This Handbook establishes the official rules, entry mechanics, and prize frameworks for the Sontaj logic puzzle competitions. By downloading a puzzle sheet or submitting a competitive SMS text response, you explicitly agree to abide by these rules.
1. Registration, Download, and Subscription Options
Account Requirement: To participate in a closed competition, players must hold at least a free subscriber account on sontaje.com. If an initiative is explicitly announced as an Open Competition, no subscriber account is required.
Puzzle Distribution: Registered competitors must download the official Sontaj puzzle sheet from the Site. Each puzzle sheet contains multiple logic games, each marked with a Unique Game Number.
Game Activation: The competition organizers will announce the specific Unique Game Number chosen for that day's competition. Only responses matching that specific activated game will be evaluated.
2. SMS Submission Mechanics & Timing
The competition relies on a hybrid SMS text message system managed via a local mobile service provider.
Submission Channel: Participants must submit their puzzle solutions via SMS text message following the precise formatting instructions provided by the organizers.
Timestamp Certification: The official time of entry is determined solely by the digital timestamp certified and logged by our mobile service provider’s internal server system. Local phone clocks or send-times will not be recognized.
No Submission Limits: Participants are not limited to any specific number of responses. You may freely choose to submit as many text messages as you wish within the fixed duration of the competition.
Strict Cutoff Times: Any entry timestamped even one millisecond later than the specified cutoff time will automatically be disqualified as an invalid entry.
3. Transparency & Independent Audit
To guarantee absolute fairness, commercial transparency, and compliance with Jamaican promotional standards, all official Sontaj game competitions are audited by an independent accounting system. This independent audit ensures that the final results and winners announced match the exact chronological logs produced within the mobile provider's text messaging network.
4. Winner Criteria & Prize Conditions
To be declared an official winner and claim any prize, a competitor must fulfill all seven (7) of the following criteria:
Age Threshold: Must be at least 18 years of age, or a minor with verifiable parental or legal guardian consent.
First Correct Match: Must be the first competitor to successfully text in the correct matching solution sought for that specific challenge.
Account Standing: Must hold at least a free subscriber account (unless the event is an Open Competition).
Phone Identity Verification: Must physically confirm ownership of the exact mobile phone number used to submit the winning text responses.
Score Verification: Must successfully complete all required challenges or score the highest number of points if a point-based system is active.
Maximum Point Cap (20-Point Rule): If a fixed 20-point system is utilized for a competition, the winner must be the first player to reach the maximum 20 points while satisfying all other conditions.
The 36-Hour Response & 5-Day Forfeiture Rule:
A provisional winner has a maximum of 36 hours to respond to our notification email, phone call, or text message to confirm their phone number and receive instructions on how to claim, reject, or donate their prize.
If a winner chooses to donate their prize, it will immediately be passed to our designated Jamaican charity.
If a prize remains completely unclaimed within five (5) days of the winner being identified, the winning prize will automatically be forfeited and donated entirely to our designated charity or social outreach project.
Multi-Winner Competitions
From time to time, the competition may seek to identify five (5) concurrent winners who score a maximum of 20 or more points. In these multi-winner formats, the competition remains active and concludes immediately when all five qualifying winners have been verified by our system.
5. The Gold Coin Challenge & Live Elimination Rounds
Implicit Craft and the Sontaj Game organizers reserve the right at any point during a competition to trigger a Gold Coin Challenge.
The Call-Up: The organizers will call up the top ten (10) competitors holding the highest verified scores in the competition. These ten players will be isolated from the rest of the field to enter a live elimination round.
The Point Reset: Upon entering the Gold Coin Challenge, all ten selected competitors forfeit all previous point scores. Their scores are reset to zero (0), putting all finalists on an equal starting baseline.
Attendance Mandate: Finalists must be present and ready to play at the scheduled time. If a competitor does not show up for the Gold Coin Challenge, they are automatically eliminated from the competition.
Live Broadcast Format: The Gold Coin Challenge will be featured live for the public to view.
Elimination Structure: Finalists will be given the exact same set of challenges to complete within a specified period. The individuals recording the lowest times will be progressively eliminated until only five (5) players remain.
The Final Showdown: The remaining five finalists will compete head-to-head, solving advanced puzzles and mixed challenges to determine the definitive first through fifth-place winners.
6. Technical Network Disclaimers
Network Latency: Implicit Craft, its organizers, and the independent auditors are not responsible for SMS messages that are delayed, dropped, or lost due to local network congestion, provider power outages, or player carrier issues.
Carrier Charges: Participants are solely responsible for any standard text messaging rates or data fees applied by their mobile network provider when sending submissions.