These were our 40th monthly Anagrammy Awards. 27 votes were received. The last batch of 4 votes had profound effects of the outcome of several categories. I thought it would be good if we could attract some more voters to the competition. My attempt to drum up business at a couple of other newsgroups met with no success. So, it looks like it is just us, a mere couple of dozen anagram freaks in the whole world that will enjoy the event. Anyway, enough raving on, here are the results. ---------------- GENERAL CATEGORY This was remarkably close and a competition worthy of the three awards we now give out in this category. Anyone of the first five could have won. The final batch of votes gave Wayne 8 points to jump from 4th to 1st. Condolences to Janet who was pushed out of the top three. This was Wayne's first monthly win since Feb 1999 (although he did win in the Grand Anagrammy). This was his 4th Anagrammy. This is one where Wayne's lovely sense of whimsy hit the spot beautifully. Phil Carmody enters the winner's circle for the first time. Well done, Phil. Alas, it will not be the Grand Anagrammy (only first place does that). 1st. Wayne Baisley 25 I am mentally disturbed = Tell my Martian buddies! Eq 2nd. Phil Carmody with: 24 Primitive languages = I give a sample - I grunt. Eq 2nd. Richard Grantham with: 24 Two bricks short of a load = Thick as two floorboards. Special mention for the 4th places: Eq 4th. Jaybur with: 21 A spotty adolescent = Let's stop acne TODAY! Eq 4th Meyran Kraus with: 21 Those cursed monthly periods! = Oh, red spots ruined my clothes! ---------------- ENTERTAINMENT CATEGORY Another category with a surprise conclusion. David Green led most of the way with Wayne briefly leading at times. Mey scored 8 points in the last batch to take the competition. Mey has won 15 awards this year and 65 altogether. The remains in 2nd place on the All Time Table. 1st. Meyran Kraus with: 32 The Royal Shakespeare Company = One may appear there as Shylock. 2nd. David A. Green with: 28 Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' = Tense, edgy horror story. Subject: honest man's dark, evil-laden self. 3rd. Wayne Baisley with: 25 Infected Mushroom [Trance band]= Techno For Dummies. ---------------- TOPICAL CATEGORY Yet another close finish. This time Mr. Topical himself, Tom Myers, shot home with 8 points to beat Janet and David Bourke. Tom has now won 40 awards and remains 5th. 1st. Tom Myers with: 27 Blair wins the election = The liberal won - it's nice! 2nd. Jaybur with: 24 The Wimbledon Tennis Championship = Henman's time: he'd lob, chip, spin to win. 3rd. David Bourke with: 21 Conservative = Voters cave in. ---------------- RUDE CATEGORY Responding to one of Maurice Goddard's challenge, I came up with a cute little anagram, but never expects much of it. I was surprised to see it take the lead on Day One and never be seriously challenged until the last day. I hung on to win by 2 points. 1st. Larry Brash with: 29 Ladies' underpanties = Splendid arse, Auntie! 2nd. Richard Grantham with: 27 Frontal nudity = Flaunt tiny rod. 3rd. Rick Rothstein with: 19 Unseen, I saw her twat, a seeping scab... because she wasn't wearing panties. ---------------- SPAM CATEGORY This was a three-way competition with David B, Mey and myself. At one stage it was a three-way tie and it was not until all the votes were in that a winner emerged. David has had 7 winners this year and his grand total is now 27 and continues at 6th all up. 1st. David Bourke with: 37 !!!!--SPECIAL OFFER TOTALLY FREE PASS--!!!! !!!! [snip] 2nd. Larry Brash with: 35 Thousands have enlarged their penis 3-5 inches [snip] 3rd. Meyran Kraus with: 31 SWEET VJESTIKA APHRODISIA DROPS [snip] ---------------- LONG CATEGORY I was the early leader here and it was only a matter of time that Mike Keith would catch and pass me. Mike has 25 winners under his belt, in 7th place just behind David B. 1st. Mike Keith with: 41 [Shakespeare's sonnet #15] [snip] 2nd. Larry Brash with: 30 The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac: [snip] 3rd. David Bourke with: 19 The Surgeon General Has Determined That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health [snip] ---------------- PEOPLES' NAMES CATEGORY One of the biggest roll ups ever in this category (the record is 15) and the standard was as good as ever. Janet performed steadily throughout with a brief challenge from Maurice with his best result yet. This category has become something of a favourite of Janet's. She has won 6 awards here. 1st. Jaybur with: 30 The Norwegian artist Edvard Munch = Driven toward The (haunting) Scream. 2nd. Maurice Goddard with: 23 The Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus = Topic arouses. Earth 'n' moon circle sun. 3rd. Richard Grantham with: 20 Rowan Sebastian Atkinson = Bean soon ranks as a nitwit. ---------------- OTHER NAMES CATEGORY This was the only category where one nomination really shone out and was never in doubt. Richard was in double figures on Day One with 15 points. 1st. Richard Grantham with: 43 The Gregorian calendar = Change error, align date. 2nd. Adrian Hickford with: 27 The Battle of Hastings = Not the best fight, alas. 3rd. Meyran Kraus with: 22 Diet Pepsi Cola = It's acid, people! ---------------- SPECIAL CATEGORY Using Anagram Artist certainly make life easier if you want to do well in this category. A bit of inspiration and creativity (also known as "cheating") helps, too. These ingredients helped me win my second consecutive fist place it is category. 2 wins this month is a delightful result for me. They take my tally to 55 awards. Richard Grantham was, of course, great competition here and a tied result looked on the cards. Richard had 3 wins this month and has 78 all up. Well done, too, to Adrian Hicksford for his third place award. He now has 3 awards. 1st. Larry Brash with: 30 Accident-proneness - Psychopathological Theory. Mythology or reality? [snip] 2nd. Richard Grantham with: 28 Ernie Eats Cookies In Bed [snip] 3rd. Adrian Hickford with: 21 The Land of Nod Robert Louis Stevenson [snip] ---------------- AWARDSMASTER'S CHOICE AWARD FOR THE BEST NON-WINNING ANAGRAM. There were several contenders here for this. Richard and I look at the runners-up in each of the categories and several stood out: Janet's General, Wayne's Entertainment, Maurice's People Name, Adrian's Other Names. However, the one we agreed on was Janet's entry in Topical. Janet continues her hot run of 2 awards per month, giving her 9 this year, 21 altogether consolidating her 8th place. If our competition was held just AFTER the Wimbledon Championships AND Tim Henman won, then this would have won by a mile. It is amazing how she found three tennis shots in the subject AND found "Henman" and "win". Jaybur with: 24 The Wimbledon Tennis Championship = Henman's time: he'd lob, chip, spin to win.