The Saturday Quiz Time crossword is a weekly crossword that follows the same style as “American” crosswords, like ones you’d see in publications such as the New York Times or The New Yorker. That is, puzzles do not have British-style cryptic clues, and follow a more standard, direct style of clueing.

The Saturday Quiz Time crossword varies in size, with the smallest grid being around 10x10 and the largest 15x15, typically published on the last Saturday of the month.

Crosswords published on Saturday Quiz Time are a collaboration between the constructors and our editing team. We will edit the crossword to ensure it is enjoyable and accessible for our audience, but also aim to keep your style and tone of voice.

Required for Submission

File	Description
ipuz/puz	Crossword file format. Most crossword programs should be able to export this format.
Playable PDF	Spoiler-free PDF for printing out. The team at SQT love to test crosswords, analogue style!
Submission PDF	Export of filled in grid and clues with answers. See below for example.

Submission PDF

This PDF should include a blank puzzle grid, filled in puzzle grid, and all clues with answers. If using CrossFire, you can select “NYT Submission” from print options and save as PDF.

Labelling files

Use the following format for your filenames: Surname_Title. For titles, you can be creative or just use a marquee entry in your grid. For example: Smith_LateEntrance.ipuz.

Download example submission files

• example-ipuz.ipuz
• example-playable.pdf
• example-submission.pdf

Submission Guidelines

Technical Specs

Crosswords should generally comply with the following rules:

• Crosswords must have symmetry, which is typically in the form of rotational symmetry
• No unchecked squares (every letter is found in both an Across and Down answer)
• All answers must be at least 3 letters long
• Black squares should be used in moderation
• There should be no areas of the crossword fully separated from other areas
• A max of 78 words for a 15x15 sized grid
• Above rules can be broken if a theme/reason warrants it!

Style guidelines

• We’re a quiz website after all! Fill with popular culture, fresh phrases and current references
• Get some Aussie content/slang in there!
• No US spelling of words! Unless it’s part of the title of a piece of work
• Diversity in references across age, gender etc.
• Avoid offensive language and be mindful of clues or entries that come across as negative for solvers
• Non-English words are allowed, as long as they are familiar or inferable to non-speakers
• Try to avoid having two obscure words cross
• Entries should be pretty well known in Australia and British English. The Macquarie Dictionary is a recommended reference.
  • If it’s an “Americanism” we can reference it in the clue (e.g. SIDEWALK, POPSICLE are fine as long as we acknowledge they are North American)
• The crossword puzzle must not have been published anywhere else, either digitally or in print.

Clue Writing Dos and Don’ts

These formatting guidelines will help us when editing the crossword!

Titles

Wrap titles of books, movies and television shows in asterisks. Song titles and other smaller works use quotations.

Multi-word entries

For multi-word entries, put the word breakdown in brackets.

You do not need to do this for abbreviations/initialisms etc.

Referencing other clues

When referencing other clues, use the number + hyphen + direction. E.g. 1-Across, or 2-Down.

When referencing multiple clues, make sure each clue number includes the hyphen after it.

Blanks (underscores)

When doing a fill in the blank, just do 3x underscores regardless of the length of the entry and if the entry has multiple words.

Resources

Crossword Construction

We recommend using CrossFire to create your crossword. It is available on both Mac OS X and Windows. Here’s a list of crossword-constructing programs:

• CrossFire
• Crossword Compiler
• Crosserville
• Ingrid
• Crosshare

Tools & dictionaries

• OneLook
• Macquarie Dictionary
• XWord Info

Payments

Payment varies based on the size of the crossword. All prices are in AUD:

Grid size	Price (AUD)
Minis	$500 (for 5)
10x10	$250
11x11	$280
12x12	$310
13x13	$340
14x14	$370
15x15	$400

Rights

Crossword puzzles published on Saturday Quiz Time must not have appeared anywhere else, either digitally or in print. For example, if your puzzle has been published in a newspaper, a book, or a blog, then you will need to send us something different!

If we accept a puzzle, we will send you an agreement before publishing. Saturday Quiz Time buys all rights of the puzzle, including all existing and future rights.

Submission Form

Ready to send yours through? Use the button below to get started.

Note: We are currently not looking for Cryptic Crossword puzzles.

Submit your puzzle