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anything else of note. There follows the first- to fourth-place entries in that order, after which is listed a (usually) generous number of
Honorable Mentions, and the week's report ends with a reminder of which contest results will appear the next week. On occasion, the Post website includes "overflow" Honorable Mentions absent from the print editions; this is typically limited to contest results in which each entry is necessarily lengthy (e.g., song parody lyrics) and the print column capable of running only a small number of entries.
132:
Czar, who was anonymous, abdicated in late 2003, leaving the contest in the hands of his former associate, The
Empress, copy editor Patricia (Pat) Myers. The humor ranges from an intellectual vein to a less mature style, and frequently touches on sophisticated political or historical allusions. While the contest theme changes every week, some popular contests are periodically repeated. The S.I. has a loyal following of self-proclaimed "Losers," who refer to having a contest entry published as "getting ink".
396:
week's results, and writing the revised contest title that runs when the contest results are printed. There is an occasional "Anti-Invitational" entry printed (being an entry that is directly opposite what was asked for in the contest). Defunct past themes included writing the "Ear No One Reads", being "Uncle's Pick" (a reference to a humorless figure nominated to replace the Czar years ago), being the Rookie of the Week, and penning the
Contest's short-lived "Dead Presidents" comic strip.
313:, of Washington D.C., was a frequent contributor from the contest's second year until a gradual decline in his participation from around 2006. His entries appeared 343 times, including 16 winning entries, and he was the first "Rookie of the Year". Among his submissions was the winning entry of what was later declared to be the best overall week's results of the Style Invitational's first decade. (A discarded first draft of some famous line: "We hold these truths to be, like, du-uuh.")
22:
224:, was the first Loser to reach 1,500 inks, a record he set in June 2011. He passed 1,000 in 2006, and earned the opportunity to judge a week of the contest. He has temporarily retired from the Invitational on several occasions, one of which prompted a contest to suggest an Invitational prize sufficient to lure him back. (One entry: "A night on the town with Mrs. Beland.")
169:, in which players championed and won points for the successes of their favorite entrants. There has also been a contest newsletter, "Depravda", begun by Elden Carnahan of Laurel, Md., and subsequently foisted off on another unsuspecting Loser. Once a proud monthly periodical, "Depravda" now appears only when editorial inertia can be overcome.
195:, be renamed "The Invitational", and that the Czar and Empress would co-moderate it. As of 2023, it is free to read, but users must subscribe at a rate of $ 50 per year to contribute. This subscription also allows the user to contribute to Gene's semi-weekly (Tuesdays and Thursdays) online chat, on his Substack page "The Gene Pool".
382:
Each week's contest begins with a few examples of answers to the contest, which is confusing since they appear before the contest theme for the week is presented. There is often a picture or pictorial example. Sometimes the contest relates to a picture, such as one where entrants suggest what a given
399:
Individuals are often singled out for abuse by Czar or
Empress. Verbal abuse is frequently heaped upon writers of remarkably obscene or distasteful entries, and individuals who whine about the judging (see Russell Beland) or overtly lobby for their own entries. The Empress is constantly on the look
395:
Aside from the typical Winner, Runners-Up, and
Honorable Mentions, there have been many other means to get one's name in print over the years. Ongoing methods include donating the weird prizes, suggesting the contest for the week, supplying a revised title for Honorable Mention entries for a given
183:
announced that the last day the column would run would be
December 11. Any contests in progress that would have had winners published after that date will not appear. Although the Post received numerous letters to the editors complaining about the change, the final column did run on December 11 and
386:
Following is the "Report from Week X," where X = - 4, the result of the four weeks between when a contest is first shown and the winners are announced. These results begin with commentary by The
Empress on the results, entries that were too common to publish, funny but un-printable entries, and
152:
The second week's contest was to replace the state of
Maryland's slogan "Manly deeds, Womanly words" and yielded up such responses as "Maryland - Home to its residents" and winner "Maryland - Wait! We can explain!" by Oslo. He won an as yet unpurchased large kitschy crab sculpture/decoration, but
131:
before moving to
Saturday's Style and later returning to the Sunday paper. Started in 1993, it has run weekly, except for a hiatus in late 1999. Its last publication date was December 11, 2022. In that time, it has had two head judges who select winning entries: "The Czar" and "The Empress." The
164:
A group of devotees (see links) of the S.I. meets periodically in the
Washington, D.C., area, and hosts an annual "Flushies" awards dinner that has attracted gameplayers from as far away as Ireland and California. The contest also gets entries from England, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand.
383:
cartoon picture or group of pictures might represent. Beneath this is a paragraph beginning with the phrase "This week's contest," followed by a description of the contest. There is then fine print describing the prizes, how to enter, and how to determine if you are eligible for the prizes.
153:
traded it for a Timex watch like the one President Bill Clinton wore at the time. Another early contest asked entrants to help choose a better nickname for Washington, D.C., to replace "A Capital City". Exemplifying the S.I.'s irreverence, the winning entry was "A Work-Free Drug Place."
