What is the New Yorker Caption Contest?
The New Yorker Caption Contest is a weekly challenge in which readers are invited to provide a witty caption for a cartoon. It has been a staple of The New Yorker since it began weekly in 2005.
Each contest starts with a single-panel cartoon without a caption. Thousands of readers suggest captions, and the following week, three become finalists, with each’s name and hometown appearing in print. And then one wins.
In this article, we will learn how to win the New Yorker Caption Contest and explore everything you need to know about it. It contains the latest information as of September 2024.
If you’d like more contests like this, check out our top-tier art contests.
The New Yorker Caption Contest Key Facts as of September 2024
The New Yorker Caption Contest has been a popular magazine feature for many years. Here are some key facts about the contest in 2024:
- The New Yorker Caption Contest starts with a single-panel cartoon without a caption.
- Thousands of readers suggest captions every week.
- Three captions become finalists, and only one of these finalists gets to win.
- The contest’s most frequently appearing credit as a finalist and winner is “Lawrence Wood, Chicago, Ill.”
- Lawrence Wood, a public interest lawyer, has won the contest eight times and reached the finals seven more.
- The odds of winning are minuscule, but that doesn’t stop thousands of readers from trying their luck every week.
- The contest has been a popular feature of The New Yorker since it went weekly in 2005.
6 Tips for Winning the New Yorker Caption Contest
The New Yorker’s Cartoon Caption Contest has seen thousands of entries from readers who put their wit to the test. Here are six tips to increase your chances of winning this contest:
1. Choose Your Words Carefully
The difference between the almost right word and the right word is crucial. The right word doesn’t necessarily have to be funny.
Words that elicit a mild chuckle often do better. So, focus on being clever rather than hilarious. The right word can make your caption stand out among thousands of entries.
2. Be Original
Originality is key in the New Yorker Caption Contest. With thousands of entries each week, many captions are variations of the same joke. Your caption must be unique and offer a fresh perspective to stand out.
To do this, do not copy words from previous winners. Theirs can inspire your caption, but the words should be original to you.
3. Be Brief
Brevity is the soul of wit, and it’s also a key to winning the contest. Short, concise captions are often more impactful and easier to understand.
The contest is always limited to not more than 250 words, but that is not to say that your caption must be up to 250 words.
4. Avoid Punctuation
Excessive punctuation can clutter your caption and distract from its humor. Keep your caption clean and straightforward for the best effect. An example is the 896 winning caption; “Yeah, we deliver, but only across the road.”
5. Understand the Cartoon
Take the time to analyze the cartoon and understand its context. The best captions often come from a deep understanding of the cartoon’s scenario and characters.
What does the cartoon represent to you? Cartoons, like other art forms, are often appreciated differently by different people, so your caption should be unique to you, depending on how you understand it.
6. Keep Trying
Persistence pays off in the New Yorker Caption Contest. Even seven-time winner Larry Wood didn’t win until nearly two years after he started entering. So, keep submitting your captions every week.
Bonus Tip: Ensure you follow New Yorkers on all their social media platforms to stay ahead of the game.
How to Enter the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest?
Winning the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest starts when you enter it. You must ensure that you follow the right guidelines if you want to stand a chance to win at all. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to enter:
- Find the Contest: Each issue of The New Yorker features the Cartoon Caption Contest on its last page.
- Analyze the Cartoon: Take a good look at the captionless cartoon. Try to understand the scenario, the characters, and any subtle details that might inspire a clever caption.
- Create Your Caption: Create a unique and witty caption based on your understanding of the cartoon. Remember the tips mentioned above: be brief, be novel, choose your words carefully, and avoid unnecessary punctuation.
- Review, Edit, and Submit: Once you’re done writing your caption, you can ask someone you trust to review and edit it. When satisfied with your caption, submit it to the contest through The New Yorker’s website.
How are the New Yorker Caption Contest Winners Selected?
The New Yorker Caption Contest is held weekly, meaning approximately 52 contests yearly. The selection process for the winners is as follows:
- Initial Selection: Thousands of readers submit their captions each week. From these submissions, The New Yorker’s editors select three finalists.
