FAQ

Can I get a hint to solve a puzzle?
To ensure a level playing field, we are not providing phone or email support to individual contestants. Please check the "frequently asked questions" area at puzzle.smithsonianmag.com/faq. If you don't find your answer there, you can email sipuzzlehelp@si.edu.

How do we contact you with questions or concerns?
You can email us at sipuzzlehelp@si.edu. Due to high volume we cannot guarantee that all emails will get a personal reply; we will be updating this FAQ page with frequently asked questions, so please check back to see if your question/feedback has been addressed.

How can I get the October issue of Smithsonian magazine?
IMPORTANT! A print edition of the October issue of Smithsonian magazine — or a color digital edition — is necessary to solve the The Great American History Puzzle.

  • Print: Print editions of Smithsonian magazine are often available at Barnes & Noble bookstores and other quality bookstores and newsstands.
  • iPad: The iPad edition is a color digital edition. To access it, please download Smithsonian magazine's free app from the app store. Then open the app and purchase the October issue for $3.99.
  • Nook and Kindle: Amazon and Barnes & Noble both sell digital editions for their color devices. The October issue is available there for $3.99. To purchase it, please go to their online digital newsstand and search for Smithsonian magazine. Please note: The Great American Puzzle cannot be solved from a black and white Nook or Kindle device.
  • Android-based Devices: A color digital edition of the October issue of Smithsonian magazine can be found in the Google Play Store for $3.99.
  • Computer: For computers, as well as some other devices, Zinio also sells color digital edition at Zinio.com.
  • PDF: For those who would like to view a digital replica of the issue on Smithsonian.com, please click here and follow the instructions.

Can I get a new clue or help?
To ensure a level playing field, we are not providing phone or email support to individual contestants. Ken Jennings, our Puzzle Master, may from time to time drop hints or give clues to solving the puzzles in his puzzle blog (found at blogs.smithsonianmag.com/great-american-puzzle/). These hints will also be Tweeted out by our @SmithsonianMag Twitter account, using the hashtag #historypuzzle. Follow @SmithsonianMag on Twitter.

Where are the rules?
Puzzle Rules can be found at puzzle.smithsonianmag.com/rules.

Who is eligible to play?
The Puzzle is open to natural persons, 18 years of age or older, who are legal residents of the 50 United States of America, and D.C., but excluding anyone who is a (i) resident of Guam, Puerto Rico, & all other U.S. territories and possessions and military installations overseas and/or (i) regent, officer, employee, fellow, intern, research associate, or volunteer of the Smithsonian Institution or a member of any of the foregoing's immediate family or household.

When and where will the puzzles be posted?
The Puzzles will be posted in the following order:
Puzzle 1 is available to in-home subscribers upon delivery and on the web on September 19, 2012 (see FAQ #3 for details on obtaining a print or digital issue). Nine puzzles will be made available on the web each of the following days at approximately 2:00 p.m. ET: October, 1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 17, 19, and 22nd.

How can I submit my entry?
On October 1, visit the Great American History Puzzle site at puzzle.smithsonianmag.com and create an account. Once you have an account, you will be able to log into the website and submit answers to each puzzle as they become available. After you have correctly answered all of the puzzles online, you will be given an email address to submit all 11 answers.

The winner of the Great American History Puzzle will be the first person who submits all 11 correctly answered puzzles.

Are official contest news or updates posted anywhere?
Updates on the puzzles can be found in Puzzle Master Ken Jennings' blog, which is located at blogs.smithsonianmag.com/great-american-puzzle/.

When and how can we find out who won?
Participants will have until November 1, 2012 to solve the puzzle. The winner will be announced in Puzzle Master Ken Jenning's blog, which is located at blogs.smithsonianmag.com/great-american-puzzle/.