Hello! We are the UK Cube Association and we are a completely volunteer-ran organisation that hosts all cubing competitions in the UK. We are made up of a team of WCA delegates and staff, and we're passionate about giving people as many opportunities to compete in the UK as we can. We have organised over 100 competitions up and down the country with many more on the horizon and are always trying to find new locations to make cubing competitions as accessible as possible.

Make sure to follow our social media pages to keep up to date with the latest content and media!

UKCA is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 who attend our activities. Please read our Safeguarding Policy for more information about this. If you have any concerns, please contact us at SafeguardingUKCA@gmail.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

First time at our competitions?

Q: How do I register?
A: Make sure you have created a WCA account by going to the sign-up page and creating an account. Once you have created the account and confirmed your email address, follow the menu bar to the Register page and carefully follow the instructions.

Q: Can I come only to spectate?
A: Yes! There is no need to book - you can just rock up on the day. It can be a bit hectic in the mornings so afternoon is preferred.

Q: Are there different age categories?
A: No, all competitors compete on the same level and all ages are welcome.

Q: Am I allowed to bring a guest?
A: Yes, you can bring as many guests as you want.

Q: How fast do I have to be to compete?
A: Check out the Events tab - if you can make the time limit for the events you want to compete in, then you're fast enough!

Q: Do I have to be there on both days?
A: No, if you only have events on one of the days, you don't have to turn up for the other day. You can see what days your events are on on the Schedule tab.

Q: When can I leave the competition?
A: You are welcome to leave whenever you are not competing. If you have no more events left then you are not required to stay.

Q: Do I use my own cubes to compete?
A: Yes!

Q: How do I find live results?
A: You can see live results as soon as they're entered at WCA Live.

Q: What happens to my results after the competition?
A: Within a couple of days, they will all be posted to this page and if this is your first competition you will automatically have your very own WCA ID assigned.

Q: Do you have a mailing list?
A: Why yes, we do have a mailing list! Sign up here for announcements of future competitions and more.

Need to unregister?

Q: What do I do if I can no longer attend?
A: Let us know via the contact link on the General Info page.

Q: If I do not attend do I get a refund?
A: If you inform us you are no longer attending before the limit date for refunds on the General Info page then you will receive a 75% refund. If this time has passed then you will receive no refund.

Something else you'd like to know?

We have a detailed Parents' Guide that covers the answers to many more questions, free from cubing jargon! Whilst primarily aimed at the parents of younger competitors, there is useful information for everyone to find within it.
Check it out here!

New Competitors

To register, make sure you have created a WCA account by going to the sign-up page and creating an account. Once you have created the account and confirmed your email address, follow the menu bar to the Register page and carefully follow the instructions.

If you are a new competitor, please make sure to:

• Familiarise yourself with the WCA Regulations by watching this tutorial for new competitors video. We will also be holding a live tutorial on both mornings of the competition.

• Bring some form of ID with you such as your passport, driver's licence, or birth certificate. Expired ID or photos of ID are both accepted.

Information for All Competitors

• Schedule Changes: Please note that the schedule is subject to change up until the Wednesday before the competition. Any major changes should be communicated in the precompetition email.

• Please help judge! As a competitor, your judging assignments are the absolute minimum you should be doing to help out. Since second rounds, third rounds and finals have no assigned judges, we really need people to help out whenever available for these. If you're a parent you can also get involved with running and juging, it's really easy! We will have a judging tutorial in the mornings as well, which will run through the process and will be tailored towards parents who want to get involved.

• No flash photography anywhere in the venue.

• If you are a spectator, please never stand further forward than the front row of spectator chairs.

• We will be taking videos and photographs of the competition and the environment for our social media pages and website. By attending the competition as a competitor or a guest, you are accepting that you may be filmed or photographed for these purposes.

Disclaimer

• There may be a photographer present at our events and by attending you give us permission to use any photos or videos you appear in on our website, our social media, or for other marketing purposes.
• The UKCA does not accept responsibility and expressly excludes liability to the fullest extent permitted by law for any loss or damage to any personal property; or for personal injury or illness suffered by you at a UKCA event.
• The UKCA is not responsible for any accommodation, travel or associated costs you might incur in the unlikely event that a competition has to be cancelled, rescheduled or relocated.
• Children under 18 years old should be accompanied by an adult.

