Everyman & Gemelo Crossword Prize Draw

Terms & Conditions

These are the terms and conditions (“T&Cs”) that apply to the free prize draw for the Everyman and Gemelo crosswords (together, the “Crossword Prize Draws”). By submitting an entry to any Crossword Prize Draw you agree to be bound by these T&Cs and confirm that you have read and understood our Privacy Notice which can be found at https://observer.co.uk/policy/privacy.

Promoter: The promoter of the Crossword Prize Draws is Tortoise Media Ltd T/A The Observer whose registered office is at The Harley Building, 77-79 New Cavendish Street, London, England W1W 6XB (“The Observer”).

Entry period: Entries to each Crossword Prize Draw must be received by The Observer before midnight on the Saturday after the publication of the relevant crossword (the “Closing Date”). Postal entries must be postmarked no later than the Saturday following publication and must reach us within ten days of puzzle publication. Any entry received after the relevant Closing Date will not be accepted.

For example, for an Everyman crossword published on Sunday 6 July 2025, entries must be submitted online before midnight on Saturday 12 July 2025 or (if posted) must be postmarked no later than Saturday 12 July 2025 and must reach us within ten days of publication of the puzzle (i.e. by Wednesday week following publication).

Winners will normally be announced alongside a new puzzle in the same series. For Gemelo, winners are typically announced three puzzles after the one they relate to — that is, the results for Gemelo No. 1 appear with Gemelo No. 4, and so on. In some cases — such as over the Christmas period, or when the calendar month presents scheduling constraints — this timing may shift slightly. We recommend checking each Sunday’s edition for the latest results.

Everyman winners are typically announced on Sunday, two weeks after publication.

How to enter: To enter a Crossword Prize Draw, entrants must submit a complete solution to the relevant Everyman and/or the Gemelo crossword before the Closing Date, either:

• online by following these steps:

1. Head to https://observer.co.uk/puzzles
   
2. From that page, you'll see options for all our puzzles (including Sudoku). Scroll down and click 'find out more' for the full list of Everyman or Gemelo puzzles.
   
3. You will then see the full list of all Everyman or Gemelo crosswords as clickable articles (the top links will be the crosswords for that week).
   
4. Complete the crossword, and once finished, click 'submit' (top left corner, next to the timer).
   
5. When you submit, you'll be prompted to enter your name and email to be eligible for the competition.
   
   PLEASE NOTE: You will only be able to submit once so please do not click 'submit' until you are satisfied that the crossword is fully completed and you are happy with your entry. If the grid isn't complete, it will prompt you: 'Are you sure you want to submit, the whole grid is not complete?’
   
   • by post to:
   The Observer, 22 Berners Street, London W1T 3LP, enclosing a copy of your completed crossword with your name and address clearly written on or securely affixed to this.
   

Eligibility: Crossword Prize Draws are open to residents of the UK aged 18 or over. Only one entry per person per crossword is permitted. Entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted. Crossword Prize Draws are not open to: (i) employees, freelance contributors or any other individuals engaged by The Observer, Tortoise Media, AmuseLabs, or any of their respective group companies; (ii) members of the immediate family and/or household (whether related or not) of any of those individuals; or (iii) anyone else connected to the Crossword Prize Draws.


Winner selection: All eligible entries containing complete and correct solutions will be entered into a random draw and the winners will be randomly selected and will normally be announced in The Observer that is published on the Sunday one week after the Closing Date for each Crossword Prize Draw. There will be five (5) winners for each Everyman Crossword Prize Draw and three (3) winners for each Gemelo Crossword Prize Draw.

For example, for an Everyman crossword published on Sunday 6 July 2025, all five winners will be announced in The Observer on Sunday 20 July 2025.

