See the 2026 ORCA Awards livestream here.
You can still make a donation of any amount to the Trevor Project to receive the puzzle pack of the nominees.
And the nominees are:
BEST EASY CROSSWORD
“Homestyle Food” by Dylan Schiff (USA Today, January 30) commentary https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/01/29/thursday-january-30-2025/#us This puzzle features a tight, consistent set of chain restaurants whose names are made up of a menu item and a residence—WAFFLE HOUSE, PUZZA HUT, and SHAKE SHACK—plus newbie-friendly large corners with evocative mid-length entries like RACE CAR and “IT WAS ME!”
Untitled by Nate Cardin (LAT, February 25) commentary https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/02/24/tuesday-february-25-2025/#la This puzzle has an impressively executed double occupancy theme: BOARD MEETING indicates that both words in each theme entry can precede “board,” as seen in CHALK DRAWING, OVERDRAFT, HEAD BACK, BODY WASH, and SCORECARD.
“Cross State Lines” by Noelle Griskey (Universal, July 4) commentary https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/07/03/friday-july-4-2025/#un This puzzle literally depicts U.S. state borders—CUT CORNERS containing UT + CO, FUNNY PAGES containing NY + PA, etc.—with north-south neighbors elegantly hidden in Down entries and east-west neighbors in Across entries.
Untitled by Rebecca Goldstein (NYT, August 11) commentary https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/08/10/monday-august-11-2025/#ny This puzzle features phrases that end with foods you’d find on a CHEESEBOARD—FIRECRACKER, TRAFFIC JAM, MINIFIG, “HI HONEY,” and ALISON BRIE—maintaining an uber-clean grid under the tight constraint of six theme entries, and even managing to include fun long material like FREE WIFI, DEAR JOHN, and ONE BY ONE.
“Clear Up To Here?” by Jess Shulman (Walrus, August 15) In this puzzle with left/right symmetry, the reveal ARE YOU WITH ME is a phonetic hint to what can be found in three spanners: LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, RUNS AWAY FROM HOME, and TRUE CRIME PODCAST.
“Make the Years Count” by Willa Angel Chen Miller (Apple News+, September 3) An impressive feat of construction: TERRIBLE TWOS hints that synonyms of “terrible” can be found at every clue whose number ends with 2 (VILE, NASTY, SAD, DIRE, EVIL, and BEASTLY crossing BLEAK and LOUSY).
“Foraging” by Sala Wanetick (Defector, October 13) A straightforward hidden word in circles theme is elevated by some cute grid art, a wide spectrum of clue cultural references (gel manicures! 90s snacks! cricket!) and approachable fill.
Untitled by Adam Aaronson (NYT, October 20) commentary https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/10/19/monday-october-20-2025/ The theme consists of the answers COOKIES N CREAM, ROCK N ROLL, SURF N TURF, and SCRATCH N SNIFF, tied together with the clever revealer AD FREE; the fill is 100% smooth and noob-friendly, with great answers like BAZAAR, AFROED, IGLOO, and NI HAO.
Untitled by Spencer Leach (NYT, October 21) commentary https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/10/20/tuesday-october-21-2025/ An INFRARED CAMERA, BASEMENT PARTY, and LASER TAG ARENA are all united by what they “let you take”: A SHOT IN THE DARK; the grid is clean and features a themeless-level word count with lots of lively mid-length fill.
“Terrors of the Deep” by K.J. Sarr and Olivia Mitra Framke (USA Today, October 31) commentary https://usatodayxwordblog.blogspot.com/2025/10/october-31-2025.html This Halloween puzzle features an impressively tight set of spooky-sounding sea creatures—GOBLIN SHARK, GHOST CRAB, and VAMPIRE SQUID—and a top-notch grid with fun bonuses like SWEET PEA, POWER-UP, and MAYOCUE.
BEST THEMED CROSSWORD
“Would You Let Me Finish?” by Ada Nicolle (Apple News+, January 5) To match their clues, phrases must be reinterpreted with the last letter of each word omitted—so COME FORTH becomes “comfort,” SPEED CHESS becomes “speeches,” SPRITE ZERO becomes “spritzer,” and GOT THE ICK becomes “gothic”; these clever finds are coupled with smooth fill throughout.
Untitled by Adam Wagner and Rebecca Goldstein (NYT, January 16) commentary https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/01/15/thursday-january-16-2025/ The theme entries are two words with a similar long string of letters combined together—making MOB SCENES and OBSCENEST be MOBSCENEST, and CLOSE SHOP and LOSES HOPE be CLOSESHOPE—with the revealer being COMMON CORE.
“It’s Top Secret” by Prasanna Keshava (Spyscape, January 25) The first words of the vertically placed entries IDENTITY THEFT, CRUSH TO A PULP, SANTA TRACKER, and KNOCK OFF EARLY all come after “secret”; the grid has clean fill throughout with bonus entries like TAX FRAUD and SNACK BAR.
“Hour-Long” by Richard D. Allen (Universal, February 18) commentary https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/02/17/tuesday-february-18-2025/ The theme entries CHARACTER ACTOR, PEDIATRIC NURSE, and INSURANCE AGENT are all professions that consist of a nine-letter word and a five-letter word, leading to the perfect revealer NINE-TO-FIVE JOBS; the puzzle has lots of dazzling short entries throughout like DJ SET, MASCARA, and the apt combination of OBAMA and KAMALA.
Untitled, by Sande Milton (NYT, April 1) commentary https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2025-04-01.html. Someone penciled in some answers before you got here—they’re not even all correct—and now you’ve got the aggravating job of fixing their mistakes while trying to finish the puzzle (which includes a series of clever grid-spanning answers and IYKYK references to AVER/AVOW and RNA/DNA — sadly no KEA/LOA); solving the mystery of the bad cruciverbalist is an April Fool’s gift.
