How to register for the 2027 USA Jigsaw Puzzle Nationals

The key dates

All registration times are 10 AM Pacific, noon Central, 1 PM Eastern, per USAJPA's Nationals FAQs.

The rough schedule: solo preliminary rounds on Friday, pairs and teams preliminary rounds on Saturday, and all three finals on Sunday. Exact times (Eastern) are on the official Nationals page.

Where it is

The Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart, Building 2, 240 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303. It is in person only. USAJPA says there is no virtual part, but every championship round is streamed live on YouTube and Twitch, thanks to Ravensburger, the title sponsor.

The divisions

All competition puzzles are previously unreleased Ravensburger puzzles. You can enter each division once: one solo heat, one pair and one team.

Teams are “teams of 4” at registration, and the championship rules allow 3 or 4 people. No subs once the competition starts. On top of the three main divisions, the Entry Badge includes “special competitions” and other convention activities. You sign up for those after heat assignments come out in January. USAJPA hasn't listed them yet, so check USAJPA for details.

Become a USAJPA member first

You don't have to be a member to compete. But members get to register two weeks earlier, and USAJPA says past Nationals have sold out in a few days. That's why they recommend joining before registration opens.

• Cost: $24 a year, counted from the day you sign up (per USAJPA's membership FAQs).
• How: go to USAJPA's Join Us page, which takes you to MemberPlanet. Add your mailing address (US addresses only).
• Member ID: you need your 8-digit member ID to register in the member window. In MemberPlanet, go to My Profile, then Member Card, then View Card. The membership FAQs explain other ways to find it.
• Teams: in the member window, at least one person in a pair or team must be a member. If you register other people for the solo event, they must be members too, and you need their member IDs. You can register up to four people.
• Membership also includes a monthly virtual Puzzle Club, traveling puzzles, member events and deals, and an official JPA ranking from sanctioned events.

How to register, step by step

1. Join USAJPA before Oct 24 if you want the member window, and find your member ID.
2. Line up your partners. For each person you need their name, a nickname or alias, email, and city and state, plus member IDs where needed. You can't put your own details in a teammate's spot. Pick your pair name and team name ahead of time too. Looking for partners? Try the USAJPA Facebook forum or the Puzzle Partner Finder sheet linked in the FAQs.
3. Watch your email. USAJPA emails members the registration link before launch. It goes live at noon Central (1 PM Eastern) on Oct 24. For non-members, USAJPA posts the link on its website at noon Central on Nov 7.
4. Register and pay. Only one person per pair or team registers and pays for it. USAJPA takes PayPal or a credit card. You get a confirmation email.
5. Buy the Entry Badge. Every competitor needs a Jigsaw Nationals Entry Badge ($125 + tax). It is sold on Ticket Tailor along with the registration, and you can't compete without one. Each teammate needs their own badge, so buy theirs or tell them to.
6. Keep the confirmation email. USAJPA says hotel details will be in it.

Coming to watch? Friends and family can buy a $5 + tax Spectator Button for one day or a $50 + tax Day Pass at the registration desk from March 19. Kids under 10 get in free with an adult. There's no cash at the event, only card or PayPal. Competitors can't use a Day Pass; they need the full Entry Badge. See the official page for what each one includes.

What sells out

Each heat has a fixed number of spots (see the divisions table), and USAJPA says past events sold out within days. USAJPA also says the Entry Badges could sell out. If your division is full, join the waitlist. There is a separate waitlist form for solo, pairs and teams, linked in the FAQs. If people cancel, waitlisters get an email with a set time when spots open, and it's first come, first served. New for 2027: the week before the event, waitlisters can join an “at the event” waitlist, in random order.

Qualifying and age rules

• No qualifier needed. Anyone who lives in the US can enter, and so can US citizens living abroad. You don't need Nationals to enter the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship; that's separate.
• Early registration (Oct 17) was only for members who won a USAJPA-sanctioned event between January and September 2026, were in the top 100 of the JPA rating, or made the 2026 solo final.
• Inside the event, you qualify for a final by placing in the top group of your preliminary heat.
• Age: solo puzzlers must be at least 16. Pairs and teams can include under-16s if at least one teammate is 16 or older. USAJPA doesn't list separate age groups.
• For members, solo times count toward their JPA rating.

Travel tips

• The MARTA train links Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to AmericasMart. Take the North/South line to Peachtree Center Station. See itsmarta.com for times.
• USAJPA lists the hotel block as “coming soon,” and the details come in your confirmation email.
• Don't bring food or drinks into the competition space. There are water bottle refill stations and food at the venue.
• Arrive early. You must be in your seat before the announcements start, or USAJPA can give your spot to someone on the waitlist.

How to practice

Most speed puzzling uses 500-piece puzzles against the clock. At Nationals, solo puzzlers get 1.5 hours for 500 pieces. Here's how to practice like the real thing:

• Time yourself on 500-piece puzzles you haven't seen before. The competition images are unreleased, so you won't know the picture in advance.
• Use the same space and tools. Solo puzzlers and pairs each get half of a 6 ft by 2.5 ft table. Box-top holders are allowed, plus one sorting tray per puzzler (17 in by 24 in at most) and the puzzle box itself. Puzzle scoops, extra lights, magnifiers and table risers aren't allowed. Read the full rules.
• Pairs and teams: practice back-to-back puzzles. The first puzzle has to be taken apart and boxed before you open the second.
• Try a real contest first. Find one on our puzzle events calendar, the events list by state (for example Georgia), or join an online contest from home.
• See what other contests use: our guide to where to buy this month's contest puzzles lists the ones organizers have named.
• Find practice puzzles: Ravensburger puzzles we track, new 300 to 749 piece puzzles, today's puzzle deals and our 300 to 500 piece picks.