Frequently Asked Questions

Mosaic of Mankind FAQ’s

It’s really important to us that you, our valued visitor and potential member, know exactly what the Mosaic of Mankind is, and exactly what to expect before you spend any money with us. Please read these FAQ’s carefully, and if you have any questions that we do not cover here, use the ‘contact us’ page and send us your query. Be sure to read the Terms and Conditions as well!

Section 1: Money matters.
What do I get for my money?
Are there any hidden costs?
Are there any age restrictions?

Section 2: What does the future hold?
What happens when it’s full?
What if the Mosaic of Mankind doesn’t fill?
Will the Mosaic of Mankind really set a new World Record?
When will it be finished?
Where will the record be attempted?
Where will the puzzle be displayed?
Is the Mosaic of Mankind a one off?
Do I get to keep the piece of the puzzle with my picture on it?

Section 3: Can I…
Can I buy a copy of my Mini Puzzle?
Can I join more than once?
Can I put my pet on the Mosaic of Mankind?
Can I cancel my membership?
Can I change the picture I have posted?
Can I reserve places on my puzzle for my friends?
Can I post a group shot?
Can I give a piece to a friend?

Section 4: Please explain?
What are the mini puzzles and what are they for?
What sort of pictures can I put on the Mosaic of Mankind?
What if I want to object to someone else’s picture?
What is the previous record for the most number of pieces?
When I look at my Mini Puzzle on the ‘View Mosaic’, the pieces are Hexagons and don’t have the ‘tongues’ and ‘grooves’ like jigsaw puzzle pieces do…
Will the order of pieces I see online when I look at the ‘view mosaic’ page be the same as the order on the physical Mosaic of Mankind?
I’ve uploaded a picture, but my profile only shows a blank space and the message ‘photo not yet approved’. What does it mean?
Why are you making the Mosaic of Mankind?

Section 1: Money matters.

What do I get for my money?
Your membership includes the right to upload a photo which will become the picture on one of the pieces in the World Record breaking Mosaic of Mankind!* You also get to have your say and tell the world a little bit about yourself, so that people who view the puzzle online can click and learn more about who you are and what makes you tick. Your membership does not buy you any physical product!!! The puzzle is intended to be made and put on display (most likely in Melbourne Australia) in order to claim the World Record, and it will hopefully go on permanent display somewhere and never again be broken up.

Are there any hidden costs?
No! If you want to join the Mosaic of Mankind it will cost AUD$3.00 per profile, and that’s it.

Are there any age restrictions?
If you are under 16 years of age then we want you to get a parent or guardian to help you with your profile! Your answers to your questions will be able to be viewed for all over the world, and you need to have an adult look at your profile and the picture you have chosen before you put it up for the world to see! You also need to have the bill payers permission in order to pay, (whether by credit card or paypal).

Section 2: What does the future hold?

What happens when it’s full?
When all 1,000,000 places are claimed and the Mosaic of Mankind is full, we will then set to work preparing the physical Mosaic of Mankind to be made and put on display. This could take many months after the Mosaic fills! The mini puzzles within the Mosaic of Mankind will be shuffled around, and the pieces within the mini puzzles will also be shuffled (although they will stay on their designated mini puzzle no matter what!!!) and a final (top secret) picture will emerge. We are planning to unveil the finished World Record breaking Mosaic of Mankind at a high-profile venue in Melbourne Australia, when we will invite Guinness World Records to adjudicate and decide if in fact it is a new World Record. (Fingers crossed)

What if the Mosaic of Mankind doesn’t fill?
In order to claim the World Record, we need the Mosaic of Mankind to fill up. This is really up to you! If we work together to tell others about the Mosaic of Mankind, we can make it happen very quickly. If something does happen and we are simply not able to fill the 1,000,000 places, then we, at our own discretion, will decide whether or not the number of people we do have is enough to attempt a world record. (perhaps a different one to the one we are currently aiming for.) There will not be refunds in this event, as per the Terms and Conditions.

Will the Mosaic of Mankind really set a new World Record?
We are pretty sure it will. It won’t be the BIGGEST jigsaw puzzle ever made, but we are convinced that it will have the MOST PIECES of any jigsaw puzzle ever made. We will be inviting Guinness World Records to adjudicate once the Mosaic of Mankind has been made.

