We are a small team and are always looking for grids for the Calendar Puzzles and the Extra Puzzles, which is why this year both challenges require the design of a 3D grid, or indeed, if you are feeling inspired, grids, with a little bit more for the World Championship entrants to do. For those of you who enjoy writing clues, we do hope to have a ‘clues only’ competition at some stage during the year.
The links below take you to the relevant information to lead you towards best practice. Those of you less IT confident are welcome to submit your grids any way that you find comfortable. We cannot stress more that our challenges are for your entertainment and to be enjoyed. Nothing helps your overall appreciation of crosswords more than adding grid design and clue writing to your solving achievements. Below is a brief outline of each challenge.
2021 World Championship
Qualification: you must have successfully solved 12 puzzles during 2021. There is a “check your progress” link to find out how you are doing on our Puzzles Page and when you submit your November and December puzzles, your acknowledgement email will also contain the link to check your progress.
Your tasks are:
- To create a 3D grid with a theme suitable for our 2023 calendar, i.e. the year after next.
- To write a clue for each of the following:
- Red Nose
- Hogmanay
The winner of the World Championship will be the qualifying solver whose combination of grid and clues is judged to have shown the most originality and creativity in both elements of their tasks. The clue-writing should also maintain a good and fair standard of cryptic cluemanship.
2021 RPM Trophy
There are no qualifications required for this challenge and everyone is encouraged to enter, although World Championship entrants must submit a separate grid. Your task is to create a 3D grid with a theme suitable for our 2023 calendar, i.e. the year after next, or beyond. Anniversary themed grids are preferred but if you are inspired by a theme that does not attach to a date, this would be welcome, too.
The winner of the RPM Trophy has to submit a grid which, again, shows the most originality and creativity.
Guidelines
3D Grid Design Guide pages are for guidance but nothing is cast in stone.
3D Grid Templates (PDF) are there for you to use and adapt as you see fit. Or you could create your own.
Word Template (docx for download) is our preferred method for you to submit the information about you and your grid.
3D Exemplar Grid and Word Table (PDF) is an example of your final submission.
Submission
Send your completed entry to calendarpuzzles@btinternet.com by 15 January 2022. If you prefer to send them by mail, please advise via this email address and we will let you know the required postal address.
Good luck
3D Crosswords Team