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 Punslingers (Formerly known as HL/LP). 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. PUNSLINGERS (Formerly known as "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 NOT be drawn. The round will resume with no 
change of topic. The survivor of this final pairing will be declared the winner and champion PUNSLINGER.
 
 
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.