When will it be finished?
When do you want it to be finished? We can’t do anything more until all 1,000,000 pieces have someone’s picture on them. There is no set date, but the first thing we have to do is have all 1,000,000 pieces claimed. Once this happens we will begin the (many month long) process of making the physical Mosaic of Mankind for display and to claim the new World Record.

Where will the record be attempted?
We are currently planning to hold the record attempt at a high profile and public place in Melbourne city, Australia. However things may change between now and then…

Where will the puzzle be displayed?
Our (rather ambitious) plan is to have the Mosaic of Mankind on free public display, in a high-traffic inner city part of Melbourne for at least two weeks. Regardless of whether or not we succeed in this, it is our hope that an art gallery somewhere in the world will chose to put the Mosaic of Mankind on permanent display. Got any ideas for us? We’d love to hear from you!

Is the Mosaic of Mankind a one off?
We hope not! This is our first project, and I think it will always be our favourite, but we have plans for many more things to come… watch your newsletters closely and keep an eye on the website for news of the new and exciting things we have planned…

Do I get to keep the piece of the puzzle with my picture on it?
Lol, actually no, you may never even get to see it in real life! (unless you take the time to come and see it when it’s on display!) The puzzle will be made and put on display in order to set the new world record.* We are hoping that an art gallery somewhere will choose to put the Mosaic of Mankind on permanent display, so no, your $3.00 puts your photo on a piece, but doesn’t make that piece yours! :o)

Section 3: Can I…

Can I buy a copy of my Mini Puzzle?
Hmmm, we are working on it. We hope to be able to make every Mini Puzzle available for purchase once the Mosaic of Mankind is full. This way you can own your own 1,000 piece part of the Mosaic of Mankind. If you are keen, (and have a really big lounge room!) you can buy all 1,000 Mini Puzzles and make the entire Mosaic of Mankind for yourself! :o)

Can I join more than once?
YES! You may have lots of photo’s that you’d love to put on the Mosaic of Mankind, or maybe you have two that are so good you can’t decide which one you should include. You can sign up for as many pieces as you like, but remember that you have 30 days from the time of purchase to provide a suitable photograph (see the terms and conditions for details) for each membership you own.

Can I put my pet on the Mosaic of Mankind?
Only if the photo captures something about the human spirit. If perhaps it’s you with your pet, or something like that. Keep in mind that we are planning a pet mosaic in the not-too-distant future… keep an eye on our newsletters for more info on that!

Can I cancel my membership?
You are free to take yourself off the Mosaic of Mankind at any time. You are free to change the picture you have posted or remove yourself entirely from the Mosaic, right up until the Mosaic is full. We do not offer refunds because of a change of mind. (see the Terms and Conditions for more details) Keep in mind that if you want to be removed, but have a friend who wants to join, you can simply give your membership to them. They will be able to change the photo and put their own personal details over the top of your own.

Can I change the picture I have posted?
Yes! You can change as many times as you like right up until the Mosaic of Mankind is full. You can also change the answers to the questions and your description of yourself. Nothing is set in stone until the 1,000,000th person has joined.

Can I reserve places on my puzzle for my friends?
No but you can buy extra memberships on your puzzle and give them to your friends. Just remember that from the time of purchase your friends have 30 days to provide a suitable picture!

Are group shots allowed?
Absolutely!

Can I give a piece to a friend?
Use the ‘purchase multiple memberships’ option in the purchasing page and after payment is received you will be e-mailed the member names and logins for your new (blank) memberships. Give these details to the friends you have purchased for and they will be able to log in and upload photos etc just as if they had purchased it themselves. Remember to tell them that they must upload a suitable photo within 30 days!

Section 4: Please explain?

What are the mini puzzles and what are they for?
The Mini puzzles are 1,000 pieces each, and there are 1,000 of them that all connect to make up the Mosaic of Mankind. Because the pictures that make up the Mosaic of Mankind will be moved around to create a huge (top secret) picture, we want you to be able to be sure that you and your friends will be close together when the Mosaic of Mankind is made. So here’s how it works:

You sign up and select the name of the mini puzzle you want. (That’s right, pick one out of the 1,000 available…)(if your friends have already signed up, you need to make sure you choose the same mini puzzle as they are already on!!!)
You tell all your friends which mini puzzle you are on, so that they make sure that they sign up to the same puzzle as you!
When every piece is taken, we will set about creating the final puzzle, which will be a huge mosaic, with 1,000,000 different pictures being shuffled into a special order so that the top secret picture will emerge. However, we guarantee that you will stay on the same Mini Puzzle as you originally signed up to, and so no matter what, if you signed up to the same Mini Puzzle as your friends, you will be close to them.

