WengsWorld - Selection of Competition Puzzle
How does one organise a jigsaw puzzle competition where the puzzle is not too simple and is sufficiently challenging to participants, and yet not so difficult that many participants are discouraged? Select the correct competition puzzle of course! Easier said than done though, as competition puzzle selection is more an art than science.
In all of my competitions, I targeted that at least some of the participating teams of 2 persons would be able to complete the puzzle between two and two and a half hours. I thought that this would provide the needed balance between making it too easy and making it too difficult, between having the event end too quickly and the event not ending at all. :)
To achieve this, I mostly selected puzzles of 500-550 pieces, sometimes 300 pieces. In addition, I also tried to select puzzles which had many colours, so that participants could use the colour differences to complete the puzzle easier.
Until the recent competition on 30 Mar 2013, I managed to get the selection correct. In each of those other competitions, at least 1 or 2 of the participating teams was able to complete the puzzle within two and two and a half hours.
The streak ended on 30 Mar 2013 however. Mid way through the competition, it was apparent that the teams were behind the pace set by teams at the same stage in previous competitions. At the end of the stipulated time-limit of 2hrs and 15mins, none of the teams were able to complete the puzzle. In fact, the leading team was quite far away from doing so.
This is what the leading team was able to piece together after 2hrs and 15mins:
So what happened?
Well, it was because I wanted to create that complete experience for the participants, the one I blogged about previously:
http://wengsworldjigsawpuzzles.blogspot.sg/2013/04/wengsworld-union-of-sight-and-taste.html
that I needed to choose a puzzle which had chocolate pictures. And the one I chose happened to have a lot of the same colour, with very little shade and other colour cues.
Although it was obvious that nobody was going to complete the puzzle at the competition itself, the teams were very nice about it and took it in their stride. After the competition, some of the participants went back and completed (with some effort) the puzzle at home.
Let's hope I get the selection correct the next time! :)
WengsWorld - Union of Sight and Taste
I did something new again at the jigsaw competition on 30 Mar 2013, and had a lot of help along the way.
One of the things I've not been able to do since I started organising these jigsaw competitions, was to create an experience where there was nexus between the puzzle itself and the environment around the puzzle. Previous events were almost always held in a hall or classroom, and there was no connection between what was pictured on the puzzle (ie, hot-air balloons, Mickey Mouse, a map of the world, etc) and the experience of the participants. Participants simply 'completed the puzzle', so to speak.
I'm guessing that an experience which is more complete would be better remembered than one which is not, particularly if the experience is shared with a loved one or good friend. How interesting would it be if one could do a jigsaw puzzle of a hot-air balloon, WHILE riding in a hot-air balloon! :)
For this competition, I tried to create a more complete experience by introducing to the participants some new chocolates at the event itself, so that they could taste the new chocolates WHILE they were doing a chocolate-pictured jigsaw puzzle.
Did it work? I don't really know to be honest. Some participants declined the chocolates as they were totally focused on completing the puzzle. For those who allowed themselves to be 'distracted' and who actually ate the chocolates in the middle of the event, I'm not sure they were able to fully 'register' or appreciate what they were tasting. :)
Regardless though, I hope everyone had a good time last Saturday and had a chance to taste the chocolates.
The second thing I needed to share about last Saturday's event is how the chocolates made their way to the competition. The chocolates came courtesy of my friend, Firuz, who runs a chocolate business all the way in Cardiff, Wales. The chocolates are currently not being sold in Singapore.
After I shared with Firuz my idea about creating a more complete jigsaw puzzling experience, he readily agreed to courier some of his chocolates to Singapore. Thankfully, the chocolates arrived in Singapore the day before the competition, in time for the competition.
Firuz's chocolates feature unique flavours of Asian spices, such as Lemongrass, Pandan, and Cardamom. His chocolates go under the brand name "X Marks Delicious". Further details of the chocolates can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/X.Marks.Delicious?fref=pb
I have to thank Firuz for supporting me in this, and for helping me make it happen. Although I am not particularly a chocolate person, I did like the Sichuan Pepper flavour quite a bit.
Lastly, the jigsaw puzzles and chocolates did combine to make very colourful pictures!
