31st Annual Pun-off Registration

31st Annual O.Henry Pun-Off
World Championships
Registration

MAY 17, 2008 - Noon - 5pm (SATURDAY!)
O.HENRY MUSEUM
BRUSH SQUARE
409 E.5TH STREET
AUSTIN, TEXAS

Help the O. Henry Museum celebrate the lowest form of humor at the 31st Annual O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships on Saturday, MAY 17, 2008. The competition will be held at the O. Henry Museum in Brush Square, downtown Austin, TX (5th Street at Neches). This annual irreverent assault on the English language annually lures both veteran verbivores and naive neophytes for verbal jousting.

The annual Pun-Off World Championships attract contestants from throughout the U.S. and are open to 32 “punslingers” in two different categories of competition. Up for grabs will be the title of "Punniest of Show" through a 90-second freestyle competition for punsters using prepared material. In the "PunSlingers" competition, punsters battle in wordplay on a given a topic with strict time limits. The last pundit left standing at the end of the grueling competition is declared the winner.

The Pun-Off begins at high noon and music will be furnished by “MoPac and the Blue Suburbans” starting at 11 am. There will also be a Bargain Book Sale, live auction and door prizes at the event to benefit the museum and its programs. Auction items include gift certificates and donations from local artists, restaurants, stores, sports venues, and local businesses. Revenue from refreshment and souvenir sales helps to support educational projects at the Museum, including writing programs for local students. The O. Henry Museum is located at 409 E. 5th St., Austin, TX 78701.

For more information on the O.Henry Pun-Off click over to punpunpun.com.

BITE YOUR TONGUE - Because the O.Henry Pun-Off involves so much unrehearsed and spontaneous wordplay, it is not possible for us to guarantee to the public any particular level of "maturity" in our presentation. Double entendre and risqué references will usually go over the heads of the innocent while still being appreciated by the mature.

On the other hand, we have a responsibility to our public, many of whom are young and impressionable, to present a program that is not intentionally offensive in its nature. We don't want to exercise any form of censorship, but must urge you to make every attempt to "take the high road" when exercising this "lowest form of humor."

First Name

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Address

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Competitions

Punniest of Show (FULL)
High Lies / Low Puns topics (FULL)
Both
Mailing List Only
If a competition is marked FULL, you will be added to the waiting list.

Have you competed before?

Times Won? Times

Banquet

There will be a banquet on Friday, May 16 from 6 to 11pm at Spaghetti Warehouse. If you are coming, please select the number of reservations you would like to make.

Other interesting Info

31st ANNUAL O.HENRY PUN OFF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - OFFICIAL RULES OF COMPETITION

1. REGISTRATION: The O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships are divided into two contests: Punniest of Show, and High Lies and Low Puns. Pre-registration is required for both events. Contestants may enter either or both contests. A maximum of thirty-two (32) entrants per event will be accepted for registration. You must submit this form prior to May 12, 2008. Pre-registrations by phone may be done at the discretion of the museum staff. On-line registration is now available at http://application.microassist.net/punoff.

On the day of the competition contestants must sign in and pick up their registration packet at Pun-Off site between 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Packets not picked up by 12 p.m. may be assigned to the names on the contestant waiting list. Contestants unable to meet this requirement must contact the event organizers and make other arrangements prior to 12:00 p.m. on the day of the competition.

2. PUNNIEST OF SHOW: Each entered contestant will be allowed to present a pun on stage. Puns may be presented in any format (e.g., visual, musical, stand-up routine, etc.), and will be scored on a scale of one (1) to ten (10) by a panel of judges. A contestant's score will be determined by adding the judges' scores together. If a judge displays a score higher than 10 or lower than 1, that score will be lowered or raised to the nearest allowable score (i.e., an 11 becomes a 10, a 0 becomes a 1, etc.). Contestants will be judged on content, originality, and general effect of the presentation, including judges' interpretation of audience response. Contestants may use notes or scripts, but should keep in mind that the judges may take this into consideration when determining their score.

Contestants should endeavor to keep their routines under ninety (90) seconds in length. Each routine will be timed by an independent timekeeper, who will allow for audience response and other technical difficulties when determining if 90 seconds have passed. At the end of 90 seconds the timekeeper will sound a signal, indicating that the contestant's 90 seconds has expired and a thirty (30) second grace period is now in effect. At the end of this grace period (i.e., after two (2) minutes' total time), the timekeeper will sound a second signal, and the contestant will be asked to leave the stage. Although the judges may still give a score for the routine, any contestant whose presentation is in excess of 2 minutes' total time is automatically disqualified. The Master(s) of Ceremonies will make the final determination of elapsed time based on the timekeeper's signals. In the event of an incorrect or inadvertent signal from the timekeeper, the Master(s) of Ceremonies will, as they deem necessary, adjust the contestant's remaining time.

