The rules

How the race works.

The prize

• $10,000 cash grand prize — the first verified hunter to finish.
• $1,000 × 3 — the next three finishers.
• $500 × 4 — the next four finishers.
• $15,000 total. Finish order is decided by our server’s timestamp — not screenshots or self-reports.

Your account

• You must be 18 or older.
• One account per person. Every account verifies an email address and a real mobile number; a phone number can only be linked to one account. Virtual / VoIP numbers aren’t accepted.
• Teams are welcome, but a team shares one account and one prize.
• Finishers are verified as real people before any payout. Multiple accounts, automation or tampering forfeit any prize.

Where clues hide

• On snagged.com — the marketplace, the blog, the homepage — and in the public records (WHOIS / DNS) of the domains in the hunt.
• In the Snagged newsletter (also posted on X) and on our social channels.
• In images, audio, QR codes, and at least one phone number you call or text.
• Every lookup uses free, public tools. You never need insider access.

How you advance

• Some clues point you to another site; others give you a code to enter on the hunt page.
• Segments open on a schedule — everyone starts each one at the same moment.
• Late steps ask you to combine answers you found earlier, so keep notes.

Fair play

• Wrong answers lock the answer box for a bit, and the wait doubles each time (20s, 40s, 80s…). Guessing is slower than solving.
• Red herrings are always fair: a wrong answer is rejected instantly, never a silent dead end.
• Don’t attack our sites or infrastructure — solve the clues.

Full official terms will be posted before the hunt opens.