Untitled by Victor Schmitt (LAT, April 15) commentary https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/04/14/tuesday-april-15-2025/#la Three company-defining abbreviations INC, LLC, and CO are doubled and found in the theme entries IN CERTAIN CASES, WILL CALL COUNTER, and GIRL SCOUT COOKIE—all leading to the fantastic revealer REPEAT BUSINESS.
“Get Up and Go” by Ross Trudeau & Jessie Trudeau (Apple News+, July 13) This impressively dense theme features the phrases STAND AND DELIVER, RISE AND GRIND, and WAKE AND BAKE; these describe the jobs of employees at DOMINOS PIZZA, PANERA BREAD, and STARBUCKS COFFEE, respectively.
“Listening to our Bodies” by Emma Lawson (Walrus, September 26) The entries THAT REMINDS ME, TURKEY DINNERS, and CATCH SOME RAYS have hidden anagrams of body parts HEART, KIDNEY, and STOMACH, as referenced by the revealer SPILL YOUR GUTS.
“All Together Now” by Paul Coulter (Fireball, October 23) commentary
https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/10/22/thursday-october-23-2025/#fb In this impressive feat of construction, the collective words in answers TENSES UP, GET DIRECTIONS, TEETH STRAIGHTENING, SEASON’S END, and DA BEARS are literally interpreted by having their examples within individual rebus squares (like PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE rebuses for “tenses”).
“Pulling Some Strings” by David Karp (Walrus, October 31) The first words in the entries MAJOR GENERAL, MINOR LEAGUE TEAMS, DIMINISHED VALUE, and AUGMENTED REALITY all STRIKE A CHORD musically; this puzzle adds elegant bonus fill like TONKATSU, ILL GET IT, and AIR HEAD to the mix.
EMERGING CONSTRUCTOR AWARD
Adrianne Baik
Zachary Edward-Brown
Boaz Moser
Carina da Rosa
CJ Tan
BEST THEMELESS CROSSWORD
Untitled by Colin Adams (NYT, January 3) commentary
https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/01/02/friday-january-3-2025/#ny
The year started on a strong note—you know it’s a good puzzle when the “fave fill” blurb at Fiend is ten-deep: PRANK CALL, WHO GOES THERE, and SUCKS TO BE YOU are particular highlights.
Untitled by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano & Erik Agard (LAT, April 5) commentary
A lovely display of both clever and contemporaneous cluing, with BEACH clued to [Ken’s job, in “Barbie”] and zingy entries such as HOT HONEY, I GOT NEXT, TORCH SONG, and DRAG PAGEANT.
Untitled by Jesse Guzman (NYT, April 11) commentary
A pair of quad nine-stacks fill opposite corners of this grid that sparkles with BAR TRIVIA, SNAP STORY, SEXAHOLICS, and DEAD LAST.
Untitled by Paolo Pasco (New Yorker, April 15)
Commentary
A mesmerizing grid featuring latticed stairstacks and fun long entries like PUTS ON AIRS, POPS BOTTLES, and LISA LESLIE.
Untitled by Christina Iverson (Boswords Spring Themeless League, May 5) Bosword’s Spring Championship puzzle has impeccable mid-length fill like CHOP SHOP, NO DOUBT, TOTORO, and PAD SEE EW (Christina and the Boswords team produced this grid at three distinct difficulty levels!)
“Off the Wall” by Ben Tolkin (Nautilus Puzzles, May 30)
Commentary
https://blog.bewilderinglypuzzles.com/2025/06/indie-puzzle-highlights.html
Will Nediger may have put it best in his review “such an eclectic mix of goofy stuff in this themeless grid” that eschews stacks—DEYASSIFIES (clued as [Makes plain?]), SHAQTIN’ A FOOL, THIS IS SPARTA, RECESSION POP, GOSH DARN IT are highlights.
Untitled by Erik Agard (New Yorker, August 18)
commentary
Nine eleven-letter entries form the middle of this grid with impressive misdirection like [Moving targets?] for SALES QUOTAS and [Pan and others] for SEXUALITIES.
Untitled by Matthew Stock and Willa Angel Chen Miller (LAT, August 23)
Commentary
A 66-worder that Fiend reviewer Stella Zawistowski praised as “everything I could ask for from a Saturday”; among many “clever-as-hell clues” are [Shared loads?] for INTERNET FAMOUS and [Class with a mean teacher?] for AP STATS.
BEST SUNDAY-SIZED CROSSWORD
“Making It Work” by Lisa Senzel and Will Nediger (WSJ, February 15)
This punny puzzle uses familiar phrases to tell the story of a narrator going on unsuccessful dates with people in various professions: [“I dated an electrician, but we ___”] DIDN’T CONNECT, [“I dated an author, but we weren’t ___”] ON THE SAME PAGE, and so on.
“Letters of Introduction” by Evan Birnholz (WaPo, February 16)
commentary
This incredible feat of construction includes a 26×18 grid with an unusual constraint: row by row, the Across answers all begin with corresponding letters of the alphabet—those on the first row begin with A, those on the second with B, third C, and so on. The only exception is at 1-Across, designed for the solver to correct once they notice the pattern.
“Just One Clue 2” by Frisco17, Gizmo Thwomp, et al (Good Clues For People Who Love Bad Clues, April 6)
puzzle
https://goodcluesforpeoplewholovebadclues.blogspot.com/2025/04/just-one-clue-2-ft-138-cluers.html
A massive collaboration, with Frisco17 and Gizmo designing the grid and 138 writers putting in the clues, all spanning the central entry CROSSOVER OF THE CENTURY. The clues put endless cleverness on display [Function that turns 0 into 1] for COSINE, [Party game whose purported record height is 40 ⅔ levels] for JENGA, [Like a clever, self-referential clue] for CLEVER. The grid is a solid, disciplined construction that keeps the cleverness from overwhelming solvability.
