Winner Christopher Adams (right), 2nd Dan Schwartz (center), 3rd Quiara Vasquez (left)

Winner Christopher Grubbs (right), 2nd and Rookie of the Year Benjamin Keown (left), 3rd Bryce Johnson (center)

Winners Al and Gloria (right), 2nd Debbie and John (center), 3rd James and Sandy (left)

Evan Birnholz has been the constructor of the Sunday Washington Post crossword puzzle since 2015. He spent the first 18 years of his life growing up in Highland Park, Illinois, and he currently lives in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, with his wife Vicki, their son Elliot, and their cat Leeloo Dallas Multipass. In his non-crossword life, he sings as a bass in the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia and roots (often hopelessly) for the Bulls, Bears, and Cubs. 

Kyle Dolan is a crossword constructor currently residing in Oak Park, Illinois. He has created standard and cryptic crosswords for a wide range of outlets, including his cryptics blog, Beneath The Surface. This is his first time constructing a tournament puzzle and he would like to thank the MWXWT team for the opportunity. Originally from Boston, Kyle has called Chicagoland home for 18 years. By day he works at the intersection of science, technology, and international diplomacy. When not making puzzles, he enjoys trivia, cooking, piano, bowling, and trips to the zoo with his kids. 

Katie Hoody grew up in Bemidji, Minnesota, in a family in which games and puzzles of all kinds were a regular part of daily life. After living in New York for a year and a half, Texas for eleven years, and Kansas (where she now resides) for seven years, she still considers herself a Minnesotan through and through. She has been told that her Minnesota accent is virtually unnoticeable, except when she says the word Minnesota. 

Lydia Roth and Christina Bodensiek are a married constructing duo whose puzzles have appeared in venues including AVCX+, Lil AVCX, LAT, USA Today, and Universal. Lydia is a Midwest native, having grown up in Michigan, and so she was delighted to rescue Christina from Florida and return to the Midwest (Columbus, OH), where they’ve now happily lived for four years. When not working as a flutist and a lighting director (respectively), they can be found cuddled up with their two cats, Winston and Huxley, climbing some bouldering walls, or expanding their ever-growing book collection. They publish weekly meta puzzles during the spring months at their blog.

Hemant Mehta is the founder and editor of FriendlyAtheist.com, a YouTube creator, and a podcast co-host. Based in Naperville, Illinois, he is a former National Board Certified math teacher and continues to coach a nationally competitive public speaking team. A former Jeopardy! champion, his crosswords have appeared in the New York Times and Slate. He was thrilled to participate in last year's Midwest Crossword Tournament and excited to construct a puzzle for it this time around. 

Taylor Johnson is a crossword constructor and associate puzzle editor for Andrews McMeel Universal, who very recently moved to Portland, Oregon with his partner and two young kids. He grew up in western Wisconsin and spent 17 years living in Minnesota. A few of his favorite things about the Midwest are Bon Iver, the abundance of farmer's markets and food co-ops, and swimming in the lake.