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36 votes was the lowest number of voters that we have had in a competition since April 2003, and the lowest in the Grand Anagrammies since 2000. The low voter turnout follows a trend of the last three months, occurring irrespective of the host server dying mid-competition. In the Grands, the host server was down for about 9 hours, but it was at the traditionally quietest time of the event - the second half of Day Two. Also, the second reminder email may not have gone out properly, as there were only six votes in the last 24 hours, when we usually get about 15-20. Looking at the breakdown of the 36 voters: 18 current members, 6 past members, 6 regular lurkers, 6 non-regulars. Looking at those who did not vote (but who have voted at least three times this year): 8 regular members (surprisingly, 6 with entries in the Grands), 8 past members, and 29 regular lurkers/voters. In the end, the 36 votes decided the winners and, in fact, led to some interesting finishes, including three ties, which means more people won awards. The standard of anagramming on the Forum continues to be excellent, looking at the finalists in this year's Grands. It was great to see Mike Keith back as a regular poster, sending in some amazing special anagrams in the first half of the year. He won five Specials in a row, and also released a much improved version of Anagram Artist for us all to use. There were some new names on the Forum this year. These included Rosie Perera, who had the highest number of posts for the year despite not posting for the last 3 months. She made a brief reappearance after voting. She told me that she is trying to curb her anagram addiction, but will be back from time to time. Another new name was Ellie Dent, who won 11 awards in just nine months. She is currently away with computer problems. One major loss from the group and the administration has been Richard Grantham, whose brilliant anagrams and hard work have been missed. Richard finished his second degree this year and has his first full-time IT job, and a new active social life. Hopefully, we will see him back again in the future. I have taken over his role as Archivist. He has put in place some technology that has enhanced the Archives. Despite some glitches and member losses, it has been another busy and pleasurable year of anagrammimg. I have been ably assisted by Toby Gottfried in the programming area and checking voting and results pages for me. David Bourke has been helping out with moderating the Forum, and Mey Kraus has been checking nominations for originality. Thank you, guys. I appreciate your help. |
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When Rick selected his General entry, he commented that it was a remarkable find. The voters thought so, too. Rick opened a small lead at 6 hours over HSP and Paul, but broke clear by 12 hours. He kept 8-10 points ahead of the opposition to the end. The interest in the minor placings was always intense with HSP, Paul Lusch, Dean Mayer and Paul Pan all in contention. Ellie climbed up the Leader Board rapidly in the last day, making it to second place, with Paul Lusch third, both just pushing out HSP out of the medals. This was Paul Lusch's first Grand Anagrammy Award. |
1 |
Rick Rothstein |
40 |
For the evil that men do ~ doth live on after them. |
2 |
Ellie Dent |
30 |
Archaeologists = Goal is to search. |
3 |
Paul Lusch |
25 |
The crime investigator = He interrogates victim. |
4 |
Horrid Stretchy Pus |
24 |
A nasty derailment ~ meant train delays. |
5 |
Paul Pan |
21 |
An equal opportunities employer = I put some inept queer on a payroll! |
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This was a very close contest all the way through. zolrakk, with the shortest anagram in the whole competition, took a small lead over Mey on Day One. Mey was one point ahead at the 48 hour mark, but at the final point, they were tied, just three points ahead of Toby. This was zolrakk's first Grand Anagrammy Award. |
1 |
zolrakk |
33 |
Rap music ~ is, um... crap. |
1 |
Meyran Kraus |
33 |
Mike Newell's 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' = Enthralling film, yet we prefer to read the books! |
3 |
Toby Gottfried |
30 |
A Steven Spielberg film: "War of the Worlds" = H.G. Wells: Beware of visits from Red Planet. |
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At least twice in this category, I thought Toby had it easily won, but twice Mey caught up with him. Toby was five points clear at 12 hours, but was tied with Mey at 24 hours. With one day to go, Toby was eight points ahead and looked like winning comfortably, but Mey caught him on the line for a tie. This was Toby's third Grand Anagrammy Award. |
1 |
Meyran Kraus |
45 |
The trial of president Saddam Hussein = It sure is hard to defend this man's plea. |
1 |
Toby Gottfried |
45 |
The Second Bush Inauguration = In truth, USA, once is bad enough. |
3 |
View |
37 |
Riots in French capital = Conflict in Paris heart. |
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This was another close category. Rick was the early leader over Mey and Ellie. At the end of Day One, Ellie was co-leader with Rick. However, she polled well and won by four points with a fast-finishing Rik Sengupta passing Rick and Mey for second place. |
1 |
Ellie Dent |
31 |
Will Shakespeare ~ speaks well, I hear. |
2 |
Rik Sengupta |
27 |
Leonardo da Vinci = Dead icon - no rival. |
3 |