“Self-Starters” by Jonathan Raksin and Jeff Chen (Universal Sunday, May 11) https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/05/10/sunday-may-11-2025/#uns
This ambitious, multilayered puzzle features phonetic wordplay and letter-shaped arrangements of circled squares: for example, SEE IN THE FLESH hints at a “C” word that can be found in flesh—and sure enough, the word COLLAGEN is arranged in a “C” shape nearby.
“Power Grid” by Brendan Emmett Quigley (NYT, May 11) https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/05/10/sunday-may-11-2025/#ny
This challenging themeless puzzle is chock full of long answers, unique fill, and chunky stacks of stumpers, like SOMEONE IS GETTING FIRED, MOTHER EARTH, and MISTER BIG. Such a treat for the brain.
“Themeless No. 36” by Crosstina Aquafina (Kelsey Dixon) and Erik Agard (Crosstina Aquafina, July 25)
puzzle
https://crosstina-aquafina.blogspot.com/2025/07/themeless-no-36-feat-erik-agard.html
Kelsey-Erik collaborations are always a treat, but the entries in this one seem to be setting a new standard for memorable vocabulary: TWO CHEEKS OF THE SAME ASS, UNFUCKWITHABLE, ANTI-AMERICAN, NO MORE NO LESS, DIVINE NINE, I PLEAD THE FIFTH. Season this further with Aquafina’s usual humor in cluing and you’ve got a real journey: [make a last-minute, winning ebay bid on a vintage 90s nike charles barkley 1993 mvp single-stitch t-shirt, for example] (SNIPE) and [like big bags bussin’ out the bentley bentayga] (ALLITERATIVE).
“Same Difference” by Daniel Grinberg (NYT, October 19)
commentary
Six squares are in “take it or leave it” roles in the puzzle, resulting in twelve answers that “work” for their clues whether those squares are included or not. [Business traveler’s convenience] is COMPANY CAR(D), [Pop culture hit about dystopian technology] is MR. ROBOT(O), and [“Sorry, I’m unavailable”] is NO T(I)ME. The rest of the vocabulary is lively too, highlights include CRONUT, LOVE BEAD, OLDSTER, WHOOSH, LOWERCASE I’S, LOOM LARGE, and GAY MECCA.
BEST CLUE
[Zoom in?] for MEETING LINK in “The Crossword: Tuesday, February 11, 2025” by Natan Last and Robyn Weintraub (ed. Liz Maynes-Aminzade) (New Yorker, February 11)
[Guy with a ponytail?] for CENTAUR in Untitled by Erik Agard (ed. Liz Maynes-Aminzade) (New Yorker, February 24)
[Something that might make you say “So long! Suckers!”] for TENTACLE in “The Chuckle Broth-ers” by Ben Wilson & erik agard (ed. Brooke Husic) (Puzzmo, March 4)
[Match that’s lit] for BARN BURNER in Untitled by David P. Williams (ed. Patti Varol) (LAT, March 22)
[Oh, brothers, where art thou?] for ABBEYS in Untitled by Zhouqin Burnikel (ed. Will Shortz) (NYT, March 28)
[Bong hit] for PARASITE in “Themeless 177” by Peter Gordon (ed. Peter Gordon) (Fireball, April 16)
[They might have “fuck you” money] for SWEAR JARS in “A Barrage of Meows” by Amie Walker and Amanda Rafkin (ed. Ben Tausig) (AVCX, April 18)
[Communicate with very elevated language?] for SKYWRITE in “Freestyle” by Josh Knapp (ed., Anna Gundlach) (Apple News+, August 26)
[Form of digital protection?] for TOENAIL in “Street Smarts” by Frédérick Lavoie (ed. Will Nediger) (Spyscape, September 13)
[Attention-seeking hot shot?] for THIRST TRAP in “Miss Her, Kiss Her, Love Her (Themeless)” by Amie Walker (ed. Hoang-Kim Vu) (Defector, September 29)
BEST TOURNAMENT CROSSWORD
“Flip-Tops” by Sid Sivakumar (ACPT, April 5) ACPT’s famed “Puzzle 5” features typically oblique title and flavor text hinting that all longer down entries need to “flip” the “top” letters before entering the grid as still-valid crossword entries.
“Go Dubs!” by David Steinberg (Westwords, June 22) One of the year’s more devious puzzles is perfectly on-brand for Westwords, where the revealer WESTWORDS makes sense of across clues that are cued with an initial ‘W’ and must be entered right-to-left (e.g. [Whoops] reparsed as W-hoops and entered as LLABB; a westerly “B BALL.”
“Suspension of Disbelief” by Willa Angel Chen Miller (Westwords, June 22) A refreshing non-final tournament themeless boasts topical grid-spanner GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE as well as colorful long downs like WE SHOULD TALK; the cluing voice in particular stands out, drawing from a broad range of topics while presenting just the right amount of crunchy challenge.
“Let’s Go Together” by Chandi Deitmer (Boswords, July 27) Most across entries appear to use two clues—each quadrant contains a down entry such as SEDAN and COUPE which bridges the word gap in each across entry and whose letters must double to do so; the revealer RIDESHARE ties it all together.
“Wild Discoveries” by Kareem Ayas (Lollapuzzoola, August 9) In Lollapuzzoola’s animal-themed tournament, Kareem presents a veritable scavenger hunt of different, well…scavengers, each disguised by a different mechanism in a Sunday-sized grid.