The contestant with the highest total score will win the event. In the case of a tie score, the tied contestants will be called back on stage, where they will present part of their routine again. After all tied contestants finish, audience response will be taken. The contestant that receives the best audience reaction, as determined by the judging panel and the Master(s) of Ceremonies, shall win the event.

3. HIGH LIES & LOW PUNS: This competition will consist of no more than four rounds of single-elimination heats. For each preliminary round, two contestants at a time will be called onto the stage (a pairing), at which point they will be given a topic drawn at random. The contestant with the lowest entry number will have five (5) seconds to deliver a pun on this topic. The other contestant then has five seconds to respond with another pun on the same topic. Contestants who exceed the allotted five seconds will be eliminated from the competition. The survivor of each pairing advances to the next round. Each preliminary round will result in the elimination of one contestant.  There will be no time limits in any rounds.

Puns may not be made on the same word within the same context during a topic. A contestant who violates this rule will receive a "strike" and will be given another five seconds to come up with a valid pun that has not been used during the pairing. During the course of a pairing each contestant will be allowed a cumulative total of 3 strikes before being disqualified and eliminated. Automatic strikes will be awarded only for puns made on repeated words. At the discretion of the emcee, strikes may also be awarded for non-puns made on qualifying words or actual puns made on non-qualified words unless an acceptable "repair"is offered. An unsatisfactory "repair" may be considered a "non-response" and may result in instant elimination. A cumulative total of three "strikes" against either contestant immediately ends the round.

Once each preliminary round pairing has begun, the drawn topic will not be changed. The Master(s) of Ceremonies reserves the right to change, define or narrow the topic or draw a new topic before starting any round of play.

Time will be kept by an independent timekeeper, who will allow for audience response and other technical difficulties when determining if five seconds have passed. The Master(s) of Ceremonies will make the final determination of elapsed time based on the timekeeper's reports. In the event of an incorrect or inadvertent signal from the timekeeper, the Master(s) of Ceremonies will, as they deem necessary, adjust the contestant's remaining time.

The final round will consist of no more than five (5) people on stage, subject to the same rules as shown above. When only two finalists are left, a new topic will be drawn and the round will resume. The survivor of this final pairing will be declared the winner of High Lies and Low Puns.

4. CONTESTANT NUMBERS AND ORDER OF APPEARANCE: Contestants will receive a randomly selected number for each event entered. If a contestant enters both events, the contestant will receive two numbers. These numbers will determine the contestant's order of appearance in each contest. Contestants will not be allowed to trade or exchange numbers drawn for either event unless cleared to do so by the Master(s) of Ceremonies.

Contestants in the Punniest of Show competition will appear in numerical order, starting at one (1) and ending at thirty-two (32). If less than 32 people enter Punniest of Show, non-selected entry numbers will be skipped and the contestants will be called to the stage in as close to numerical order as possible.

Contestants entering High Lies and Low Puns will be paired against each other according to the numbers they draw during registration for the High Lies and Low Puns event. If the maximum of 32 entrants has not been reached at the end of registration, each contestant will be paired up against the contestant whose entry number is numerically closest.

If a contestant leaves the contest before their number is drawn for either event, and/or does not respond when their number is called, their number will be skipped and the contestant will be disqualified from further competition in that event for the day. If, for any reason, there are an odd number of entrants competing in the first round of High Lies and Low Puns, the remaining unpaired contestant holding the highest number will be given a bye to the next round and will be paired against the contestant with the lowest number who survived the previous round. After the first round, any other odd numbered contestant will be matched up in a 3-way elimination at the end of each round.

5. FINAL AUTHORITY: The Master(s) of Ceremonies shall not overrule or change the positions determined by the judges' scores in the Punniest of Show competition (except in matters of an exceeded time limit and/or audience response), but will have final authority over all other phases of registration and of both contests, including the interpretation and implementation of these rules.

6. RESPONSIBILITY: No employee of the O. Henry Home and Museum or the City of Austin, nor any member of, or anyone officially associated with the Friends of the O. Henry Museum or Punsters United Nearly Yearly (P.U.N.Y.), shall be held responsible or liable in any way for the final outcome of either contest or for any other matter regarding the competition as a whole or in part.

I have read and understand the rules and agree to abide by them for the pupose of competing in the 31st Annual O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships. I also understand the the competitions shall be recorded for possible broadcast on TV or other electronic media. I hereby Release the City of Austin, The O. Henry Home and Museum, P.U.N.Y., the Friends of the O. Henry Museum and the producers of any photographic images from any liability and/or claim involving the use, broadcast or distribution of my image in any electronic or print media.

31st Annual O.Henry Pun-Off World ChampionshipsRegistration

31st Annual O.Henry Pun-Off
World Championships
Registration