Notable puzzlers

This is a list of puzzlers who have been considered notable outside of puzzlehunts. This list is currently restricted to people with a Wikipedia article who also have participated in, or worked on a puzzlehunt.

• Julian Assange is a noted activist who founded WikiLeaks. He has written puzzles in MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2004.

• Sam Bankman-Fried is a controversial former billionaire. He is known to have hosted a puzzlehunt event in Stanford University.

• Evan Chen is a mathematician and active in mathematical competitions. He has written puzzles in MIT Mystery Hunt 2021 and MIT Mystery Hunt 2023.

• Skaff Elias is a game designer. He wrote for MIT Mystery Hunt 1996.

• Noam Elkies is a mathematician and professor at Harvard. He wrote for MIT Mystery Hunt 2015.

• Richard Garfield is a game designer who created Magic: The Gathering. He wrote for MIT Mystery Hunt 1996.

• Catherine Havasi is an AI researcher at MIT. She wrote for MIT Mystery Hunt 2013 and was co-captain for the running team.

• Andrew He is a competitive programmer. He has written puzzles in Teammate Hunt 2021 and MIT Mystery Hunt 2023.

• Francis Heaney is a crossword constructor and editor. He has written puzzles in MIT Mystery Hunt 2001, MIT Mystery Hunt 2003, MIT Mystery Hunt 2007, MIT Mystery Hunt 2009, and MIT Mystery Hunt 2012.

• Benjamin Mako Hill is a free software activist and professor at the University of Washington. He wrote for MIT Mystery Hunt 2012.

• Tyler Hinman is a crossword solver and constructor, winning seven American Crossword Puzzle Tournaments. He has written puzzles in MIT Mystery Hunt 2008, MIT Mystery Hunt 2010 and MIT Mystery Hunt 2016.

• Wei-Hwa Huang is a logic-puzzler and game designer. He has written puzzles in MIT Mystery Hunt 2012 and MIT Mystery Hunt 2020.

• Kiran Kedlaya is a mathematician and professor at University of California, San Diego. He wrote for MIT Mystery Hunt 2000, MIT Mystery Hunt 2002, MIT Mystery Hunt 2005, MIT Mystery Hunt 2017, and MIT Mystery Hunt 2019.

• Tanya Khovanova is a mathematician who teaches at MIT. She wrote for MIT Mystery Hunt 2013 and MIT Mystery Hunt 2018.

• Craig Mazin is a screenwriter and film director. He has participated in Galactic Puzzle Hunt and MIT Mystery Hunt, and helped testsolve puzzles for MIT Mystery Hunt 2022.

• Randall Munroe is a cartoonist and author who created the webcomic xkcd. He participates in MIT Mystery Hunt.

• Trip Payne is a crossword solver and constructor, winning three American Crossword Puzzle Tournaments. He wrote for MIT Mystery Hunt 2008, MIT Mystery Hunt 2017, and MIT Mystery Hunt 2019.

• Brad Schaefer is a professor of astronomy. He started MIT Mystery Hunt and wrote MIT Mystery Hunt 1981, MIT Mystery Hunt 1982 and MIT Mystery Hunt 1983.

• Thomas Snyder is a puzzle and sudoku constructor. He has written puzzles for MIT Mystery Hunt 2007 and MIT Mystery Hunt 2009.

• Aaron Swartz was a computer programmer and hacktivist. He wrote a puzzle for MIT Mystery Hunt 2012.

• Teeuwynn Woodruff is a game designer and writer. She wrote for MIT Mystery Hunt 2007.