“Shady Characters” by Brooke Husic (Lollapuzzola, August 9) This puzzle features a number of clue-entry pairs that seem wrong at first, until solvers find the revealer CALL BULL and recognize that each mismatched pair has the string “red” in its clue; the trickiness deepens as each misdirect has a viable trap of the same length, e.g. KAREEM instead of the (in)correct LEBRON for [Retired Laker great, to fans].
“I Need Space …” by Kyle Dolan (Midwest Crossword Tournament, October 4) Lengthy entries are reparsed to reflect the state postal abbreviations that begin them—MI STAKES WERE MADE […to help Detroiters combat vampires]—in a playful mechanism that delivers tongue-in-cheek fun.
BEST VARIETY CROSSWORD
“Code Crossword 2” by Ryan Faley (Redhead64’s Obscure Puzzle Blog, March 2) This twist on a cryptic crossword has a hidden clue instruction on columns 3, 5, and 7 that reads “SNEAKER BRAND USING LETTERS FROM DESK” being KEDS.
“Two Outta Three Ain’t Bad” by Joon Pahk (Outside the Box Puzzles, April 7) In this variety puzzle, there are two words in the clue for each across and down entry that are synonyms, anagrams, or rhymes of the answer word, like BLAZE and EXPRESSION leading to PHRASE.
“Year 8, Puzzle 15” by Michael Blake (Garden Party Crosswords, April 15)
puzzle
https://gardenpartycrosswords.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=406e965e2da0d8e69f1234458&id=dbe2a873fb&e=cf0cd14ca9
Each six-letter bloom in this Rose Garden can be anagrammed to an acceptable crossword entry, with each row of the garden forming a term or phrase from left to right.
“Vowelless Crossword,” by Evan Kalish (NYT, May 25) This vowelless crossword features a gorgeous triple-stack in the center including THROWING CAUTION TO THE WIND, GETTING THE BALL ROLLING, and STARTING FROM SCRATCH.
“Twists & Turns #12” by Andrew J. Ries (Aries Puzzles, May 29) This very interesting puzzle genre consists of 9-letter words like JUST RELAX and ED SHEERAN in many 3×3 boxes along with entries like SNO-CONE and HEART SURGEON snaking through the boxes from left to right.
“Rows Garden #1” by Jeanne D. Breen (In Pursuit of Puzzles, July 5) This Rose Garden puzzle has superb entries like ADA LOVELACE, FORTUNE TELLER, and SNAPPY COMEBACKS going through the blooms featuring FILL IN, SALAAM, and TOFFEE.
No electronic .pdf only “Nonplussed 4” by Ryan Faley (Redhead64’s Obscure Puzzle Blog, August 17) This diagramless crossword, made up of plus signs holding five-letter entries, has entries passing horizontally through the plus signs, with the unclued final answer being HONORABLE / DISCHARGE.
“Marching Bands #10” by Brendan Emmett Quigley (BEQ MB Year 11, August 25) This Marching Bands puzzle is wonderfully constructed with various colorful entries throughout like MAZEL TOV, ME FIRST, and POLAROID.
“Acrostic” by David Balton & Jane Stewart (NYT, September 21) This impressive acrostic had a quotation about portmanteau words, and, amazingly, every answer or clue had a portmanteau.
“Fresh-Cut Rowses, Puzzle 5” by Juliana Tringali Golden (Stay Golden Puzzles, November 16) This fresh Rose Garden puzzle has many fun entries in the blooms like READ ME, IXNAYS, and TOP HAT, with even more interesting knowledge found in the rows like QUEER STUDIES, NO NOT THAT, and the notorious appearance of SIX SEVEN.
BEST META CROSSWORD
“Meta-morphosis” by Bird Lives (Jay Livingston) (Muggle Meta Mondays, January 13)
puzzle
https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=3373
Jay’s grid shines with some very smooth surfaces in this puzzle that requires solvers to identify the story along with purpose of six Schrödinger squares—which reveal both JEKYLL and MRHYDE.
“High Marks” by Peter Abide (MGWCC, March 7)
commentary
https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/03/11/mgwcc-875/
In this puzzle, the clue for [*Buck’s mate] means DOE, but also should be read as “Starbuck’s mate” leading to the alternate grid answer ISHMAEL. The six alternate clues spell POINTS, evocative of the six-point star/asterisk.
“Little Morsels” by Lydia Roth & Christina Bodensiek (MGWCC, March 28)
Commentary
https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/04/02/mgwcc-878/
A large number of Across clues have periods and hyphens which, when converted into Morse Code letters, reveals the question “where Samuel Morse orders food.” That message leads to the answer DOOR DASH DOT COM, which is symmetrically placed in the grid.
“Flying Colors” by Evan Birnholz (WaPo, June 15)
commentary
https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/06/14/sunday-june-15-2025/#wp
In honor of Flag Day, Evan creates five country flags with tri-color horizontal stripes, where a stacked entry like HOLES/ALERT/MEDAL yields BLACK/RED/GOLD (Germany’s flag). The other flags (Hungary, Austria, Netherlands, Armenia) spell out the meta “Ghana.”
“Go Fourth and Prosper” by Matt Gaffney (WSJ, July 18)
commentary
Changing a letter in each theme word leads to a fourth member of a quartet. For example, JOINBINGOHAUL leads to a search for the missing Beatle George. He’s hiding in the clues, and the grid entry for each missing quartet member spells QUAD.
“Position Statement” by Mike Shenk (WSJ, July 25)
commentary
https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=3814&start=240
Nine clues end with the positions on a baseball team, each of which has an associated number used on scorecards. After indexing the number for each position and ordering the positions by number (Pitcher – BEER [1=B]; Catcher – CAT [2=A]), proceed through the lineup to spell BALLFIELD.
