You’ll find spoiler-free links to a few of the 2025 ORCAS nominees below. A few of the links require a subscription for access, while others are to the puzzle files themselves.
BEST EASY CROSSWORD
“Look Up!,” by Alex Eaton-Salners (WSJ, April 8) puzzle
BEST THEMED CROSSWORD
You’re Projecting, by Elise Corbin (Cruciverbology, March 4) puzzle
“What the…?,” by Ryan Judge (AVCX, July 31) puzzle
BEST THEMELESS CROSSWORD
“Tough As Nails #111,” by Stella Zawistowski (Tough As Nails, April 17) puzzle
“themeless no. 32,” by crosstina aquafina and Erik Agard (Crosstina Aquafina, May 16) puzzle
“Crossword #1696: Themeless Monday,” by Brendan Emmett Quigley (Brendan Emmett Quigley, July 15) Puzzle
Untitled, by Kameron Austin Collins (The New Yorker, July 22) puzzle
BEST SUNDAY-SIZED CROSSWORD
“Treasure Map,” by Olivia Mitra Framke (Puzzles for Palestine, January 4) puzzle pack
“Layered Up,” by Will Nediger (Bewilderingly, September 2) puzzle
“Dark Matter,” by Desirée Penner and Jeff Sinnock, (AVCX, November 13) puzzle
BEST VARIETY CROSSWORD
“Both Sides Now,” by Joon Pahk (Outside the Box, January 29) puzzle
“Wrap Party,” by Nathan Curtis (Patreon, March 29) puzzle
“Orb Weaver,” by Joon Pahk (Outside The Box, April 8) puzzle
“Diagramless” by Alex Eaton-Salners, (NYT, August 18) puzzle
“Oh, dang it!,” by Alex Boisvert (Crossword Nexus, November 8) puzzle
BEST CONTEST CROSSWORD
“Press Play,” by Pete Muller, Mack Meller, and Andrew White (Muller Monthly Music Meta, September 3) puzzle
BEST MIDI CROSSWORD
“Letters Home,” by Will Nediger (Puzzles for Palestine, January 4) puzzle pack
“Happy Hearts, Happy Parts,” by Olivia Mitra Framke (Lil AVC X, February 13) puzzle
“Happy Pi Day!,” by Adam Aaronson (Puzzmo, March 14) puzzle
Untitled, by Andrew J. Ries (Vox, May 3) puzzle
“Couldn’t Do Vanilla or Coffee, Unfortunately,” by Kareem Ayas (Lil AVC X, May 14) puzzle
<polar bear emoji>, by Zinna (Zinnabun, June 6) puzzle
“Dance, Dance Revolution,” by Nate Cardin (Lil AVCX, September 3) puzzle
“The Player 456 Puzzle,” by Stella Zawistowski (Vulture, December 26) puzzle