This year we're adding something new to the Congress prizes: an app that lets you tell us which donated prizes you'd most like, then hands them out based on tournament results. We tried it at the 2026 Massachusetts State Championship, and it went over well.
The important part first: the cash prizes and Go Bucks are exactly the same as last year. This is all on top of that - a virtual prize table of 474 donated prizes worth over $18,000, from 13 sponsors.
Browse the catalog
See every prize at prizes.gocongress.org/event/go-congress-2026, each with a description and a link to its sponsor. It's worth a look even if you never plan to rank a thing: our sponsors make Congress possible, and the catalog is a great way to meet them and see everything they offer.
Rank your favorites
Every participant received a login email (subject "Welcome to AGA Prizes - Access Your Account", July 16). Log in and mark the prizes you'd most like to win, in order of preference. Can't find it? Sign in (link in the lower left) and request a new code, or reach us at registrar@gocongress.org or the help desk.
When you win, the app gives you your highest-ranked prize that's still available - so rank generously (ten, twenty, as many as you like) and rank early, because popular prizes go fast. Rank nothing and you still get the most valuable prize left, but ranking is how you steer it. You can rank now, through Saturday morning, August 1, before results lock in.
See how I've dragged AYD's "Spectator Coupon" to land just below Awesome Baduk's "Challenge Voucher":
How winners are chosen
Prizes go out by tournament result, first places first: every 1st place (US Open sections, then the side events), then 2nds, then 3rds, then deeper into the US Open standings, with a few special passes along the way (including a guaranteed prize for every youth player!). At each step, you get your top still-available choice.
With this many prizes, they reach well down the standings - you don't have to finish near the top to take something home. The biggest prizes go early, though, so the deeper you land, the smaller the prize. One more reason to rank early.
When you win
When results are final, the app emails each winner automatically with the prize and a redemption code. For digital prizes, that code is all you need; physical prizes you'll pick up at Congress.
A big thank-you to the sponsors who made this year's prize table so generous. Rank your choices, play your games, and we won't see you at the prize table. See you in Boston!
Trevor Morris is co-directing the 42nd US Go Congress in Boston with Audrey Wang, with indispensable help and coordination from the AGA Congress Liaison, Eric Wainwright.