“Sending Letters” by Patrick Berry (WSJ, August 1)
commentary
https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=3828&start=240
As suggested by grid answers DOT and DASH, the only E’s and T’s in the grid are letter strings. Those letter strings can be converted into Morse Code (PLATTE is dash/dash/dot, or the letter G). Patrick ratchets up the elegance by symmetrically placing the encoded entries, which spell “radio signal.”
“Blind Stitch” by Hanh Huynh (Universal Sunday, August 3)
commentary
In this intricate puzzle, theme entries contain a string made up of a garment and a spare letter that’s ignored in the clue of the crossing Down entry (for example, the string SHIRET in YORKSHIRE TERRIERS is a SHIRT with an extra “E” that’s ignored in the crossing entry PEA, which is clued as PA); these spare letters collectively create a “phantom thread.”
“You Should See the Other Guy” by Pete Muller, Mack Meller, and Andrew White (Muller Monthly Music Meta, October 1)
commentary
https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/10/12/muller-monthly-music-meta-october-8/
We are looking for a missing “person” and a country song here. The grid’s six entries each have a corresponding entry in the grid that can be clued in the same way if “man” is added. For example “Australian actor in Marvel movies” clues not only HEMSWORTH, but also JACK(MAN). Find the missing men to spell JOLENE, especially relevant based on the “don’t take my man” lyric.
“Against the Odds” by Phil Chow and Mikey G (Pun of a Kind, October 11)
commentary
Links and explanation on page 2: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=3976
This is an intricate, multi-step meta that unfolds logically. Six symmetric entries contain odd numbers within, such as PRISONERS and RUTH REEVES. Take the bigrams that are “against” those odds, which yields SR and UV. Six other symmetric entries contain the bigrams. Finally, index those odd numbers into the new entries to spell “stakes.” Whew!
“Put Your Heads Together” by Alex Eaton-Salners (Fireball, November 5)
commentary
https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/11/09/fireball-contest-november-6-2025/
Start with the five long multi-word theme entries and take the first letters (“heads”) to spell a new word. For example, POWERS OF TEN = POT. Add “head” to these new words, each of which will connect with an alternate grid entry. Here POT-head connects to “Grass consumer”–> HARE. The five alternate entries spell “think.”
BEST MIDI CROSSWORD
“Day In, Day Out” by Doug Peterson (Puzzmo, March 11)
A perfect and symmetrical pair of entries criss-cross, SUN SALUTATION and GOODNIGHT MOON; the title of “Day In, Day Out” is icing on the cake.
“By the Numbers” by Kaye Brown (Lil AVCX, March 31)
This must-solve puzzle for “Lost” fans brilliantly uses the numbers of “Lost” (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42) for clues with key characters from the show; a fun and impressive construction!
“Capisce?” by Owen Bergstein (Puzzmo, May 8)
A clever pair of sound-alike entries, ICALLEMASISEEEM stacked on top of COLISEUM, are the highlight of this midi. Owen’s delivery sounds perfect with the apt tile “Capisce?”
“Shapewear” by Shannon Rapp and Will Eisenberg (Crossword Flow, June 8)
This really cute midi puzzle highlights two “shapewear” entries: CIRCLE SKIRT clued as [Vintage-inspired dress bottom] and SQUARE PANTS clued as [SpongeBob’s last name, and what he wears most days]—a smile inducing theme.
“Well, It’s Ablaut Time” by Alex Rossell Hayes (Lil AVCX, June 17)
A midi is the perfect size for the simply fun finds which sparkle among the theme entries.
“Bangers” by Amie Walker (Puzzmo, July 4)
This puzzle features song titles that are bangers in two ways—GRENADE, DYNAMITE, FIREWORK, and THUNDER—plus a reveal of BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM going down the center of this 9×16 grid; an impressive amount of theme content in a fun midi puzzle that should absolutely be celebrated.
“croctober #4: animal” by Franci Dimitrovska (cross worms, October 4) puzzle https://crossworms.blogspot.com/2025/10/croctober-2025-week-one-puzzles.html
Constructed in the shape of Snoopy to celebrate Snoopy’s birthday, this is grid art at its best! This puzzle works like a dog with lots of Peanuts theme content, enjoyable two-letter entries and clues—maybe these should be more in puzzles—and the delightful CARLTON DANCE.
Untitled by Ben Zimmer (Slate, October 8)
This 11×11 midi features two triple-stacks of spanners: THAT WAS FAST, AIBOPHOBIA clued as [Term for fear of palindromes that would upset someone with that fear], and STORY TELLER, followed by LIQUID GLASS, TRUE ROMANCE, and SKELETON KEY; an impressive construction packed with a lot of fun entries and clues.
“What’ll It Be?” by Katie Hoody (Lil AVCX, October 27)
This Halloween puzzle has a Schrödinger construction using TRICK or TREAT with other entries in the puzzle referring to the central Schrödinger entry—a puzzle with lots of fun surprises and a perfect title.
“Messy” by Kameron Austin Collins (Lil AVCX, November 11)
Kameron’s signature high/low style is here in a small puzzle packing a big punch: THATS GROSS, HATERADE, and famous catfishing victim Manti TEO alongside FATWA, FOLK ART, and ANAPEST.
