Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2019

Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2021 was the 5th iteration of the Singapore Puzzle Hunt, with kick-off occurring on July 6th, 2019.

Pre-hunt, the website and registration page contained the following blurb about the hunt theme - "You have been sentenced and incarcerated for a terrible crime. But your fellow inmates may provide the means for your salvation. Will you be able to learn enough from them to escape and earn your redemption?"

1 week before the hunt, registered teams received a link to a Prelude puzzle, which is a thematic online point-and-click prison escape room.

This is the first year that the Singapore Puzzle Hunt used a single round structure, and it was because many of the less experienced local teams were roadblocked at round metas in past years. The theme is also one with an overarching message on the recognition and adherence to hunt writing and puzzle conventions, and how these are important to solvers to not make them frustrated and help them in their solving. Each puzzle is themed after a common hunt puzzle writing mis-step, but has now been cleverly reversed into the aha instead. The intent is that by becoming familiar with these common puzzle conventions (though sometimes broken by novice and unguided constructors), teams will be able to use their tricks to improve their solving.

Hunt Introduction
https://sgpuzzlehunt.com/2019/puzzles/huntintro.pdf

Plot
The theme for this year's Singapore Puzzle Hunt was "The Puzzleville Redemption" (referencing The Shawshank Redemption). Teams are puzzle writers who had been imprisoned for not test-solving their puzzles. And they have to solve the puzzles written by their fellow inmates, who were also serving sentences for similar crimes against solvers.

There are 13 Inmate puzzles including one of which is an unmarked Main Meta puzzle. Hidden in the Prison Layout hunt interface that teams used is also a link to a hidden Escape Meta puzzle. Each of these two metas uses 6 of the relevant Inmate answers as feeders - thematically, 6 of the inmates will provide clues to the tools for their salvation, while the other 6 will provide the path to redemption.

After solving both meta puzzles, the final Runaround will be revealed. This is a set of directions in the style of the note that Andy left for Red in the movie. The directions lead to a library within the onsite building where the winning team can find a book with the souvenir key hidden within in.

Hunt Souvenirs
Each team member received a thematic customized SGPH metal key that is also a bottle cap opener.