this year. We are hugely grateful to our sponsors, the family-run puzzle company Gibsons Games, for continuing to support this iconic competition. We are also grateful to our hosts at the Rowley Mile Racecourse in Newmarket for welcoming us once again to this impressive venue.

Formerly known as the British Jigsaw Championships, this is a nationwide fun competition attracting competitors from across the country, and from worldwide. This year, we have rebranded the categories of entry to clarify that you can choose to puzzle solo, in pairs or in groups, but we have removed the elite/fun distinction to emphasise that this is a fun, unofficial championship, still with a strong competitive drive.

The championships are held as part of the fourteenth Annual Newmarket Jigsaw Festival, which takes place at St Mary's Church in the town.

In the Gibsons Open Jigsaw Championships, competitors aim to be the first to complete a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, the design of which is not revealed until the start of the contest. Our sponsors, who supply the puzzle, are Gibsons Games, an independent British family-run business supplying high quality jigsaw puzzles featuring a variety of fun, picturesque scenes to puzzlers around the world, as well as other games and activities.

The entry price for the championships is per puzzle not per person, so if you are entering as a pair or as a group, you only need to purchase one entry ticket. You will be asked for the names of all those competing when you register.

Prize money is available in each category, of £100 in each category. The entry price includes the competition puzzle, which can be kept by the entrant(s), and also includes entry to the festival.

2024 results (note the different category names):

ELITE | Sarah Mills (1:15)

PAIRS | Nikki and Peter Thomas (1:05)

FUN | the Hales family (1:22)

We look forward to seeing you again in Newmarket for the next Jigsaw Championships! If you want to join us, make sure you register before 8th June 2025.

FAQs

Do I have to sign-up using EventBrite?

Yes, we ask everyone to use EventBrite to help us to coordinate who is participating in the competition. Please select the ticket that corresponds to your category. If you have difficulty using this facility, please get in touch and we will be pleased to help.

Is there a minimum age requirement to enter the competition?

No, there is no minimum (or maximum!) age requirement. Families may wish to enter the fun category together. A separate competition is running in local schools leading up to the festival.

What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the competition?

There is ample parking at the venue, which is a short distance along the racecourse drive outside town. Newmarket is also served by a rail station with lines towards Cambridge (for London) and Ipswich, and local and national buses. National cycle route 51 passes through the town.

What can I bring into the competition?

Bottled water will be made available to competitors, and tea/coffee is available at the venue. Water and food (e.g. sandwiches) are allowed to be brought into the competition, but the organisers reserve the right to refuse entry if foodstuffs are likely to cause a distraction to other competitors.

Sorting boxes will not be supplied but may be brought in and used. A cardboard base will be supplied on which to build the puzzle, or competitors may which to bring their own puzzle board.

Are spectators allowed in the competition hall?

Spectators may be permitted into the hall at the organisers' discretion where space and logistics allow.

Do I have to supply my own puzzle?

No, a new puzzle is supplied by our sponsors, Gibsons Games, to all competitors to the same design, and can be kept after the competition.

Do I have to be a British Citizen to enter?

No, we have had competitors from Europe, Australia and the USA in previous years, and welcome entrants from around the world. We will not ask entrants to prove their nationality for the competition.

Is this an official competition?

We are not affliated to the World Puzzle Federation and this is not the official Jigsaw Championships for Britain. Those are run seprately under stricter competition rules which we feel do not fit our fun but competitive ethos. We do however watch the official world championships with great interest and are pleased to see puzzling in many forms encouarged and promoted!

What if I don't finish the puzzle?

The puzzle is yours to keep, and we will help you to disassemble it in order to take it home; or you may wish to transport it on its board. At the close of the festival at 4pm, we reserve the right to close the competition.

Can I get my money back if I am unable to attend?

We are able to offer a full refund until registration closes, less the EventBrite booking fee which is not refundable. A refund request can be made through the booking site if needed. If you are unable to attend, you must apply for a refund rather than re-sell the tickets, as we can only admit those whose name matches the name registered. We keep a waiting list and make refunded tickets available during the registration period. After the closing date for registration, we are unable to offer a refund, as we need to confirm numbers for supply of the competition puzzle from our sponsors, Gibsons Games.

Do I need to buy a ticket to the festival as well?

No, your entry to the competition includes free entry to the festival at St Mary's Church all week, where there is a large selection of completed puzzles on display, which can be bought, boxed and taken away.

When do I have to sign up by?

Registration closes two weeks before the event, so that we can arrange supply of the competition puzzle from our sponsors, Gibsons Games. We are unable to accept entries after registration closes.