BEST CRYPTIC CROSSWORD
AVCX Cryptic by Jamie Ding (AVCX, January 23)
This puzzle takes full advantage of the AVCX’s leanings, riffing on pop culture and slang, sometimes simultaneously as with [Damn, Pikachu’s trainer is dripping (5)] for AW+ASH or [At last, Melville going after sexxxxy and (mostly) thirsty author (9)] for HAWT+HORN[-y]+E; while this puzzle acknowledges its own bent with [Some lingo, rizzed up, it’s giving, say, enshittification (9)], managing to keep the fodder, indicator, and definition in the same vernacular to get NEOLOGISM*, it absolutely nails the classics as well, with [Sport hairpiece with business in the front, party in the back (5)] for RUG+B+Y.
Cryptic #216 Bob Weisz (The Browser, March 30)
A lucky four-leaf clover grid makes it a snap to penetrate some gnarly (in the best way) clues, which include &lits like [Part enshrined in a pawprint in Tinseltown (3,3,3] for _RINTINTIN_, misleading punctuation like [Chilling with Oscar (not, like the Grouch) (2,3)] for O+NICE, and stunning definitions like [For me, America is a giant thief known for starting fires (10)] for PRO+ME+THE US; just about every cryptic mechanism gets its time in the sun here, including the reverse letter bank of [Constituents of Ocasio-Cortez criticize Rat Czar’s tactics, organizing boycott (9)] for *OSTRACIZE.
“pi guy cryptic 22” by PiGuyN (Crosshare, April 25)
puzzle
https://crosshare.org/crosswords/kyZnJHRSuZid1BnuRmk3/pi-guy-cryptic-22
For someone working with an added pangrammatic constraint in every puzzle, PiGuyN makes it look easy, aided in large part by descriptive surface senses that add weight to otherwise benign fill, like [What a tyrant tells leaders after periodically going mad with power? (8)] for G/I/G/A+W+A+T+T, [Gets pot from bar? (10)] as COUNTER”TOP”<, [I’m intact!” *frown*(7)] yielding GR(IM)ACE, and [Bug Spooner’s music teacher? (9)] getting a chuckle as “rock coach” becomes COCKROACH.
Cryptic #220 by Ryan Patrick Smith (The Browser, April 27)
This Scrabbly grid slays with zinger after zinger in its definitions: just look at [Dysentery ultimately found in dubious tap water–a killer on the American frontier (5,4)] for W(Y)ATT EARP* or [Lazy and unable to capitalize? (9)] as a punny double-definition for SHIFTLESS; the wordplay is top-notch, such as the effortless reverse hidden in [Retro WWII-era Luger rifle stocks defective (9)] for IRREGULAR, the playful use of “end to end” in [Inspect pair of weapons laid end to end (7)] as EXA<+MINE, and the cute and rebus-y question of [Where to find “b” in “bowties”? (5)] for PAST A.
Cryptic #226 by Will Nediger (The Browser, June 15)
Dazzling wordplay wins the day in this puzzle, with the perfect definition-by-example leading the way in &lit [Cantaloupe’s core: calorie-conscious cap on consumption! (12)] for AL+LITE+RATION and the cute use of “measure of chemistry” in [Intimate conversation is measure of chemistry with your ex? (5,3)] for PH+ONE’S EX; Will even takes a dig at his own cutesiness with [Controversial cleverness metric pronounced Will Nediger most clever (2,4)] for, of course, IQ TEST (“I cutest”).
Themeless Cryptic #5 by Frisco17 (Crosshare, June 25)
puzzle
https://crosshare.org/crosswords/bnKzsw9J2NBwDWKkmrZq/themeless-cryptic-5
Frisco’s wordy clues take liberties for the sake of fresh fill and inventive wordplay with amusing results, such as [Not falling love with anyone? Announcing: Cupid’s Ammunition (3)] for ARO “arrow,” [P, perhaps: Pressure, perfect, puzzle’s origin (7)] for P+HONE+ME, a letter swap that turns MAMMA MIA into MACADAMIA, a description of E as [a quarter before 3], or maximally [Claims other event-goers claimed a claim claimed by certain event-goers (2,2,5)] as _I’M SO THERE_.
“So Long, and Thanks for All the Cryptics” by Steve Mossberg (Square Pursuit, October 22)
puzzle
Alongside the valedictory featured in Steve’s blog post, this puzzle is an elegy for the sadly defunct Browser Crossword. It had me at [Stadium frank we pay to order (6,4)] (FRANK WE PAY = FENWAY PARK).
“Naked Massage” by Nate Fricker (Cryptic Crossweird, November 17)
Nate shows a strong understanding of athletic surfaces, in both the literal sports-related and the figurative-wordplay senses: [Stone Cold enters first in Rumble, doing alright (4)] riffs on the WWE to get R+O(C)K and [First place finishers in race trounced the competition] seems like it’s about running but gets biblical instead with E+D+E+N; there are many surprising clues, like a model’s bare “crack” actually cluing DECODE, a play on Gordon Ramsay’s accent yielding OVA from “over,” and a top-notch &lit in [What’s needed to start printing with copier! (5)] P+APER.
BEST VARIETY CRYPTIC CROSSWORD
Watch Party by Steve Mossberg (Square Chase, March 15)
Two extractions (one across, one down) give a playful punch to the sort of “season” we’re meant to be watching, while inventive clues go everywhere from impressive &lits for IMHOTEP and TITIAN to a deceptive break in [Sort of shell company led by college hire] to get TA+CO and a super tricky read on a container indicator in [Annoyed interns run recess] to get G(R)OT TO.
“Owed to Pixar” by Roger Wolff (Gnomon, March 30) Pixar has a pretty good track record, and it seems that they’ve lent that to this stellar variety grid, which requires solving clues that are missing many film titles, such that [Call cooking not edible (8)] yields CHRISTEN once The Incredibles is inserted (and “edible” is deleted from that anagram fodder) and [Athletes coming down the mountain face (6)] turns KI(SS)ER into (S)KIER(S) once you take the Inside Out; standard clues also shine, like [Bit of tennis after kid’s service (3,3)] for TEASE+T or [Injury is a concern for a cattle breeder? (6)] for DAM AGE, as does the grid art itself, which, once deciphered, reveals the famous Pixar mascot, LUXO JR.