- Public Voting: The three finalist captions are then put to a public vote. Readers of The New Yorker can vote for their favorite caption.
- Winner Announcement: After the voting period ends, the caption with the most votes is declared the winner. The winner’s name and hometown are published in the magazine.
Keeping Up With the New Yorker Caption Contest Podcast
The New Yorker Caption Contest Podcast is a fascinating platform where the weekly New Yorker Caption Contest is discussed in depth. The podcast was created to allow enthusiasts to delve deeper into the contest, understand the nuances of humor and wit, and appreciate the creativity of crafting the perfect caption.
The podcast offers an in-depth discussion of the weekly New Yorker Caption Contest. It also includes interviews with Cartoonists and former Contest winners.
The podcast is available on multiple platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbay. Each episode is approximately an hour long.
Why Should You Follow the New Yorker Caption Contest on Instagram?
Instagram has become a significant platform for the New Yorker Caption Contest. In 2019, the New Yorker expanded its popular Cartoon Caption Contest to Instagram, reaching an even larger audience.
The New Yorker posts the week’s latest captionless cartoon to Instagram Stories at @newyorkermag weekly. Followers simply screenshot the image, write a caption, and share it on their profile’s Story using the hashtag #MyNewYorkerCaption.
By using the hashtag, the caption is automatically entered into the contest. This innovative use of Instagram Stories makes it easier for participants to submit their entries and engage with the contest.
Instagram’s social aspect and visual nature make it ideal for following and participating in the New Yorker Caption Contest.
Revisiting the New Yorker Caption Contest 896 in the New Yorker Archives
The New Yorker Caption Contest archive is a collection of captions and a wealth of data. It includes information on the participants, the questions, and the collected responses, which is invaluable for researchers and enthusiasts alike.
You will find the New Yorker Caption Contest 896 in the archives. It was a unique event where participants were invited to submit their most creative and witty captions for a single-panel cartoon.
In Contest 896, the winning caption was: “Yeah, we deliver, but only across the road.” This caption was selected from thousands of entries, highlighting the contest’s competitive nature. The contest’s winner was Nick Gaudio from Austin, Texas.
New Yorker Caption Contest: The Bottom Line
The New Yorker Caption Contest is a fascinating journey that takes participants through various emotions, from the excitement of coming up with a clever caption to the anticipation of waiting for the results.
Throughout this article, we’ve covered all the important aspects of how to win the New Yorker Caption Contest in 2024. The last content update was on September 2024.
Here are some interesting facts to remember:
- The New Yorker Caption Contest attracts thousands of entries each week.
- Lawrence Wood, a public interest lawyer from Chicago, holds the all-time caption contest record.
- The New Yorker Caption Contest has been running weekly since 2005.
- The contest has a podcast where they discuss the weekly contest and interview cartoonists and former contest winners.
- The New Yorker also has a video series where celebrities try their hand at the contest.
- The winning caption for Contest 896 was: “Yeah, we deliver, but only across the road.”.
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New Yorker Caption Contest FAQs
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the New Yorker Caption Contest.
How Does the New Yorker Caption Contest Work?
The New Yorker Caption Contest invites readers to submit captions for cartoons published in the magazine. About 5,000 entries are received each week. The magazine selects three finalists from these. The winner is then chosen through an online vote.
Is There a Prize for the New Yorker Caption Contest?
Winning the New Yorker Caption Contest is not a physical prize or monetary reward. The main reward is the recognition and honor of publishing your caption in the magazine.
Winning the contest is seen as a significant achievement due to the high level of competition, with about 5,000 entries received each week.
What Happens if You Win the New Yorker Caption Contest?
When you win the New Yorker Caption Contest, your caption is published in the magazine, and you receive the recognition of winning. This can be a significant accomplishment, given that the contest receives about 5,000 weekly entries. The winner is chosen through an online vote.
Who Judges the New Yorker Caption Contest?
The cartoon editor’s assistant initially reviews the New Yorker Caption Contest entries. The assistant reads every caption and passes the editors their favorite 50 or so. After this, the editors then narrow the list down to three finalists. The New Yorker editorial staff decides the final winner.
