Hello—I’m relatively new to solving cryptics (and brand new to this forum). I’ve been solving the New York Times general knowledge crossword for many years but over the past few months I’ve been tackling various cryptics off and on, primarily the Times Quick Cryptic, which is a workout for me but generally doable. I hope to eventually graduate to the standard puzzle.
Over the holidays I did this puzzle—certainly tougher for me than the Quick but not too monstrous—and was surprised to find that upon completion I was asked to submit personal information.
I was even more surprised yesterday when a beautiful Cross pen set arrived in the post with the following note (fairly cryptic in itself):
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR PRIZE
SUNDAY TIMES RUNNER UP CROSSWORD 4987
PUBLICATION 16/01/2022 (not accurate)
PENS ARE WITH DAVE H (???)
I am extremely grateful and pleased but also quite baffled. Is this essentially a random drawing? Is there any way to determine who qualifies as a runner up and how many there are? What was the first prize? How often does this happen?
Thanks for any context!