“High Definition” by The Rackenfracker (JonMichael Rasmus and Sean Weitner) (Rackenfracker, May 27)
puzzle
https://therackenfracker.com/high-definition/
No instructions are given for this puzzle, just a lot of funky enumerations, which the setters squeeze every ounce of deception from. Whether their “failing” to give an enumeration for [Repeatedly stuck in hell until lunatics showed up] (because the answer is NULL, which is twice hidden backwards in heLL UNtiL LUNatics) or adding extra enumerations as in [[1,200.0 – 2,000.0]: timestamp to reconcile (11)], which yields A+CC+O+MM+O+DATE, this duo regularly, effortlessly pushes clues to their limits, as with [Refrain of second verse of children’s song at start of third bar (5)] for [-B]INGO+T, so it’s about time they pushed enumerations there as well.
“The Purloined Key” by Dean Felch (WSJ, May 31)
Though this grid is about a theft that’s resolved by adding (and then filling) blank squares, the setter’s cluing is both fresh and original and unlikely to leave solvers drawing a figurative blank; see the &lit [Musical’s premier solo performance! (5)] for M+ARIA as well as [Rather insignificant lies about Republican (6)] for P(R)ETTY and [Rock guitarist straddling piano makes vivid impression (6)] as S(P)LASH.
“It’s in the Bag!” by Andy Yingst (Gnomon, June 1)
It’s always lovely when a title turns out to have been hiding the gimmick, but only after you’ve discovered it: in this case, the bag is a Scrabble bag, which means that this 100 square grid is impressively constrained and filled, with each square corresponding to a Scrabble tile, including the two gimmicky rebus BLANK ones, as seen in the way [Character originally seen in the sequel to Street Fighter Alpha] clues [BLANK]+A, or [Rewrote tweet that’s a downer] turns out to be WET[BLANK]ET*. Not to worry, the standard clues are also terrific, as with [Car is wrecked, with barely any function (6, abbr.)] for ARCSI*+[-a]N[-y].
Fantastic Fours” by The Rackenfracker (JonMichael Rasmus and Sean Weitner) (Rackenfracker, July 29)
This timely modernization of a Richard Maltby, Jr., form provides not just one, but four grids, each with its own orientation, into which solvers must correctly sort and place their answers, identifying, in the process, four sets of four unclued items. The puzzle has fun riffs on topics like Beanie and nepo babies and surfaces that are simultaneously evocative and provocative, as with [Shape-shifting Proteus: “O begone and heal thyself?” (4,2)] for REST UP[-o]* and [Strange probes? Fox once suspected as much (4,2)] for K(NEW) IT, along with a healthy dose of dazzling &lits, like [What is taking the lead from a king, queen, or jack! (3)] for [-f]ACE.
“Boxes” by Jess Schulman & Andy Yingst (WSJ, August 23)
puzzle
https://www.wsj.com/articles/boxes-saturday-cryptic-puzzle-august-23-c9d5530f
A best-in-class revealer here reveals P AND/OR A, with each box getting a P, A, or PA, and one unclued rebus holding HOPE, not that this puzzle needs it, with surfaces that sing with the most un-sinful deceptions, from [First part of play includes excellent stripper (7)] for AC(E)TONE to [Flag is something that’s on the back of a Jeep (4)] for TIRE(DD) and [“Flat” fare can peak unexpectedly (7)] for PANCAKE*.
“Soup Puzzle!” by Steve Mossberg (Square Chase, September 15) Here’s a nifty variety spin on the alphabet jigsaw format: instead of settling for exactly 26 clues, each from A to Z, this tight, 32-clue barred grid is simply in alphabetical order with a few overlaps and a few gimmicked clues that have extra wordplay, revealing that it’s not “soup” but “SO-UP” for a RED BULL revealer; standout entries include [Salon jobs—fades, we’re told (4)] for DYES “dies,” [Boomer talk contains secret code (6)] for _OMERTA_, and [Struggling CW proud to carry large sports event (5,3)] for WOR(L)DCUP*.
“Malfunctions” Andy Yingst (Gnomon, October 1) The epitome of a “show-off” puzzle, this packed grid not only makes a brilliant connection between sus (the term popularized by Among Us) and sus (literally “pig,” in Latin) but also crams in extraneous words to 13 surfaces that, when linked to 13 transforming words, draws a clear picture of the up-to-no-good character: for example, [Zero rebounds for former Knick Jeremy (5)] clues LIN<, but is entered in Pig Latin as INLAY, which connects with the extraneous word “insert” in [Paper insert in last pair of shoes, perhaps? (5)] or ES+SAY; don’t worry, regular clues are just as clever/tricky, like [On most Beatles songs, the bass is painful, lacking in force (4)] for PA[-in -F]UL.
“Hey, You Should Solve This Puzzle” Skaldskaparmal (Skald’s Puzzles, October 14)
puzzle
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://skaldskaparmal.github.io/pdfs/Hey_You_Should_Solve_This_Puzzle.pdf
Two separate but connected mechanisms are required to solve this giddy grid, requiring adding a mystery word back into a dozen entries and removing twelve different other words elsewhere; the self-referential trick comes from what the constructor hopes we’ll say given the title—YOU DON’T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE. Indeed, adding “twice” to a clue like [Game piece maneuvered to check king (6)] yields WIC(K)ET*. It’s especially nice to see that “twice” is manipulated in far more than two ways, like [Connect regularly (3)] for T/I/E or [Hosts saying goodbye to show’s initial stars (8)] for HO[-s]TS+HO[-s]TS.
