The competition, explained
Sunburnt Santa is free and played for fun and bragging rights. If the game earns A$200k by Christmas Eve, 10% of everything it earns goes back to the top 10 players on both boards. Rules in the app. Eligibility rules apply.
This page is a plain-English summary. The official rules are what count, and they win if anything here differs.
The condition
Prizes are not guaranteed and have no fixed value. A prize pool only opens if the game earns at least A$200,000 in Net Revenue during the competition period. If it does, the pool is 10% of all Net Revenue for the period, so it grows with the game. If it doesn't, there is no prize pool and the leaderboards stand as bragging rights. We'll publish the final figures either way.
No purchase is necessary to play, compete or win, and buying Remove Ads doesn't change your chances. Winners are decided by skill and effort; chance plays no part.
Dates (AEST)
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Competition opens | 12:00am, 15 November 2026 |
| Competition closes, rankings locked | 11:59pm, 24 December 2026 |
| Provisional winners told | By 31 December 2026 |
| Final Net Revenue published; pool confirmed as opened or not | By 15 January 2027 |
| Claim deadline (if the pool opened) | 11:59pm, 31 January 2027 |
| Prizes paid | By 15 February 2027 |
Who shares it
If the pool opens, it is split equally between the two leaderboards, Top Santas and Elf Recruiters, and shared by the top 10 on each:
| Place (on each board) | Share of the whole pool |
|---|---|
| 1st | 15% |
| 2nd | 9% |
| 3rd | 6% |
| 4th | 5% |
| 5th | 4% |
| 6th | 3% |
| 7th | 2.5% |
| 8th | 2% |
| 9th | 2% |
| 10th | 1.5% |
| Total per board | 50% |
During the competition the app shows an estimated pool, updated at least weekly. Estimates can go up or down as figures are finalised.
Who can win
Anyone can play and appear on the leaderboards. To win a prize you must be 18 or older when you claim (or have a parent or guardian's written consent), have a registered account with a verifiable email, and live somewhere this competition is legal and not excluded. Residents of some places are excluded from prizes: see section 5 of the rules for the list.
How winners are checked
Every leaderboard score is replayed on our server. After the close, the top players are checked again for cheating, fake accounts and fake recruits before anyone is confirmed. A disqualified player is told why and can respond. If a winner is ineligible or doesn't claim in time, the prize passes to the next eligible player.
Not involved
Apple and Google are not sponsors of, and are not involved in any way with, this competition. Neither is TikTok or any other social platform.