What sort of pictures can I put on the Mosaic of Mankind?
The detailed rules for what can’t be put on the Mosaic of Mankind are in the Terms and Conditions, but in a nutshell, the picture must:

Be Suitable for Public Exhibition. The Mosaic of Mankind crosses all borders of age, gender, race and religion. You are encouraged to post photo’s that show who you are and what you believe, but images that are offensive, contain nudity or overt sexuality, condone or promote illegal or antisocial behaviour or condone or promote discrimination will be rejected. If you fail to post a picture that is deemed (at our absolute discretion) to be suitable within 30 days of signing up, your membership will be cancelled and your membership fee will be forfeit. No refunds will be offered to members who lose their membership due to inappropriate content!
Capture the Human Spirit. This is the Mosaic of MANKIND! We are all about people. Your photo must include people, or something that captures the spirit of people. It can be a group shot, single shot, maybe even only your hand holding onto the hand of a loved one. Whatever it is it must say something about people. The more others can relate to your photo, the better it is.

What if I want to object to someone else’s picture?
If you come across a picture you object to, open up that persons profile page and follow the links from there.

What is the previous record for the most number of pieces?
We don’t think there is one… There is a World Record for the World’s BIGGEST jigsaw puzzle, which is a gigantic 5,428.8 m²!!! (58,435.1 ft²) It’s an astonishing record, and the Mosaic of Mankind will be MUCH SMALLER than this. However, the Worlds Largest Jigsaw Puzzle only had 21,600 pieces (yes, they were very big pieces!) where the Mosaic of Mankind will have 1,000,000! If we have to, we will create a new category by claiming the record specifically for the most number of pieces.

When I look at my Mini Puzzle on the ‘View Mosaic’, the pieces are Haxagons and don’t have the ‘tongues’ and ‘grooves’ like jigsaw puzzle pieces do…
The actual Mosaic of Mankind, when it is physically made, will be a hexagon based jigsaw puzzle. (rather than square based, like a normal jigsaw puzzle) It was simply easier for us to not graphically display the ‘tongues’ and ‘grooves’ that will allow the final puzzle to properly interlock, like any other jigsaw puzzle.

Will the order of pieces I see online when I look at the ‘view mosaic’ page be the same as the order on the physical Mosaic of Mankind?
Probably not. We will be shuffling the pieces around to create the huge top-secret picture, which means that although you are guaranteed to remain on your chosen Mini Puzzle, you and your friends could end up anywhere within that Mini Puzzle.

I’ve uploaded a picture, but my profile only shows a blank space and the message ‘photo not yet approved’. What does it mean?
Because the Mosaic of Mankind will be made for public exhibition, we have chosen to look at every photo that is submitted to ensure that it is suitable for children etc. It should take no more than 24 hours for your photo to be approved, at which time it will be visible as per normal.

Why are you making the Mosaic of Mankind?
Every race, religion, gender, age, philosophy and belief system known to man is here, on this one planet. This is everyone’s home. We want to create a statement of unity, joining everyone from every extreme of humanity together in a single place.
For too long the ‘politically correct’ crowd have preached to us, saying that unity will come through uniformity. They tell us over and over that if we ban people from wearing symbols of their beliefs, that if we ban people from speaking from the heart and saying what they really believe, that if we clothe our culture in a veneer of ‘niceness’ then somehow wars will cease and we will suddenly get along.
We are saying they are wrong! The key to unity and peace is to recognise that we are different, to celebrate that fact! We should be able to speak freely and loudly, declare who we are and what drives us, and allow all others to do the same.
We are looking for 1,000,000 people to join us, 1,000,000 who agree that we are all one blood, one family. 1,000,000 people who are willing to share in a symbol of unity, 1,000,000 people who are willing to take their place in the Mosaic of Mankind.