Over the last decade, there has been no better Scrabble tournament in North America than the Crescent City Cup. Year after year, players have flocked to New Orleans, Louisiana for a weekend that has it all - incredible food, culture, nightlife, and one of the most stacked Scrabble fields on the planet.

In January 2023, the CCC will be back again for the 11th annual. It'll be the same tournament you already know and love, except with one big change this time - it'll be brought to you by the CoCo and WGPO.

If you played this summer's Word Cup, then you already know what to expect, as this event will be structured similarly. There will be a CoCo-sanctioned Collins division in New Orleans - and one that we expect to offer generous prizes. The goal is $2,500 for first place, with hefty payouts farther down the prize table as well. The Collins division will be rated by the CoCo and WGPO—and WESPA, too, if first place hits the $2,500 goal. For players who shy away from the global lexicon, there will also be a WGPO-sanctioned division across the room. All divisions will be run by the same crack team that's long been at the helm of the CCC. Lindsay Shin will be your director; she'll be supported by tournament organizers Austin Shin, Kate Fukawa-Connelly, Tim Fukawa-Connelly, and Lila Crotty. Behind the scenes, Christian Kay and Andrew Kay will be producing a world-class stream.

For us at the CoCo, this is something we've been trying to make happen for a long time, and we're thrilled that it's finally come to fruition. We're grateful for everyone involved in putting this collaboration together - Lindsay first and foremost, as well as Austin, Kate, Tim, Lila, Christian, Andrew, Steve Pellinen for his work coordinating things on the WGPO side, and Jon Shreve and the Carter Chapman Shreve Family Foundation for their generous contributions to WGPO and to Scrabble.

Let's hear from the NOLA team in their own words about this exciting collaborative effort.

Here's Lindsay, your director:

As the director of the upcoming Crescent City Cup 2023, I am excited for our partnership with both WGPO and CoCo! The CCC organizing team will be bringing you the same well-organized, open-format tournament that we have brought for the past 10 years, but with some new bells and whistles and even bigger prize pools. We strive to create a fun and welcoming environment for all of our players in the playing room and those watching on the stream around the world. Please join us in New Orleans for what is sure to be a fun Scrabble-filled weekend!

And here's Kate, longtime NOLA organizer:

Even though I rarely play Scrabble anymore, I'll always make time for this tournament. Our team is always looking for ways to make the Crescent City Cup bigger and better without losing the personal, warm, fun vibe of the event from its first incarnation way back in 2012. When CoCo and WGPO approached us with generous sponsorship, we knew that it meant we could improve our event for our players.

Although not everyone can take home the $2,500 top prize and custom trophy, we'll have a generous prize structure plus lots of extras for all players, as well as everything the city has to offer. If you've never been to New Orleans, try to plan an extra day or two to take in the sights and the delicious food! And if you can't join us in person, we hope to see you virtually on our live stream and social media coverage.

The 11th annual Crescent City Cup is open for registration today! Any and all players are welcome to sign up. Entry fees will be $140 for the Open division and $125 for Lite. So go ahead - sign up now, and make plans to be in NOLA between Jan. 14 and 16.