British Jigsaw Championship 2023 & 2024
The British Jigsaw Championships is an annual event where competitors from around the world gather to complete a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle in the fastest time.
Details of the 2024 British Jigsaw Championship now released with a major change!
The British Jigsaw Championship is linked with the Newmarket Jigsaw Festival.
Read my article on Jigsaw Festivals and their freshly baked cakes!
Coming soon – a new section on Speed Puzzling in my article on How Long do Jigsaw Puzzles take?!
This website is supported entirely by my kind readers - thank you so much for visiting! There are no adverts, and I don't accept any payment for reviews or sponsorship of any product. Instead, there are some links where, if you buy something, I may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. If you do choose to buy through my links - a genuine big thank you!
I was looking on Amazon today to see if there were still any puzzle deals after Black Friday.
Amazingly, there still are! I’ve listed them below.
Lots of very good ratings for this one who especially like the four drawers and the heavy rubber covers!
I love Marcello Corti's work and he makes a welcome return to Gibsons. He painted several Christmas puzzles before Tony Ryan took over for a few years (and did a fantastic job).
Marcello is now back, and what an amazing puzzle this is. Look at the detail in the faces. There are children riding donkeys, Santa driving a tractor, and it even looks like Sherlock Holmes is blasting out some Christmas carols!
You can find more Gibsons Christmas puzzles on Amazon here.
The British Jigsaw Championship 2024
Details of the 2024 British Jigsaw Festival have been released with a major change.
It is still part of the 13th Annual Newmarket Jigsaw Festival in St. Mary’s Church,
but it will be at a new venue as it expands and becomes more popular each year. The cost is £15
New venue: Newmarket Rowley Mile Racecourse. Rowley Mile Drive, Newmarket CB8 OTF
Date: Sun 23 June 2024 10am – 6pm
Register for the Eleventh Annual Gibsons British Jigsaw Championships 2024 here.
Follow the latest news on the Newmarket Jigsaw Festival & British Championship Facebook page.
Click here to see Geoff’s Top Puzzle Picks!
The British Jigsaw Championship 2023
The tenth British Jigsaw Championships was held at Newmarket in the Turner Hall on Sunday, 25 June 2023.
Nearly 200 people entered compared to 70 in 2022, said organiser Janet Ramsey-Helie
It also featured on the BBC here in a feature by the Strictly Dancing star Joanne Clifton who came fifth in 2022.
The full results are:
- Elite – Sarah Mills (1 hour, 52 mins) (Second – Cathy Evans just four minutes behind – watch out Sarah next year!)
- Pairs – SJ Bodell and Dan Martin (1 hour, 39mins)
- Fun – Emma Cobb, Sue and Richard (2 hours, 15 mins)
2023 British Jigsaw Champion – Sarah Mills wins again!
The current and reigning British champion at the ELITE level is Sarah Mills, who has now won the competition for nine years in a row!
A mother of two from Taverham near Norwich, she is an insurance underwriter and attributes her success to her mathematical & logical mind!
Her average time for a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle is two hours.
Read more about her jigsaw puzzle fame on ITV and the BBC here!
About the Event
Competitors from around the world gather at the British Jigsaw Championships to complete a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle.
The identity of the puzzle is a closely guarded secret until the start of the contest to avoid any sneaky practising!
There are three categories:
Elite
(those who would expect to complete in under 3hrs)
Pairs
Fun
(you can enter on your own or with others, up to a maximum of four people.)
Prize money is won in each category, of £100, £100 and £50
Did you know?
- Each particpant in the British Jigsaw Championship gets to keep their puzzle!
- Entry to the Newmarket jigsaw festival is also included all week where you can get some fantastic rare puzzles as well as lots of home-baked cakes!
- There are many Jigsaw Festivals around the UK.
See my Jigsaw Festival article and check if there is one in your local area. - I have a really interesting article on How Long Do Jigsaw Puzzles Take?
- Find out what I think is the Most Interesting Jigsaw Puzzle in the World
World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships
Find out more about the World Jigsaw Championships just held in Spain
with an amazing winning time of 37 mins and 59 secs for a 500pc puzzle!
This website is supported entirely by my kind readers - thank you so much for visiting! There are no adverts, and I don't accept any payment for reviews or sponsorship of any product. Instead, there are some links where, if you buy something, I may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. If you do choose to buy through my links - a genuine big thank you!
