Congratulations to La Maga, who nipped in ahead of the bookie’s favourite Genghis Cohen to take the title of Writer of the Month for September in a nail-bitingly close contest, after he received the backing of the unions.
La Maga is a first time winner of the globally coveted award, and scored three Front Pages and three News in Briefs, just a NiB ahead of Genghis. La Maga also contributed the words for NewsBiscuit’s first musical front page with the outstanding ‘Star Wars 'Emperor's Theme' heard on the wind as Pope's visit approaches’. Honourable mentions also go to Dr Moptop, Oxbridge, JP1885, and Golgo13 in a contest that went to the wire.
Changes are afoot in the Writer of the Month format, as the contest enters its third year. We think the award has really helped bring some healthy competition to the site and highlighted lots of emerging new talent. However, we’re now looking to change the criteria from a hard-headed front page count to something that would recognise a wider contribution to the comedy on the site, and hopefully encourage new ideas and features for the front page – like the recent steamy Antonio Blair-Cartland extracts by Dr Moptop, and Red’s cracking Miliband and Gromit picture. More details will emerge as we make them up, but don’t worry, not everything will change, and the chances of any winner getting their mug this decade look as shaky as the foundations of the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village.
