The rulebook

Guidelines

At Pixathon you don't solve puzzles. You make them. Every team gets the same constraints at the same moment, then has two hours to design and build a puzzle good enough to stump everyone else in the room.

2 hrsto design and build
1–4people per team
1 puzzleper team, playable on the spot
22.102026 · 3:30 PM IST
01

The brief

When the clock hits 3:30 PM on 22 October, we reveal a set of constraints. Your team builds one original puzzle that respects every one of them.

A constraint might limit what a solver can do, how long they get, or what the puzzle must be made from. You won't know them in advance, so nobody can show up with something pre-built. Everyone starts from the same blank grid.

A great Pixathon puzzle is fair (it can be solved with what's on screen), clever (there's a real "aha"), and finished (someone else can sit down and play it).

Example constraint: "Your puzzle must be solvable in under 3 minutes by someone who has never seen it." Short, sharp and hard to get right.

02

Timeline

  1. Before the event

    Register your team

    One registration per team, filled in by the team captain. Confirmation and check-in details go to the captain's email.

  2. 22 Oct · before 3:30 PM

    Check in & set up

    Find your spot, get on the Wi-Fi and get comfortable. The exact reporting time will be emailed to registered teams.

  3. Constraints revealed, clock starts

    The countdown on the home page hits zero. Constraints go up and building begins.

  4. Pencils down

    Two hours are up. Builds are locked and submitted as they stand.

  5. Right after

    Playtest & judging

    Teams play each other's puzzles while judges go round. Then winners are announced.

03

Teams

Teams have 1 to 4 members. Solo builders are welcome, and so are mixed teams from different years or branches.

Each person can be on only one team. The captain registers the whole team and is our point of contact before and during the event.

Team changes are fine until registrations close. After that, email us and we'll do our best.

04

Build rules

You can

  • Use any language, engine, framework or tool you like
  • Use open-source libraries and free assets, with credit
  • Use AI assistants to help you write code
  • Sketch on paper before you touch a keyboard
  • Ask organisers to clarify a constraint at any time

You can't

  • Bring a puzzle or project built before 3:30 PM
  • Copy an existing puzzle or game and reskin it
  • Ignore or bend a constraint. It's the whole game
  • Get help from anyone outside your team
  • Keep building after 5:30 PM

Prove it's solvable. Every submission needs a working solution your team can demonstrate. A puzzle nobody can solve isn't hard, it's broken.

05

Judging

Judges play your puzzle and score it on five things:

The "aha"

Is there a clever idea that clicks once you see it?

Fairness

Can it be solved from what's in front of you, without guessing?

Constraint fit

How well, and how creatively, does it use the constraints?

Craft

Is it finished, polished and pleasant to play?

Playtest

How did real players react when they tried it?

06

What to bring

  • A laptop per builder, plus chargers (an extension cord makes you very popular)
  • Your college ID card
  • Your favourite tools installed and ready. Don't spend minute one updating things
  • Paper and a pen. Most good puzzles start as a sketch
07

Conduct

Be kind, be fair, and play other teams' puzzles the way you'd want yours played. Don't spoil solutions during playtesting, and don't touch anyone else's build.

Harassment of any kind gets you removed from the event. Organisers have the final say on rules, timing and results.

08

FAQ

Do I need to be good at puzzles?

No. You need to be curious about what makes a puzzle satisfying. Plenty of great puzzle designers are terrible solvers.

Do I need to know how to code?

It helps to have at least one builder on the team, but design matters just as much as code. Mixed teams often do best.

What kind of puzzle should we make?

Whatever fits the constraints. Logic grids, word games, ciphers, physics toys, escape-room style, something nobody has seen before. Surprise us.

Can we prepare anything in advance?

Set up your tools and practise working together, but no puzzle content. Everything you submit must be made after 3:30 PM.

Can I register without a team?

Yes. Register solo, and if you'd like teammates, tell the organisers at check-in. We'll try to match people up.

Ready to build?

Get your team on the grid before registrations close.

Register your team →