February 2026 Valentines Cryptic Crossword Contest 6-28 Feb

Dear Crushers,

I've created a very tricky crossword (actually last year but nobody tried it as most opted only to try the easy one).

HOWEVER - WHILST IT IS A VERY TRICKY ONE -- just by taking part and giving it a try you could easily win something! Only 20 correctly entered letters are needed to be eligible for a prize!

Please POST A REPLY saying you would like to take part AS WELL as completing (or part - completing) the crossword (you can find the Crossword page at from the top menu).

Anyone can take part in the crossword - you don't need to complete it - just enter as many guesses / letters in the crossword grid as each correct letter scores 1 point.

The maximum score possible for this crossword is 203 points - but I very much doubt anyone will get this.
(the score is the number of correct letters entered in the crossword)

Minimum score to qualify in this crossword is just 20 points! So you may as well give it a try!
There are different prizes available for each of the crosswords as follows:-

Prizes will be given as follows based on individual score ranking (highest first).

Max Score (first to complete) -- $50 for 5000 CCpoints! (highly unlikely!)

1st - $20 for 2000 CCpoints
2nd - $10 for 1000 CCpoints
3rd - 5th - $5 for 500 CCpoints
6th-10th - $2 for 200 CCpoints

Any that qualify (achieving a score of at least 20) that are not in the top 10 will instead receive 500 CCpoints.

Any tied ranks will mean that the prizes will be shared as equally as possible over the number of tied places ... for example if the 1st place is tied between 2 winners then the prize fund will be $20+$10 and each winner will get $15. If 3 people get the highest score then it will be $20+$10+$5 total divided by 3 etc ... If 2 people get tie in 2nd place then the prizes of $10 + $5 would be shared between those 2 and so on ... I will of course make it all as fair as possible.

If any ONE member gets the maximum achievable score of 203 points then I'll be hugely shocked and will pay the first contestant to complete it $50 for 5000 CCpoints (they will then not be eligible for ranked prizes of course!).

You can SAVE you progress as many times as you like before Final Submit (but you may only Final Submit ONCE - this cannot be undone).

YOU MUST BE SURE TO *FINAL SUBMIT* YOUR CROSSWORD BEFORE THE CONTEST ENDS ON 28TH FEBRUARY 2025 (or else you will not qualify).

This crossword is open until 28th February 2026.

Good luck everyone!

STANDARD CONTESTS AND PRIZES TERMS APPLY