The Editor's Cup: win $100

The Sanction · Second Edition

The Editor's Cup by Walter Blair

Find the typographical and grammatical errors in The Sanction, Second Edition. The top two each win $100.

  • $100to each of 2 winners
  • Nov 20entries open
  • Nov 29last day to enter
  • Nov 30winners announced
  • Freeno purchase necessary
Email your entry Read the rules

Entries are open until November 29, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Cover of The Sanction, Second Edition, by Walter Blair: the presidential seal on deep red, featuring Jennifer Steele in a global thriller.

A note from Walter

To all my readers,

Thank you for supporting me as my books move into a new phase of production.

We have noticed that The Sanction, Second Edition, has more typographical and grammatical errors than it should. So here is a challenge for sharp-eyed readers and editors: find them.

On November 30, the top two editors, the two readers who find the most errors, will each win $100 from us. This is a campaign to bring out the quality editors that book publishers need.

Entries open on November 20, and you have until November 29. Good luck!

Walter Blair

THE WALTER BLAIR JD PRODUCTION

How to enter

Find them. List them. Send them.

  1. 1Read The Sanction, Second Edition. Any copy counts: your own, a friend's or one from the library.
  2. 2List every error you find: the page number, the error as printed and your correction.
  3. 3Email your list from November 20 to November 29, 2026, to wblairjd@gmail.com, with “Editor's Cup” in the subject line.
Email your entry

What an entry looks like

PageAs printedCorrection
57“Their going home.”“They're going home.”
112recievereceive

Made-up examples, to show the layout. Reading the e-book? Give the chapter and quote a few words around the error instead of a page number.

to each of the two readers who find the most errors.

No drawing. No luck. Just the sharpest eyes: every entry is checked against Walter's own list.

  1. November 20, 2026Entries open
  2. November 29, 2026Last day to enter, by 11:59 p.m. Eastern
  3. November 30, 2026Winners announced

Short and in plain English

Official rules

The Editor's Cup by Walter Blair, for The Sanction, Second Edition.

  1. Who runs it. The Editor's Cup is run by Walter Blair (THE WALTER BLAIR JD PRODUCTION), 1401 Mercantile Lane, Suite 300, Largo, MD 20774, USA. Questions: wblairjd@gmail.com.
  2. Who can enter. Anyone 18 or older. Walter Blair, his family and anyone who helped write, edit, proofread or print The Sanction can't enter. Void where prohibited.
  3. No purchase necessary. Any copy of The Sanction, Second Edition, counts: your own, a friend's or a library copy. Buying a book won't improve your chances.
  4. How to enter. Email your list to wblairjd@gmail.com with “Editor's Cup” in the subject line and your full name in the email. For each error, give the page number, the error as printed and your correction. Reading the e-book? Give the chapter and quote a few words around the error instead of a page number. By entering, you agree to these rules.
  5. Dates. Entries are open from November 20, 2026, and must reach us by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 29, 2026. Winners are announced on November 30, 2026.
  6. One entry per person. Put your whole list in one email. If you send more than one, only the last one received before the deadline is judged.
  7. What counts. Genuine typographical, spelling, punctuation and grammar errors in The Sanction, Second Edition. Each error counts once, however often you list it; the same mistake in two different places counts as two errors. Style choices, like the way a character talks, don't count.
  8. Judging. Walter Blair checks every entry against his own list of the errors in the second edition and confirms any genuine error that isn't on it. The two entrants with the most valid errors win. There is no drawing and no luck involved. Walter's decisions are final.
  9. Ties. If entrants tie for a winning place, the entry that reached us first wins it. If that can't decide it, the prize money for the tied places is split equally.
  10. Prizes. Two prizes of $100 (US) each, one per winner. Prizes can't be transferred or exchanged. Any taxes are the winner's.
  11. Winners. We'll email the winners on November 30, 2026, at the address they entered from, and pay each $100 by check or electronic payment within 30 days. If a winner doesn't reply within 14 days, the place goes to the next-best entry.
  12. Winners' names. With each winner's OK, we'll post their first name on this site, and nothing else.
  13. Your details. Your name and email are used only to run the Editor's Cup and to contact the winners.

Don't have a copy?

Any copy counts, so borrow one from a friend or your library. No purchase necessary.

Email your entry About The Sanction