The New York Times Daily Crossword Hosts First 'Teen Puzzlemaker Week'

The New York Times announced today its first Teen Puzzlemaker Week, Sept. 8 – 13, with daily crosswords that were created, or constructed in crossword parlance, by students who range in age from 15 to 19 years old.

"It is remarkable that so many teens are now constructing crosswords of the very highest quality,” said Will Shortz, crossword puzzle editor, The New York Times. "I think everyone who solves The Times’s daily crossword puzzles will be intrigued by what these talented young puzzlemakers have created.”

The puzzles were selected and edited by Mr. Shortz, who began making and selling puzzles when he was 14.

The six contributors, in order of appearance starting with the Monday puzzle, are:

• Oliver Hill, 18, of Pleasantville, N.Y.; a first-year student at Yale University. This is his fifth puzzle for The Times.
• Patrick John Duggan, 19, of Arlington, Va.; a second-year student at Boston University. This is his fourth puzzle for The Times.
• Lucus Gaviotis Whitestone, 18, of New York, N.Y.; a first-year student at Carnegie Mellon University. This is his first puzzle for The Times.
• Caleb Madison, 15, of New York, N.Y.; a sophomore at Bard High School in Manhattan. This is his fourth puzzle for The Times.
• Natan Last, 17, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; a first-year student at Brown University. This is his sixth puzzle for The Times.
• Will Nediger, 18, of London, Ontario; a second-year student at the University of Western Ontario. This is his fourth puzzle for The Times.

Mr. Shortz became the crossword puzzle editor for The Times in 1993. He has published crosswords by 14 teens, including four who have made their debut in the last year. In addition to editing the daily and the Sunday puzzle, Mr. Shortz is also the director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and National Public Radio’s Puzzlemaster online and on air for "Weekend Edition Sunday.” He is the founder of the Word Puzzle Championship and co-founder of the World Puzzle Federation. Mr. Shortz is the author of more than 300 books including numerous best-selling volumes of Sudoku puzzles. In 2006 he was the subject of the feature documentary film, "Wordplay.” He earned an A.B. degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles, from Indiana University in 1974, in a program of independent study. He believes this is the world’s only college degree in the subject. In 1977 he earned a J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

The New York Times daily crossword puzzle is available Monday through Saturday in the newspaper, and on Sundays in The New York Times Magazine. The puzzle is available online by subscription at NYTimes.com/crosswords or free to home delivery subscribers, who are entitled to the Premium Crosswords enrichments that include Sudoku and features like "Play against the Clock,” forums for enthusiasts and classic puzzles to solve from The Times’s archives. There is an annual subscription fee of $39.95 or a monthly fee of $6.96 to access the Premium Crosswords features.

About The New York Times Company

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company with 2007 revenues of $3.2 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 16 other daily newspapers, WQXR-FM and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

This press release can be downloaded from www.nytco.com