BEST CROSSWORD-RELATED MEDIA
“The Year in Crosswords, 2024” by T Campbell (T Campbell’s Grid, January 2)
article
https://tcampbell.substack.com/p/the-year-in-crosswords-2024
T’s annual uber-comprehensive retrospective on the crossworld is a must read; this edition includes events in Will Shortz’s health and recovery, the shift toward Gen Z, and the popularity of year-ending giant puzzle sections.
“EMU: The Doublecross Word Mystery” by T Campbell (T Campbell’s Grid, March 29)
article
https://tcampbell.substack.com/p/emu-the-doublecross-word-mystery
Much was written this year about the history of the crossword on the eve of its 100th birthday; T Campbell revived a century-old crossword-themed mystery story, originally published in 1925, presenting readers with the original Doublecross Word Mystery narrative and celebrating the author’s legacy.
“Sid Sivakumar” by Daniel Grinberg (Crosstalk, April 16)
episode
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-3-sid-sivakumar/id1788798848?i=1000703764166
Eavesdropping on Daniel’s monthly hangs is a joy; his chill style of squeezing out constructors’ best advice is on full display here as Sid waxes profoundly with gems like, “If you can’t see yourself in something, it becomes opaque to you.”
“The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament” by Glenn Dallas (PuzzCulture, April 10)
article
This article provides an account of the top 10 ACPT finishers and their history with the tournament.
“Square Theory” by Adam Aaronson (Aaronson, May 27)
article
https://aaronson.org/blog/square-theory
This sticky article will reshape your spidey-sense for crossword themes until you are squaring circles everywhere.
“The Curious Case of Richard Simon’s Aunt, Hedwig” by Glenn Dallas (PuzzCulture, July 1)
article
https://puzzculture.com/2025/07/01/the-curious-case-of-richard-simons-aunt-hedwig/
This post invited the reader to inquire into the real historical identity behind the legendary “Aunt Wixie”—the woman said to have inspired Richard Simon to publish the first puzzle book and help launch Simon & Schuster; this is both a well-researched piece of crossword history and a thoughtful reflection on the stories we tell ourselves and how they evolve over time.
“Constructor Spotlight: Kate Hawkins” by Jess Rucks (Daily Crossword Links, August 8) a
rticle
https://dailycrosswordlinks.com/2025/08/08/constructor-spotlight-kate-hawkins/
The delightful Kate Hawkins shares her thoughts about constructing, stone fruit, and sourdough bread baking.
“Crossword Flow” by Fritz Juhnke (Xwordblog, October 21)
article
https://xwordblog.com/2025/10/21/crossword-flow/
Fritz relays his personal journey of adapting mathematical ideas about connectivity to measure the solving experience in a totally new way; demystifying a technical concept in a way that doesn’t feel like math lecture is quite the feat.
BEST CROSSWORD COMMENTARY
“It Might Change Your Perspective” by Sam Corbin (Wordplay, January 10)
commentary
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2025-01-10.html
Stumped solvers find lots of encouragement in this review, as Sam provides hints to understanding crossword clue types and playfully points out where she was stumped during the solve of this themeless (“My approach, which I don’t recommend, involved trying three-letter words until I got a migraine.”)
“Malaika Handa and Stephen Lurie” by Renee Thomason (L.A. Times Crossword Corner, February 24) commentary
https://crosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2025/02/monday-february-24-2025-malaika-handa.html
The multimedia-enriched visuals pop off the page in this review with cartoons, animations, video clips, IQ tests, and links to three different versions of an Adele song which illustrate the meaning of the theme entries.
“Not Getting Enough Sleep, by Deb Amlen (Wordplay, May 7) commentary
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2025-05-08.html
Deb’s humor is on full display as she opens this article by reassuring solvers that the puzzle is not actually broken, continues with a laudatory description of the BUTT animation available to online subscribers at the puzzle’s completion (“it’s not as if you’re going to get this kind of highbrow entertainment from The Washington Post”), and concludes with helpful insights into clues, like “[Halting speakers?] is not about people who speak like the actor William Shatner.”
“King of Norway and Sweden” by Malaika Handa (Rex Parker, June 4) commentary
https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2025/06/king-of-norway-and-sweden-from-1844-to.html
Malaika’s voice shines strongly as she interweaves her perspectives around the puzzle entries, but particularly when she taps her experience as a constructor to illustrates why this theme required an oversized grid; a great look behind the curtain of the creation of a 16x puzzle.
“Solving blind, Stuck in Traffic!” by Christopher Combest (Wine Down with Christopher, June 19, 2025) video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE_ewWS9MDU
Christopher puts down his glass as he takes us on a road trip simultaneously through northeastern Bavaria and Hannah Slovut-Einerston’s Juneteenth NYT puzzle, keenly solving the puzzle while keeping his eyes on the road.
“Terrors Of The Deep” by Sally Hoelscher (SALLY’S TAKE, October 31)
commentary
https://usatodayxwordblog.blogspot.com/2025/10/october-31-2025.html
A great example of Sally’s signature take—combining a clear theme synopsis (“each theme answer is a sea creature whose name begins with a fantastical creature”) and constructor insights to provide consistent, engaging, educational explanations (“proportional to its body size, the VAMPIRE SQUID has the biggest eyes of any living animal”) that adhere to her “ICK” goals (to be Informational, Conversational, and Kind).
CONSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR
Adrian Johnson
John Kugelman
Michael Lieberman
Rafael Musa
Adam Wagner