Sign up for the first marathon of 2018!

snow, Nurro, Lina, Eyewire, citizen science, January, marathon

Now that the winter holidays are past and the new year has been rung in, what better than a marathon? Warm up, sign up, and let’s see how fast we can go! Think we’ll break a new record?

The January Marathon will start at 8 PM EST on 1/24, and for the first official time, you’ll have 24 hours to grow and complete up to two cells. Note that we’re also going back to an evening marathon start time for odd-numbered months!

Bonuses for Normal Play

Trace 20 cubes – 2,000 point bonus
Trace 50 cubes – 5,000 point bonus
Trace 150 cubes – 20,000 point bonus
Trace 300 cubes – 40,000 point bonus
For every 150 cubes above 300 cubes – 2,500 point bonus

Also, many of you will be eligible to rename the cell afterward, as follows:

  • Each player who traces at least 50 cubes will win the right to vote on a name for the marathon cell.
  • Each player who traces at least 200 cubes will win the right to nominate a name for that vote.

If the first cell finishes before the 24-hour mark, a second marathon cell will be launched to see if it can finish by that mark as well. Should the second cell indeed finish on time, it will earn the second-place name vote.

Special Guidelines for Scythes

Full info is here on the post for our first Scythe Marathon, but just to remind you of the current scheme:

Bonus: Instead of 5,000 points for SCing 100 cubes, for a Scythe Marathon this reward doubles to 10,000! To maximize your possible bonus potential, we recommend that you first focus on tracing your fill and then starting your SC mission. That way the cell grows quickly and you hand yourself at least 30k or 50k total.

Naming: Admins will be counting every 3 SC votes as 1 cube added to your cube count for naming eligibility. So, for instance, you can trace 100 cubes, SC 300 cubes, and still earn nominating rights, or achieve the same result by tracing 150 cubes and SCing 150.

Artwork by Minjeong Kim