Meyran Kraus |
26 |
G.W. Bush, the American president = The man's screwing it up bad here! |
3 |
Rick Rothstein |
26 |
The Norwegian artist Edvard Munch = Tortured hand-waving in "The Scream". |
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Mey's win here in Other Names was the largest margin of the competition. Even by six hours, he was eight points ahead of me. He moved progressively ahead winning by 23, while David, Toby and I scrapped over the minor positions. |
1 |
Meyran Kraus |
56 |
The Leaning Tower of Pisa = I spot one giant flaw here... |
2 |
David Bourke |
33 |
The Medical Research Council = "Ah, sod the mice, I'll cure cancer!" |
3 |
Larry Brash |
30 |
Microsoft Developer = Deliverer of compost. |
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Rick's anagram here was one of my favourites and I predicted it would be a serious contender here. Not surprising to me, Rick was six points clear in the first six hours. Paul started a challenge and was close behind at the end of the first day. 24 hours from the end of the event, Rick was clear by three points. Paul caught him for our third tied category of the competition. |
1 |
Rick Rothstein |
39 |
Visit the bathroom = Shit, bathe or vomit. |
1 |
Paul Pan |
39 |
A fag + a fairy = A gay affair. |
3 |
Meyran Kraus |
22 |
The act of masturbation = Ain't that a burst of come? |
3 |
Tony Crafter |
22 |
A small dick = Dismal lack. |
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Mey ran two entries in this category and took first and second places quite comfortably. I was just happy to be along for the ride and get third place. |
1 |
Meyran Kraus |
31 |
'Beyond Multiple Choice: Evaluating Alternatives to Traditional Testing for Selection' by Milton D. Hakel = |
2 |
Meyran Kraus |
28 |
"If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world." = |
3 |
Larry Brash |
21 |
What a piece of work is man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! = |
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I really had no idea which one of the entries would win here, as the standard was very sound. It was quite close at the six hour mark, with me just one point ahead of Tony, who was two points clear of Ellie. By 12 hours, I realised that I had a good chance of winning when I broke clear by seven points. I maintained and improved that lead, coming in 13 points ahead of Ellie, Mey and Richard. Obviously "BOOM - BOOM" jokes are still popular! This was my 16th Grand Anagrammy Award. |
1 |
Larry Brash |
29 |
After the death of Quasimodo, the bishop... = And the following day, with an unbear... |
2 |
Ellie Dent |
16 |
A MEDITATION FOR DE-STRESSING Picture y... = You can easily make out the face of th... |
2 |
Meyran Kraus |
16 |
Top 20 picks of AFI's jury members for t... = Oh, a neat list of lines - but to eve... |
2 |
Richard Grantham |
16 |
PIANO Softly, in the dusk, a woman is s... = Since I left home, the thing I've foun... |
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I think that the voters could well have been a little overwhelmed by the size and the quality of the nine entries. Only 19 people voted here. With Mike Keith running four of his five monthly winners, pundits predicted a 1-2-3 win for him. Sure enough, early in the voting, Mike had the first three places, with James sharing third. And so it was for the first two days. The question for me was which one of Mike's gems would win. All were great, but I was particularly fond of his Mt. Fuji anagram. His Poe anagram, at first, seemed to be the crowd pleaser and was well clear until the last day of voting when his Mt Fuji passed it. Richard Brodie was the surprise fast finisher, collecting third place, beating James by three points. |
1 |
Mike Keith |
30 |
Nine Anagrammatic Views of Mt. Fuji (with Kanji). |
2 |
Mike Keith |
28 |
To Helen by Edgar Allan Poe. |
3 |
Richard Brodie |
12 |
A poem by Lord Byron. |
4 |
James H Young |
9 |
Comparisions. |
5 |
Mike Keith |
8 |
Shakespeare's 115th sonnet. |
5 |
Mike Keith |
8 |
Stars of the Seasons. |
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This has traditionally been a two horse race, between Anagram Artist (AA) and Anagram Genius (AG). They are, without doubt, the best two anagram software programs around. In 2001, the year AA was released, they tied for this award. AA has won it regularly since then, but by smaller margins since the release of Version 9 of AG. This year, the twenty voters in this category slightly favored AA, which won by 13 points. For those interested in the stats (William asked me for these last year): AA: 14 firsts, 6 seconds To be fair to AG, we host AA on this website and our members will probably favor it when voting. If William held a similar poll on the AG website, I suspect AG would win. Both are great programs for different uses. |
1 |
Mike Keith |
54 |
Anagram Artist 3.05 by Mike Keith. |
2 |
William Tunstall-Pedoe |
41 |
Anagram Genius Version 9 by William Tunstall-Pedoe. |
3 |
Evans A Criswell |
4 |
Wordplay 7.22 by Evans A. Criswell. |
3 |
Toby Gottfried |
4 |
Anagram Helper by Toby Gottfried. |
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I usually like to see the General Category winner pick up this award. This happened again, not unexpectedly. Rick's General was well clear by the 12 hour mark and he never looked in doubt. Rick won four awards this competition, giving him a total of six Grand Anagrammy Awards. Here are the top 10 in this category: |
