Winter cup

Players in Candy Crush are never all on a level playing field. We all get different events and different versions of events, different offers etc etc.

Players are constantly dropping out of the game and new players are constantly joining at level 1. So yes, there are players at early levels and there always will be. I don't see how this would relate to the event being "rigged".

I am currently working on gathering evidence to dispel the myth that players at levels 0-500 are at an advantage over players higher up. King are rewriting the levels to make sure that players start to pay money earlier and earlier in the game so there are impossible to pass levels all over the game now. I think the best level range to win competitions is levels 4000 to 9000 now. Players at higher levels are actually at an advantage: We have a bucket full of gold bars and boosters saved up over the years to compete with and can use 20 lives from friends each day. New players don't have any friends yet and they will have to pay gold bars to get past the legendary levels rigged to be impossible to pass until your 21st attempt.

The Winter Cup is one of many leaderboard tournaments in Candy Crush. It works like all other tournaments run in this game. So yes, each player will collect special coloured candies from whichever level ranges they are currently playing. That is how the game is run, always has been and always will be. It's how Candy Crush works: We all play at different levels. It may be different from other games in this respect but there is no way to change it as what you are asking for is not possible to organise in Candy Crush.

Leaderboard events/tournaments are never equal to all players. Candy Crush is not a game designed to be equal to all players. King pride themselves in giving each player a bespoke experience in the game by giving each player events, rewards and challenges that are designed specifically to their game and will be different from what other players get.