List of MIT Mystery Hunts
The MIT Mystery Hunt is an annual puzzle hunt centered on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has been occurring since 1981. Average team size varies, but has grown along with the size and complexity of the hunt's content over time. The reward for a team completing the hunt first was originally a choice of several prizes presented by the organizer, but has since become a commemorative version of the final Coin, along with the job of organizing and writing the hunt for the next year. As such, winning teams are usually identical to the writing teams for the following year, although sometimes name and roster changes occur between winning and writing.
Hunts
| Year | Theme | Plot Summary | Writing Team/Individual | Winning Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | N/A | N/A | Brad Schaefer | Unknown |
| 1982 | N/A | N/A | Brad Schaefer | Unknown |
| 1983 | N/A | N/A | Brad Schaefer | Holman Reactionary Army |
| 1984 | N/A | N/A | Jean-Joseph Coté | Unknown |
| 1985 | N/A | N/A | JIM and DKS | Unknown |
| 1986 | N/A | N/A | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1987 | N/A | N/A | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1988 | N/A | N/A | Eric Albert | The Black Seven |
| 1989 | N/A | N/A | The Black Seven | Unknown |
| 1990 | N/A | N/A | Unknown | [Stephen Rinehart?] |
| 1991 | N/A | N/A | Jan Maessen and Stephen Rinehart | [Stephen Rinehart?] |
| 1992 | Treasure Hunt | Teams were tasked with the recovery of the treasure once belonging to Captain Red Herring, hidden somewhere on Mystery Island. | [Stephen Rinehart?] | Unknown |
| 1993 | A Quest for the Holy Grail | N/A | Unknown | Unknown Team Led By Eric Albert |
| 1994 | Cyberpunk (Genre) | A mysterious secret society known as IHTFP (Internet Haven For Tender Preservation) exists in the futuristic setting of the 21st century, when cash is illegal. Due to a run-in with the cyber-cops, a member of the society known as H. Acker had to hide a piece of illegal currency on the MIT campus, leaving the teams to find it through a series of puzzles and encrypted messages. | Eric Albert (and others) | Unknown Team Led By Mark Gottlieb |
| 1995 | Clue/Cluedo | Mr. Boddy, having come into the possession of the "Unlucky Coin of Eye Aitch Tee-Ef Pea, learns of his impending death at the hands of one of his friends. Teams are invited to his mansion along with these friends, and upon Mr. Boddy's death during this visit, it is revealed that (as heirs to the coin), the teams will have to both solve the murder, and the numerous clues to the coin's whereabouts Boddy has hidden throughout the mansion. | Mark Gottlieb | The Spanish Inquisition |
| 1996 | Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid | After lightning strikes the Crab's Subjunc-TV unit, causing his extremely valuable "I Haven't Tolerance For Prices" coin to vanish, he calls for the teams to aid in the recovery effort. As Achilles and the Tortoise explore the now much more puzzling Subjunc-TV repair manual, teams use both it and the Subjunc-VCR tape to discover where the IHTFP coin has disappeared to. | Richard Garfield, Skaff Elias, et al | Chaos |
| 1997 | Example | Example | Mark Gottlieb | Palindrome [Ainamania] |
| 1998 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 1999 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2000 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2001 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2002 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2003 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2004 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2005 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2006 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2007 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2008 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2009 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2010 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2011 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2012 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2013 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2014 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2015 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2016 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2017 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2018 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2019 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| 2020 | A Theme Park | After it's announced that Penny Park is going to be shut down due to low turnout and sales, teams are brought on to help generate Buzz by way of solving puzzles. Over the course of the hunt, teams discovered how the park was founded, and how Penny Miller came to be the owner. Eventually, after generating enough buzz, teams discover a secret area underneath the park, where a device could be found to ??? | Left Out | ✈✈✈ Galactic Trendsetters ✈✈✈ |
| 2021 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