Prizes: The prizes for each Crossword Prize Draw are book tokens (redeemable in the UK only) in the following amounts:

• Everyman: £15 book token for each winner
• Gemelo: £25 book token for each winner

Prize conditions: Prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable, and no cash alternative is offered.  However, The Observer reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute any advertised prize for a prize of an equal or higher value if circumstances require.  The Observer will not be responsible or liable for any costs associated with collecting or redeeming a prize, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Winner notification: Winners will be notified using the contact details provided at the point of entry. The winners may be required to confirm eligibility, acceptance of these T&Cs, and, where relevant, acceptance of any associated publicity obligations within five working days of notification. If a winner does not respond to any such request by The Observer in time or is found to be ineligible under these T&Cs, The Observer reserves the right to select an alternative winner.

Prize delivery: The Observer will make all reasonable efforts to contact and deliver the prizes to valid winners. Delivery of the prizes will be online for winning entries submitted online and by post for winning entries submitted by post, and will be made within a reasonable period after winner confirmation. The Observer does not accept liability for undelivered or late prizes where the delay or failure to deliver is caused by factors beyond The Observer’s reasonable control, such as strikes, postal failures, or a winner supplying inaccurate information.

Disclosure of winner’s details: By entering a Crossword Prize Draw, each entrant acknowledges that in the event of a win their surname and county of residence may be published by The Observer and/or disclosed to persons enquiring as required by applicable law and regulations. Any entrant may object to their information being made available in this way, or may request that the amount of information made available be reduced, by contacting The Observer using the contact details at the end of these T&Cs. However, please be aware that The Observer may still be required to provide this information to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (and/or any other relevant regulatory authorities). This may happen where The Observer is required to demonstrate that it has awarded the prizes advertised. To request disclosure of winners’ details, enquirers must submit a request to the email address set out below by no later than one month after the Closing Date. Details will only be disclosed (if permitted by law) after the prizes have been awarded.

Publicity: If you are a winner you agree to participate in any reasonable publicity required by The Observer. The Observer may use the name of all winning or commended entrants for editorial, advertising, marketing, and promotional purposes without compensation.

Disqualification: Entries that do not comply with these T&Cs or appear to be duplicates or bulk entries may be disqualified.

Liability: Nothing in these T&Cs limits or excludes any person’s liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud or for any matter for which liability cannot be lawfully limited or excluded. In particular, consumers have legal rights in relation to products that are faulty or not as described and services which are not performed with reasonable care and skill and these legal rights are in addition to and are not affected in any way by anything contained in these T&Cs. However, to the fullest extent permissible by law, The Observer will not be liable for: (i) any loss, liability or damage caused by someone other than The Observer or someone acting under The Observer’s direct instructions and in accordance with The Observer’s instructions; (ii) any loss, liability or damage caused by any event or circumstance beyond The Observer’s reasonable control; (iii) any loss of profits or revenue, loss of anticipated savings or loss of goodwill; or (iv) any unavailability of The Observer’s website or app.

Cancellation and variation: The Observer reserves the right to vary, suspend or cancel the Crossword Prize Draws (in whole or in part) and/or these T&Cs if it considers it necessary or appropriate to do so, including if there is any actual or anticipated breach of applicable law or if variation, suspension or cancellation is necessary due to an event outside The Observer’s reasonable control.

Severance and waiver: If any part of these T&Cs is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the rest of these T&Cs will not be affected. The Observer’s failure to enforce any term of these T&Cs will not constitute a waiver of that provision.

Personal data: Entrants acknowledge that any personal data of entrants processed in connection with each Crossword Prize Draw will be processed in accordance with The Observer’s Privacy Notice, which is available at https://observer.co.uk/policy/privacy.

Disputes: Subject to paragraph 18 below, if there is a dispute about any Crossword Prize Draw or these T&Cs, The Observer’s decisions are final. If there is a dispute between these T&Cs and any other document referred to in these T&Cs, these T&Cs take precedence to the extent necessary to resolve the conflict.

Law and jurisdiction: The Crossword Prize Draws and these T&Cs are governed by English law, and any disputes arising in connection with them shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Contact: Enquiries about the Crossword Prize Draws can be sent to The Observer at: readers@observer.co.uk and puzzles@observer.co.uk