Submission of Prize Cryptic Crosswords – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Submission of Prize Cryptic Crosswords

For those of you who haven’t seen Attila the Hun‘s comment, here it is:
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The email address for submission of the weekend’s Prize Cryptic Crosswords is:

prize.puzzles@telegraph.co.uk

Put “DT nn,nnn” (for Saturday’s puzzle) and “ST nnn” (for Sunday’s puzzle – note there is no comma in that number) in the Subject field.

Add your name and address in the body of the email.


I find the Telegraph app team to be slower than many others to respond, and slow too to fix systemic problems.

It is a growing challenge to support multiple versions of the app that will run correctly under all versions of the OS. Testing can be even more of a challenge, albeit some problems (such as the submission one) should have been “bleedin’ obvious”. If any reader has no problems submitting via the app, perhaps they could advise the app team of the iOS version they are running.

I have noticed that the app often slows down at some random (by time and puzzle) when completing the puzzles and has to be reloaded. This seemed to start coincident with iOS 13.2. I will install iPadOS 13.3 this weekend and see whether that makes things worse, changes nothing noticeably, or improves matters [deliberate order, there 😎].

A minor irritation occurs when, from time to time, the order of the puzzles is shuffled, and there was a recent occasion when they published two copies of the Cryptic. Errors that should not occur – don’t they just insert the “code” into the same “frame”?


 

24 comments on “Submission of Prize Cryptic Crosswords

  1. I agree entirely with the comments above. I also suffer from slow response on insertion of letters into the grid as well as irregular scrolling of the clues. Very frustrating. I have posted on a previous occasion the (helpful ?) advice given by the support team by telephone. Let’s get this done!

  2. Similarly irritated. I found a quick fix to the random slowing, which happens in Sudoku too on my iPad Pro 13.1.3. Just press Contents button at the top to come out of the puzzle, then re-enter the puzzle. Seems to clear the log-jam. My guess is it won’t happen if you log out of wi-fi – this works for slow loading of news items.

  3. Agree with Richard M. Quick fix is to exit a puzzle (press Contents button) then re-enter the same puzzle. Must be a cache issue, or being online.

    1. It’s not an issue with being online, the app slows down when the iDevice is in ‘Airplane Mode’. [“Aeroplane”, 👍, “airplane”, 👎.]

  4. The submission problem remains under iPadOS 13.3.

    However, I have not (yet) experienced the slowing down issue in the Puzzles section in the latest version of the OS.

  5. I don’t have a problem with slowness but get infuriated when I finish both the Saturday and Sunday crosswords and the following week I see I’ve got a zero score.
    Also, for the last few weeks I cannot submit them. I have complained but “ they’re working on it.”

  6. I also find I am unable to submit my prize puzzle via the digital app. I have complained umpteen times but none of their advice works. Very frustrating

  7. I must admit I have never submitted – always seems too much effort for too little reward. Plus I like to think some new young beginner will win the prize, the puzzle itself, and this excellent blog is enough reward for me 😁

  8. So glad others are experiencing the problems I have flagged up many times, to no avail.
    Getting zero scores is a long- standing one, well before the more recent ones which seem to have coincided with iOS updates. I have sought reassurances that despite receiving zero scores my submissions are being considered in the draw. That problem is in abeyance for now as I can’t submit at all!
    I have to clear logjams on all 4 puzzles every day.
    Surely this cannot be beyond the wit of man to resolve?

  9. Are these infuriating problems on all versions of the puzzle page? I have the newspaper plus app version; the problems are now nearly 3 months old…..3 months for heaven’s sake! I’m beginning to feel that it is the Telegraph’s way of closing this version because it is not in itself a money maker. Cynical? Moi?

    1. The cost of printing on paper and distributing the result, will rise faster than the cost of electrons. Ditching the app would be a foolish move, and would lose the DT (ST) the under-35 audience they need to continually attract as their older readers circle the Obit pages.

  10. I have had numerous responses from the DT team saying they are aware of the problem and are working on it. I have a certain degree of sympathy as it is entirely the fault of that arch Satan Apple whose updates are badly thought out and even more badly tested. During my working life involving forensic examination of seized computers, Apple were our biggest problem and were entirely unhelpful to law enforcement. I have always maintained that Apple make the best hardware and have the worst software on the planet.

  11. On a different tack, I subscribe to the puzzles site and complete the grid online. when I press submit, I get a 100% score and the time I’ve taken, but I’m never sure if I’ve actually entered the competition or not. Anyone confirm or otherwise?

      1. Thanks stanxyz. i’ve mistakenly assumed I’ve been entering automatically for years. That’ll teach me not to read instructions and faqs.

  12. Thanks for this, I wasn’t aware of any app. Is this a puzzle specific app ? or just the regular website please ?

    1. Welcome to the blog

      I don’t know the answer to your question but now that I’ve rescued you from moderation, someone else will see your comment and hopefully provide the information you require

      1. This is the ipad app that is available to those with paper subscriptions and others. I have emailed them regularly and most recently they say an update is coming, but it didn’t mention sorting out the bugs described above, the most recent of which is that this weekend they are not presented as prize cryptics and I can look up the answers!!

  13. With the new Telegraph editions app that I installed today on my ancient Ipad, it tells you when you have completed the puzzle correctly (this was last Saturday prize puzzle) but there is no button to submit it. Same on my android phone. Any ideas?

  14. Get a submit button, but won’t let me submit. New tablet running Android 9!
    Last email from Telegraph help line said “Working on it, in the meantime take a screenshot and submit that”! Have to submit it as Wife has won in the past, and won’t let me forget! Still competitive after more than 40 years.

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