Crosswords - how are the winners picked?

[susanwilton]

Does anyone know how the winners are actually picked? Is it a case of all the envelopes being put into a drum and randomly picked? Or is there more to it? I've noticed over the years that the same winners were picked (sometimes in consecutive issues) in the BBC History Magazine. I even wrote in to query, but was only told how observant I was! I tend to do the Crusader/Radio Times/Sunday Mail/Sunday Express. Have any of you ever won any of these?

Susan

[jeanrowe]

i agree it is curious. i have probably spent more on postage than anything i could have won?

[Celtigra3]

Well in the Sunday Express I've won both the Birthday Quiz and Giles on sep. occasions. Also have won runner up in the Scottish Sunday Mail three times - I think it is just luck really. Possibly the same people always enter and I suppose they must just be lucky! Mark you I have been doing MoS ones for over 20 years and never had a nibble!

[Celtigra3]

Ah, but Jean, it is the challenge of doing the puzzles and there is always Hope!!!

[garner]

Ive often wondered myself.I have been doing take a break from the first issue and have never won anything same with the usual crosswords.Must be just a matter of luck and its not been on my side as yet same with the lottery not even a tenner.What do they ay about better to be born lucky than rich![say]

[susanwilton]

I suppose we all like the idea that we have a chance - we enjoy doing the crosswords in any case. Don't you just love it when you've nearly completed one and you muck up a word and can't send it! My mum always does hers in pencil first ...

[Celtigra3]

According to scientists there is a lucky gene. My dad was very lucky in competitions and raffles (nothing big, but little prizes), and I seem to have some luck and so does my son, but my daughter who is genetically like her father's side never wins anything! But then if you don't enter you can't hope to win.

[garner]

Yes susan and what would we do without the good old tipex!

[SJmacleod]

I've won a runner -up prize in the Sunday Express Magazine, three times in 2002, but no luck since then.

[jeanrowe]

its not the winning its the taking part but also the winning is nice. last year i was runner up in the sat tel gk crossword and my head houldnt get through the door!

[Wolfie Colin]

I have won quite a few comps over the years,mainly holidays ,never crosswords, although i have entered crosswords for many years. I have to say i was born with this luck,even as a child i won many raffles. I have 3 children all grown up now and the one who my relatives say is a genetic copy,he is also the luckiest child of the 3. Hence i must subscribe to the lucky gene theory.

[garner]

Oh I have to agree, its the joy of finishing one and it is the taking part also keeps the old grey matter going.And I think its great when we hear of of our abers winning.We can live in hope.

[susanwilton]

Firstly, I'll apologise if this appears more than once - I think I keep pressing the wrong buttons! Garner, you reminded me that I once won a Take a Break competition (�50). The month later a neighbour won with the same magazine (�250). The village I lived in was very small (population 200) - so a bit of a coincidence.
I think I agree with the lucky gene - I'm quite lucky with raffles and small competitions ... just waiting for the BIG one.
Thanks for the interesting comments,
Susan

[Murielmci]

I do different crosswords to you. Scotsman I started first, Observer followed as did The Times. Scotland on Sunday was added (and dropped as it irritated me) as was the Guardian, Jumbo & Club Special. Finally Mephisto is a regular and Azed only if Mephisto is solvable.

What have I won? Scotsman several times, Scotland on Sunday twice, Sunday Times once, Mephisto once. Times Club special the first time I entered followed by 2 - 3 months when I could not even finish it! Never have I won the Times (in 20 years) Jumbo (10 years) Azed (not often finished let alone submitted) or Genius (ditto Azed).

Have I a semi-lucky gene or is it that the harder you try the luckier you are? My Times rxperience gives a lie to this one!

[ashfordshe]

Some years ago I was a temp secretary for a regional newspaper which ran competitions and prize crosswords. It was literally a case of all entries going into a basket and drawn at random - I don't know if it is still done this way!

[susanwilton]

I think I would agree with ashfordshe and that the smaller regional papers would use a 'basket' or otherwise. But I can't imagine that the national newspapers would use this method ... they must get hundreds of thousands of entries ... unless of course there is just a small percentage of us that bother with posting them!
Murielmci - which paper does Mephisto appear. Perhaps it's time for me to try a new one!

Susna

[merched]

Hi susanwilton,
I've often wondered the same thing. I have been doing crosswords and occasional competitions for many years, and I never fail to buy any raffle tickets offered, and never won a thing. However, I did help a friend out recently with a church quiz and she won first prize of a bottle of wine, which she very kindly gave to me!!!
So it's upward and onward for me!!

[Jacko439]

Have won a �25 cheque with the Sunday Mail You Crossword but this must be set against the number of years that I have been competing, about eight years approx.

Jacko439

[Aquagility]

I'n a net winner on the National Lottery - won a tenner with my first ticket and have not bought one since!

[sincnoel]

perhaps the competition authorities should have a look at this. the whole competition scene is under suspicion, after all. maybe there's a need for greater surveillance.

[rbind]

I have had a runners up prize of �25 in the express skeleton croswsword 13 times since I started doing it many many years ago,so I count that my lucky crossword>Hope 13 is not unlucky as I havnt won anything for a while.I put it down to not such a big postbag for that type of crossword.I have also won the Saturday Telegraph GK crossword and my partner has had a runner up in it,but it was really me because I did and put his name,so I think I am quite lucky with crosswords