CicadaChallenge.com

1 Overview

CicadaChallenge.com (the “Site”) and the Cicada mobile application (the “App”) are an online puzzle-solving experience, alternate reality game (“ARG”), and skill-based competition (the “Challenge”) where participants solve puzzles, uncover clues, and progress through a structured sequence of challenges. References to the “Site” in these Terms include the App unless stated otherwise.

By accessing the Site or App, creating an account, or participating in the Challenge, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service & Rules (“Terms”), our Privacy Policy, and any additional instructions or notices posted on the Site.

2 Free and Membership-Exclusive Challenges

The Company offers both free Challenges and membership-exclusive Challenges.

• No purchase or payment is required to access or win a Challenge expressly designated as free, including our annual free Challenge and free-tier content.
• Certain separately announced skill-based games, prize competitions, or content areas require an active paid Patreon membership at a specified tier.
• When a paid membership is required, that requirement will be clearly disclosed before participation.
• Payment provides access to the applicable content or competition. It does not change the judging criteria, completion requirements, or ranking method among participants who meet the same eligibility requirements.
• Purchasing merchandise, hints, a higher-priced tier than required, or other optional products does not improve a participant’s ranking or provide a competitive advantage unless the official rules expressly state otherwise.

3 Eligibility

• The Cicada Challenge is open to participants worldwide, except where prohibited.
• You must be at least 13 years of age to use the Site or App or to participate in free content.
• Individuals between 13 and 17 may participate in free content only with the permission of a parent or legal guardian.
• You must be at least 18 years of age to make purchases, hold a paid Patreon membership, enter a membership-required prize competition, or receive a prize.
• Unless different eligibility is stated in contest-specific official rules, prize recipients must be legal residents of the United States or Canada, excluding Quebec.
• Canadian winners may be required to correctly answer a time-limited mathematical skill-testing question without assistance before a prize is awarded.
• Participants who do not meet the prize eligibility requirements may play content made available to them but are not eligible to receive prizes.
• Employees, contractors, representatives, and immediate family or household members of the Company are not eligible for prizes.
• Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

We may verify age, identity, residency, membership status, account ownership, and compliance with these Terms before awarding a prize.

4 Accounts

To participate, you are required to create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate information
• Maintain account security
• Use only one account

Accounts may not be shared, sold, or transferred. We may suspend or terminate accounts at our discretion. You may delete your account at any time within the App or at cicadachallenge.com/delete-account.

5 Contest Structure & Gameplay

• Our Challenges consist of multiple puzzles and stages
• Puzzles must be solved in the intended order unless explicitly stated
• Some puzzles may require external tools or software, contain multiple parts, or include digital or physical components

We may modify puzzles, patch unintended solutions, or adjust progression when reasonably necessary to address technical problems, security issues, cheating, or unintended mechanics. During an active prize competition, material changes will be announced and applied as fairly and consistently as reasonably possible.

6 Prizes

Prizes may be awarded based on verified completion of a Challenge. Contest-specific official rules or announcements will identify the number and description of prizes, approximate retail values when required, eligibility requirements, competition period, ranking method, and any special claim conditions.

Prize Conditions:

• Potential winners may be required to demonstrate how puzzles were solved and verify independent completion.
• Potential winners must timely complete requested eligibility, identity, tax, release, and shipping documentation.
• Winners are responsible for taxes, customs charges, and other costs not expressly included with a prize; a Form 1099 or other tax document may be issued where required.
• Prizes are non-transferable and may not be redeemed for cash unless expressly stated.
• We may substitute a prize with one of equal or greater approximate retail value if the advertised prize becomes unavailable.
• If a potential winner is disqualified or fails to claim a prize by the stated deadline, the prize may be offered to the next eligible verified finisher.

7 Paid Content, Hints & Patreon

The Site may offer paid merchandise, hints, optional unlockable content, and Patreon membership content. You must be at least 18 years of age to make purchases or hold a paid membership.

Patreon tier names:

• Tier 1 — Nymph
• Tier 2 — Swarm
• Tier 3 — Brood

Terms for Purchases:

• Except where required by law or the applicable payment platform’s policies, payments are non-refundable.
• Purchases do not guarantee puzzle progress, successful completion, ranking, or a prize.
• Paid content may provide access, entertainment content, or optional guidance but will not bypass required completion steps unless expressly stated.
• A participant must maintain any membership required by the contest-specific rules through the stated eligibility-verification time.

We may modify or remove paid content, but material changes affecting an active prize competition will be announced and handled in accordance with the applicable contest-specific rules.

8 Collaboration & Answer Sharing

This is a single-player challenge while a competition is ongoing unless otherwise stated.

• Sharing answers publicly during an active competition phase is prohibited
• Using leaked or shared answers may result in disqualification
• Collaboration rules may change depending on puzzle stages

After a competition phase ends, sharing solutions is allowed.

9 Prohibited Conduct

You may not:

• Use bots, scripts, scraping, or automation
• Brute-force URLs or puzzle answers
• Attempt to hack, exploit, or reverse engineer the Site
• Perform pentesting, DDoS, or server attacks
• Bypass intended puzzle mechanics
• Create multiple or fraudulent accounts

10 Proof of Work Requirement

To be eligible for prizes, participants may be required to:

• Provide detailed explanations of solutions
• Show work or methodology
• Verify independent completion

11 Technical Issues

The Site is provided “as is” and “as available.” We are not responsible for downtime, lost progress, server failures, email issues, or third-party outages. We may pause, reset, or modify the Challenge due to technical issues.

12 Disqualification

We reserve the right to disqualify any participant for:

• Rule violations
• Cheating or unfair advantage
• Suspicious activity
• Failure to verify eligibility or solutions

13 Intellectual Property

All puzzles, content, and materials are owned by or licensed to the Company. You may not:

• Reproduce or sell content
• Publish full solutions during active competition phases
• Commercialize any part of the Challenge

14 Privacy & Communications

By participating, you agree to receive account-related emails, gameplay updates, and prize notifications. You may opt out of promotional emails. We do not sell personal data.

15 Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for loss of progress, missed prizes, technical failures, data loss, or any damages related to participation.

16 Release

You release the Company from any claims arising from participation, prize use, or Site usage.

17 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan.

18 Modifications

We may update these Terms from time to time. The version in effect when a prize competition opens will govern that competition. We will not make material changes during an active prize competition except when reasonably necessary to address fraud, security, technical failures, legal requirements, or circumstances beyond our control. Material changes will be announced and applied as fairly and consistently as reasonably possible.

19 Contact

Cicada Productions LLC
Michigan, United States
xix@cicadachallenge.com