160:
The contest had a several-month hiatus beginning in August 1999, and restarted in January 2000. It usually received entries from hundreds of persons each week and, because up to 25 entries are allowed for each individual, has received upwards of 20,000 entries in a single week.
256:
Kevin Dopart, of Washington D.C., has been a frequent contributor to the contest. He became the fastest entrant ever and 4th overall to attain 1,000 inks, reaching that number in January 2014. He was the top-inking Loser in each year from 2006 through 2012.
156:
Each column was titled with its week number, beginning with Arabic numerals. In 2000 the numbering restarted at I using Roman numerals. In March 2003, for the 10th anniversary, the column continued numbering at 496, once again using Arabic numerals.
408:
Prizes have changed under the current administration, as tabulated below. In March 2012, a reusable grocery bag was introduced as a new runner-up prize; just weeks later, the Empress switched to a new first-place statue, the "Inkin' Memorial" (an
148:
Redskins. No, don't move the team, just let Baltimore deal with it." He won a Timex watch like the one President Bill Clinton wore at the time, and apparently never entered again, as he wanted to retire undefeated.
740:
249:, from which the S.I. may have drawn its inspiration. He is the current all-time Invitational leader, the first entrant to amass over 2,000 inks, and is also the third-most prolific contributor to the
374:
as former copy editor Pat Myers, whose real name appears in the byline. On washingtonpost.com and in the contest's discussion group, the Style Conversational, she still goes by "The Empress."
367:
The Czar retired in late 2003, giving all the power to "The Empress of the Style Invitational", who has suggested she has a lower tolerance for immature or bathroom humor than the Czar.
453:
A trophy known as the "Inkin' Memorial". Replaced in 2017 by a new trophy known as the "Lose Cannon". This was replaced in December 2020 by the "Clowning Achievement", a clown head.
422:
with a paper bag over its head) after the bookends went out of manufacture. In 2017, a new trophy, the "Lose Cannon", replaced the "Inkin' Memorial", when it too became unavailable.
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920:
894:
1021:
345:"The Czar of the Style Invitational" was, until December 2003, the pseudonymous man behind the contest. He chose all the winners - calling the contest the "last pure
213:
Brendan Beary, of Great Mills, Md., was the 2005 chart topper, with 179 "inks". In 2006, he won a limerick contest between himself and Chris Doyle (see below).
803:
210:, who first won in the contest's sixth week. His frequent successes inspired a contest solely to decide what to do about him. He won that contest, too.
1016:
242:
during dozens of overseas trips, is known for his prodigious wordplay, poetry and anagrams, and was a perennial winner in a similar past contest in
39:
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out for flagrant plagiarism (defined as "being in touch with one's inner Google"), the penalty for which is severe admonition and retribution.
364:
was believed to be the Czar despite public denials. However, in 1999, and again in 2001, he admitted in his column that he edited the feature.
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676:
291:, has been a frequent winner and eclipsed Chuck Smith as all-time points leader during the years in which she actively participated.
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58:
253:. Many Style Invitational Losers have become OEDILF contributors (and vice versa) after the Invitational's Week 572 Contest.
198:
Numerous humorous lists passed around the Internet, usually misattributed, had their actual origin in the Style Invitational.
65:
176:
when Sunday Style was shortened and combined with Arts. In early 2011, the Invitational returned to the Post's Sunday Style.
43:
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231:(aka Grace Fuller) tabulates running statistics on the contest that are available on the "Losers"' unofficial web site.
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The Style Invitational kicked off in March 1993 by asking readers to come up with a less offensive name for the
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32:
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337:, is a frequent winner and contest-namer. In 2009 he became the third person to amass 1,000 appearances.
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In early 2011, with the Invitational's move to Sunday's Style section, the Empress was outed by the
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895:"Style Conversational Week 1413: Our new not-so-big top -- the Clowning Achievement trophy"
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330:(pronounced "Stack") illustrates the contest and occasionally suggests contest ideas.
320:, has been an occasional winner in this and other humor contests. His unmasking as a
1000:
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Choice of a Style Invitational Coffee Mug or Grocery Bag (T-shirts were phased out)
239:
235:
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coming up with the contest ideas and choosing the winners for every week's contest.
144:. The winner, published two weeks later, was Douglas R. Miller, with the entry "The
125:, is a long-running humor contest that ran first in the Style section of the Sunday
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Very little was known about the Czar for some time, except that he worked for
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Niels Hoven, originally from Silver Spring, appeared on the third season of
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In August 2007, the contest was moved to the Style section of Saturday's
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947:"Style Invitational Week 977: Fun with Google Translate, 8 years later"
921:"Week 964: The Grossery Bag — our new runner-up prize — needs a design"
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Several days later, it was announced on the S.I.'s Facebook Page, and
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NRARS.org, the semi-official website of the Style Invitational Losers
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250:
741:"Style Conversational: Ink-wiring minds, and a fertile Onion field"
324:
prompted the current contest rule barring pseudonymous entries.