1 |
Rick Rothstein |
26 |
For the evil that men do ~ doth live on after them. |
2 |
Meyran Kraus |
16 |
The Leaning Tower of Pisa = I spot one giant flaw here... |
3 |
Rick Rothstein |
11 |
Visit the bathroom = Shit, bathe or vomit. |
3 |
Larry Brash |
11 |
Microsoft Developer = Deliverer of compost. |
3 |
David Bourke |
11 |
The Medical Research Council = "Ah, sod the mice, I'll cure cancer!" |
6 |
Horrid Stretchy Pus |
10 |
A nasty derailment ~ meant train delays. |
7 |
Ellie Dent |
8 |
Archaeologists = Goal is to search. |
7 |
Paul Pan |
8 |
A fag + a fairy = A gay affair. |
9 |
View |
7 |
Actor Sylvester Stallone = Very cool talentless star. |
10 |
Larry Brash |
6 |
Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the t... = He began on an experiment: A "Hello?" t... |
10 |
David Bourke |
6 |
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit = Blast the unwelcome big-eared raw carrot thief! |
10 |
David Bourke |
6 |
Iraq oil + arms trade = Al-Qaida terrorism. |
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As one could predict, the winner here was the winner of the Special Category. The voting went in a similar pattern to that in the Special Category, except that Mey and Tony were better represented. Mike's Poe anagram led early on, to be later overtaken by his Mt. Fuji anagram. Two of Mey's Medium Category entries battled for third place. Mike won four awards this competition, giving him a total of 13 Grand Anagrammy Awards. Here are the top 10 in this category: |
1 |
Mike Keith |
28 |
Nine Anagrammatic Views of Mt. Fuji (with Kanji). |
2 |
Mike Keith |
18 |
To Helen by Edgar Allan Poe. |
3 |
Meyran Kraus |
7 |
"If a man be gracious and courteous to s... = And if a man tries to rationalize force... |
4 |
Meyran Kraus |
6 |
'Beyond Multiple Choice: Evaluating Alte... = This guide is likely to be: [ ] A lit... |
5 |
Mike Keith |
5 |
Stars of the Seasons. |
5 |
Tony Crafter |
5 |
"I have been through some terrible thing... = "Whereas the others were all, thankfull... |
7 |
Ellie Dent |
4 |
A MEDITATION FOR DE-STRESSING Picture y... = You can easily make out the face of th... |
7 |
Mike Keith |
4 |
Shakespeare's 115th sonnet. |
7 |
Meyran Kraus |
4 |
Top 20 picks of AFI's jury members for t... = Oh, a neat list of lines - but to eve... |
7 |
Larry Brash |
4 |
After the death of Quasimodo, the bishop... = And the following day, with an unbear... |
7 |
Larry Brash |
4 |
What a piece of work is man! how noble i... = What a fool is Mr Bush! how extreme in ... |
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Ellie Dent. When I had to decide who might win this category, I needed only to look at the 2005 Winners Table, to see a name that stood out as the best Rookie. During 2005, Ellie won 11 awards (the fourth highest haul for the year) and she was always well placed in the DFE points. She won three Grand Anagrammy Awards. |
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Rick Rothstein. This category looked like it was going to be hard to select as no-one really stood out. The most likely candidate seemed to be Rick. This choice was soon soundly confirmed when the votes started coming in, showing all his entries were doing extremely well. Rick won four awards this competition, giving him a total of six Grand Anagrammy Awards. |
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Tony Crafter. This award was very easy to decide this year. Tony has been one of the most active contributors to the Forum, He always has an entry in every category each month, he has won 21 awards this year and came second on the DFE Table. Tony's award gives him his second Grand Anagrammy Award. |
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Richard Grantham. Two years ago, when I gave this award out for the first time, it was given to Toby for his programming for the Forum and the Voting. This year, I am giving this award to recognise the huge amount of work that Richard Grantham has done for the website and for the running of the competition. He has done a great job of organising and repairing the archives and making them more useful. Also, he has been there for the last few years, as a great support to me running the website and monthly competition. Together, we weathered the difficult days of the split from alt.anagrams and starting the Forum. He has been a great friend, too. As I mentioned in the introduction, his life has moved in a different direction, both professionally and personally, which is sadly our loss. However, I suspect we will see more of him in the future. This award gives him a total of 31 Grand Anagrammy Awards. |
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Meyran Kraus. This is the one Grand Anagrammy Award that everyone knows who has won in December (and usually well before that). Mey has won this four years running with a consistently superior level of anagramming that never ceases to amaze all of us. It does not matter if the subject has ten letters or 2000, he is always up to the task of creating something breath-taking. This year, he had the second highest ever DFE points with 954.13 adjusted points and won a massive 44 awards in the year, giving him a total of 231 monthly awards. Mey won five awards this competition, giving him a total of 27 Grand Anagrammy Awards. |
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Thank you all for participating and voting in this month's awards. Congratulations to the winners. Larry Brash |