IContact 20140320

The following message went out to our iContact list on 2014-03-20:

SCRABBLE Word Showdown Timeline

NASPA Members Compete Word-for-Word to Name the SCRABBLE Word Showdown Winner Eight Days Remaining!

Dear NASPA Members,

For the first SCRABBLE Word Showdown, NASPA members have been invited to nominate the neologism of their choice, to be added to the Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary and the Official Tournament and Club Word List. New editions of both these publications, WITH the winning new word in them, will be published and available this August at the 2014 National SCRABBLE Championship in Buffalo, NY.

With eight days left, competitors still have ample time to consider those Word Judge entries that draw the most frequent outcries of, "THAT's no good? Well, it SHOULD BE!" In the earliest phase of the contest, until March 28th, players are encouraged to submit a favorite word through the Hasbro Game Night Facebook Page.

To introduce the next phase of the contest, on April 2nd, Hasbro SCRABBLE and Merriam-Webster will reveal the pool of 16 candidate words from the nomination process. From that point, fan bracket voting will determine the new word, to be announced on April 10th.

Typically, our SCRABBLE lexicon is updated through joint efforts of the NASPA Dictionary Committee and professional lexicographers at Merriam-Webster. This rigorous process involves selecting words that have remained in use long enough to be recognized as having survived the test of time. The opportunity to nominate one of these words presents a rare challenge to participate in a vital aspect of game play.

The chosen new word, along with all the other new words selected through the regular process, will take effect in official competitive play later in the year.

If you have ever said, "That word should absolutely be in the dictionary," now is your chance to make it so!