165:
Further indicative of interest in the S.I. was a (now-defunct)
15:
990:
191:'s Twitter feed, that the S.I. would take up a new home on
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Staake has illustrated the contest every week since 1993.
303:
Frank Mann, of Washington, D.C., is the brother of singer
206:
The most notable name in S.I. annals is Chuck Smith, of
976:
349:
on Earth" - and controlled all aspects of the contest.
251:
Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form (OEDILF)
659:"The Gene Pool | gene weingarten | Substack"
991:
Style Invitational Illustrator Bob Staake's website.
864:"Not Funny: The Rules of Humor Changed on Sept. 11"
640:"The Invitational | Pat Myers | Substack"
482:Choice of a Style Invitational Shirt or Coffee Mug
424:
46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
800:List of Style Invitational's "Rookies of the Year"
469:A strange, weird thing that few people would want.
464:A strange, weird thing that few people would want.
445:A strange, weird thing that few people would want.
270:champion, as is Mark Eckenwiler. John Holder, of
987:, with an archive of 100 weeks of the contest.
715:"The Style Invitational (washingtonpost.com)"
8:
779:, accessed December 3, 2009. Archived from
437:Under the Empress (starting in April 2012)
609:"Gene Weingarten on X: "(Part 1 0f 4) ..."
416:) from the original "Inker" (a bookend of
499:A Style Invitational Refrigerator Magnet
496:A Style Invitational Refrigerator Magnet
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
1022:1993 establishments in Washington, D.C.
528:
657:weingarten, gene (October 12, 2023).
234:Chris Doyle, currently entering from
7:
677:"Week 69 : Laying Down The Law"
516:A Fir Tree Air Freshener (FirStink)
493:A Style Invitational Bumper Sticker
44:adding citations to reliable sources
982:The Style Invitational Page of the
580:"Gene Weingarten (@geneweingarten)"
547:(Initial Invitational Announcement)
184:was a celebration of past entries.
507:Standard prize (from those above)
14:
1017:Publications established in 1993
638:Myers, Pat (September 9, 2023).
20:
893:Myers, Pat (December 3, 2020).
31:needs additional citations for
450:A trophy known as the "Inker"
1:
919:Myers, Pat (March 25, 2012).
883:, December 14, 2003, page D2.
845:"Memo: A Home Team Name Game"
802:, accessed December 3, 2009
777:Style Invitational statistics
537:"Style Invitational Devotees"
945:Myers, Pat (June 23, 2012).
739:Pat Myers (March 10, 2016).
644:theinvitational.substack.com
216:Russell Beland, formerly of
1012:Culture of Washington, D.C.
806:September 27, 2011, at the
663:geneweingarten.substack.com
479:A Style Invitational Shirt
260:Sarah Worcester Gaymon, of
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461:A Style Invitational Pen
238:and earlier from various
179:On December 1, 2022, the
692:, October 1, 2006, p. D2
511:A Fir Tree Air Freshener
434:Under the Empress (new)
391:Winning isn't everything
55:"The Style Invitational"
335:Montgomery Village, Md.
274:, and Matt Monitto, of
821:, March 9, 2003, p. F5
786:March 1, 2012, at the
719:www.washingtonpost.com
119:The Style Invitational
833:, May 2, 2009, p. C2.
704:, May 28, 2006, p. D2
607:(December 16, 2022).
431:Under the Czar (old)
218:Springfield, Virginia
504:First Time in Print
360:writer and humorist
276:Bristol, Connecticut
208:Woodbridge, Virginia
40:improve this article
1007:The Washington Post
952:The Washington Post
925:The Washington Post
899:The Washington Post
881:The Washington Post
868:The Washington Post
849:The Washington Post
831:The Washington Post
819:The Washington Post
749:. Washington, D.C.
746:The Washington Post
702:The Washington Post
690:The Washington Post
490:Honorable Mentions
471:Changes every week
466:Changes every week
447:Changes every week
354:The Washington Post
297:Beauty and the Geek
262:Gambrills, Maryland
227:Elden Carnahan, of
142:Washington Redskins
862:Weingarten, Gene.
843:Weingarten, Gene.
790:on March 10, 2009.
316:Ervin Stembol, of
287:Jennifer Hart, of
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476:Other Runners-Up
222:Fairfax, Virginia
167:Rotisserie League
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33:verification
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724:October 27,
513:(FirStink)
419:The Thinker
347:meritocracy
1001:Categories
763:1330888409
558:"Facebook"
523:References
414:bobblehead
328:Bob Staake
305:Aimee Mann
66:newspapers
930:March 25,
755:0190-8286
619:April 18,
589:April 18,
278:, won on
267:Jeopardy!
146:Baltimore
958:June 27,
904:April 3,
804:Archived
784:Archived
542:Facebook
311:Joe Romm
247:magazine
245:New York
193:Substack
625:Twitter
584:Twitter
442:Winner
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220:now of
136:History
80:scholar
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404:Prizes
378:Format
123:Invite
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121:, or
87:JSTOR
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759:OCLC
751:ISSN
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