Venue

The venue is Sports Hall 3 at the University of Birmingham Sports & Fitness Centre, at the southern edge of the University Campus between Edgbaston Park Road and the A38 Bristol Road.

The Sports Hall is accessed through the western side of the building via the University South Gate entrance (the route between the building and the sports pitches on the opposite side of the access road).

The entrance is marked on the map below.

what3words: habit.class.back

Travel

Car: The postcode for the venue is B15 2TU. There is on-street parking available across the residential area to the south of the A38 Bristol Road, however please note that as Selly Oak is a very big student area, there may not be many spaces available (even during the summer holiday). There is a large car park immediately adjacent to the sports hall and available for users of the building, which includes 18 disabled bays and 6 motorcycle spaces. The car park costs £10.00 for the day (tbc). There are also 80 free, secure cycle parking spaces in the car park.

A short walk from the venue is the North East Car Park (Pritchatts Road, postcode B15 2SA): c.400 spaces over 5 floors (floors 1 to 5 - please note that the ground floor is reserved for Hotel guests), from 4th April 2024 the weekend charge is just £2.50 per day (8am to 6pm is chargeable). 9 minutes walk to the venue.

Train: The nearest train station is University, which is on the cross-city line between Birmingham New Street and Redditch/Bromsgrove, and is a 12-minute walk from the venue. There are direct train services from across the UK to Birmingham New Street, with the cross-city line operating four trains per hour in each direction.

Plane: The nearest airport is Birmingham International Airport. There is a railway station at the airport with direct trains running approximately 8 times per hour to/from Birmingham New Street and taking around 10 to 15 minutes, 7 days a week, from which you can catch the local cross-city train service as per above.

Coach: There are no long-distance coach services direct to the University, but there are frequent coach services to Birmingham from London and many UK cities; the coach station is in Digbeth in the city centre, which is just a short walk from Birmingham New Street train station, from which you can catch the local cross-city train service as per above.

Bus: The closest bus stops are directly outside the venue and are served by the 61 and 63 bus routes - the 61 and 63 run frequently throughout the day, 7 days a week. They provide a connection to Birmingham City Centre and stop directly outside Birmingham New Street train station. The full timetables are provided here:

• https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/services-timetables/61-birmingham-frankley
• https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/services-timetables/63-birmingham-frankley

Accommodation

The nearest hotel to the venue is the Edgbaston Park, which is 11 minutes walk from the venue. The nearest chain hotel is the Premier Inn on the Hagley Road which is a 7 minute drive from the venue; there are also the Cobden Hotel and Birmingham Strathallan Hotel immediately adjacent to the Premier Inn, and the Ibis Styles not far away either (all on the Hagley Road):

• http://edgbastonparkhotel.com/
• https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/west-midlands/birmingham/birmingham-central-hagley-road.html?cid=GLBC_BIRDUC
• https://sites.google.com/view/cobden-hotel-birmingham/
• https://www.birminghamstrathallanhotel.co.uk/
• https://all.accor.com/lien_externe.svlt?goto=fiche_hotel&code_hotel=8614&merchantid=seo-maps-GB-8614&sourceid=aw-cen&utm_medium=seo+maps&utm_source=google+Maps&utm_campaign=seo+maps&y_source=1_MTUzNjE1NjgtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D

Disabled Access

The venue is wheelchair accessible from the main entrance.

KewbzUK will be sponsoring this competition!

They will have a stall set up where you can buy lots of different puzzles. Maybe you'll find a new main?

Based in the UK, KewbzUK have grown to become the largest and most trusted speed cube shop in the UK & Europe. Not only do they stock some of the best twisty puzzles in the world, they are also lucky to be exclusive resellers of CubicleLabs premium lubricants.

Each event is run in groups, determined by how many people are competing in that event. We will call up the groups either one or two at a time depending on how many stages we have at the competition (which you can see on the Schedule tab). Odd groups will always be on the left stage and even groups on the right stage. Your scrambling and judging assignments are the minimum amount you should be helping out as it only is for first rounds. We always appreciate extra help!

Please note down which groups you are competing and scrambling in before arriving at the competition!

Groups

The groups are typically generated on the Tuesday evening before the competition, so make sure to check on Wednesday or afterwards to find out which groups you are in!