The Lifehacker Apple 2026 guessing game contest is already under way, and with Round 1 now closed, the competition moves into its second phase on 7 July. If you have opinions about what Apple is going to do next and you happen to be in the US, there is an Apple Watch on the line for the person who gets the most right.
The format is straightforward. The contest runs across three rounds, each tied to a different slice of Apple’s annual release calendar. Entrants head to any of the participating CNET Group sites, according to PCMag’s official contest rules, complete the questions available during that round, and bank entries for the grand-prize draw. Each correct prediction earns one entry. The more you get right across all three rounds, the better your shot at walking away with hardware.
What the Apple 2026 Guessing Game Contest Covers
Round 1, which closed on 2 June, focused on Apple’s software: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS and the rest of the stack. Round 2 runs from 7 July through 21 July and shifts attention to Apple’s devices, iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, Vision Pro. Round 3, spanning 18 August through 1 September, centres on Apple’s autumn event.
That autumn event is the big one. CNET notes that September is when Apple is expected to reveal its latest iPhones and Apple Watches, which makes Round 3 the highest-stakes section for anyone who follows the annual release cycle closely.
Each round puts five questions to entrants on each participating site. With five CNET Group sites running their own question sets (Lifehacker, CNET, Mashable, PCMag and ZDNET) there are 75 possible questions available across all rounds and all sites. You can answer questions on as many of those sites as you like, though each entrant is only eligible to win one prize regardless of how many sites they participate on.
Eligibility and the Prize Draw
To enter, you need to be a legal US resident, at least 18 years old, and based in one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C. The contest period runs from 19 May 2026 to 1 September 2026. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.
The grand-prize draw takes place once all three rounds have concluded, and each of the five websites will announce its own winner shortly after Apple’s autumn event. The prize is the latest version of the Apple Watch. Sponsor is Ziff Davis, LLC. Apple is not a sponsor of, affiliated with with, or endorser of the sweepstakes, and Apple Watch is a trademark of Apple Inc.
Once you have submitted your answers in any given round, you receive a copy of your responses at the email address you provide, so keeping track of your predictions across multiple sites is manageable enough.
How to Enter Round 2
Round 2 of the Apple 2026 guessing game contest opens on 7 July and closes on 21 July. Head to Lifehacker or any of the other CNET Group sites during that window, answer the five device-focused questions, and your entries go into the draw. If you missed Round 1, there are still two rounds left, and enough questions remaining to rack up a decent tally of correct guesses before the September deadline.
Round 3 follows in August, with the focus squarely on whatever Apple has lined up for its autumn showcase. Given that the company is expected to use that event to unveil its newest iPhones and Apple Watches, it should give contestants plenty to argue about between now and then.
