Information about Contest America Publishers puzzle contests
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CONTEST AMERICA
PUBLISHERS
Information provided by
The Contest Center
59 DeGarmo Hills Road
Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
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THERE IS NO CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CONTEST CENTER
AND CONTEST AMERICA PUBLISHERS



       Contest America Publishers specialize in number path puzzle contests. Contest America Publishers or CAP is the parent company of North American Award Center and Opportunities Unlimited Publications.

       Each contest starts with a very simple number path puzzle. They may use a grid as small as 3x3 (three rows by three columns) of numbers from 1 to 9. The player must find three numbers in a straight line adding to the highest total. For example, you might be asked to find the line with the highest total in the following grid. 
 
3 4 6
1 5 7
4 2 8
To make this even easier, you are given just 2 or 3 possible answers, and the correct answer is always the highest of these choices.

       The initial fee to enter these contests is usually very low, for example there may be 3 games with $7,000 first prizes and an entry fee of $5 each. Each game will have a series of 4 or more puzzles.

       After the first puzzle, there will be a tiebreaker puzzle that is slightly harder than the initial puzzle. For example, it may have a 4x4 or 5x5 grid of one-digit numbers where you must find the straight line with the highest total. Three choices are provided, and the correct answer is always the highest of these 3 choices.

       At this point, there will be an offer of bonus prizes. The bonus prize will increase the amount of the first prize, but not any of the other prizes, if any. Typically, the maximum bonus will be about $3,000 for an additional entry fee of $25. In contests with 3 separate games, this amounts to an additional $75 beyond the original $15.

       The second tiebreaker puzzle will be harder than the first tiebreaker. Now the puzzle is typically an 8x8 grid of 2-digit signed numbers. That is, the numbers run from -99 up to +99. You must find a path of 8 numbers to get the highest total. This path may contain turns. This is a genuine tiebreaker, and will eliminate nearly all of the less-skilled players.

       This puzzle will have another offer of bonus prizes. The new bonus prize will be smaller than the first bonus prize. For example, the maximum second bonus prize might be $2,500 for an additional entry fee of $25. In contests with 3 separate games, this amounts to another $75 beyond the original $15.

       A three-game contest that initially cost only $15 to enter might end up costing $165 to play for all bonus prizes.

       Once all of the entry and bonus fees are collected, the main tiebreaker puzzle will be issued. This will typically be a 24x24 grid with numbers ranging from -999 up to +999. The player must draw a twisting path through this grid to obtain the best score. Some of the numbers will have × and ÷ signs, which multiply or divide the path score. This can make the total score range into the millions, or even the hundreds of millions. Some of the puzzles allow both positive and negative scores. The path may be any length, and may have any number of turns. Typical paths will contain over 300 numbers, and require over an hour just to calculate the score or to copy a path from one worksheet to another.

       It often takes 2 years or longer from the first mailing of the initial puzzle until prizes are actually paid. Winners of any prize are required to submit notarized affidavits confirming their identities, and to provide their taxpayer ID numbers.



       A report about a consent decree against Contest America Publishers obtained by Christine Gregoire, then the Attorney General of Washington, and later the governor, can be found HERE.

       A report about Contest America Publishers and its subsidiaries, North American Award Center and Opportunities Unlimited Publications, can be found at the website of the Australian Department of Commerce.

       Another report about Contest America Publishers and similar contest companies can be found at the website of MDI Lists.

       A web search turned up 24 reports about Contest America Publishers and its subsidiaries, North American Award Center and Opportunities Unlimited Publications, posted at RipOffReport.com. Here are links to the reports that were found

RipOff Report 367020
RipOff Report 341328
RipOff Report 318513
RipOff Report 241116
RipOff Report 239577
RipOff Report 208131
RipOff Report 196297
RipOff Report 186906
RipOff Report 162590
RipOff Report 139494
RipOff Report 109680
RipOff Report 106812
RipOff Report 088621
RipOff Report 088622
RipOff Report 037358
RipOff Report 030426
RipOff Report 019152
RipOff Report 015786
RipOff Report 007300
RipOff Report 005947
RipOff Report 005887
RipOff Report 004114

The claims and opinions expressed in these reports are solely the opinions of their respective authors. The Contest Center does not vouch for the accuracy of any of these reports. The authors of these reports have no connection to the Contest Center. These links are provided so that readers can see a range of opinions concerning these companies.


       By contrast, in Contest Center puzzle contests the fee that you paid when you entered the contest was usually the only fee. We did not have bonus prizes that required much higher additional fees. We told you all of the prizes and all of the fees right from the start.
       Most Contest Center puzzle contests did not have any tiebreaker puzzles. Most of our contests took less than 6 months from first mailing to prize payment.

       Below are some links you may use to reach the Contest Center.

 
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