Sometimes, the age of search engine optimization leaves little room for headlines to escape functionality. By the time you’ve loaded the keywords and delivered the gist, you’re out of characters.

But an annual contest lets headline wordsmiths come out to play.

In September, the Society for Editing, once, and sometimes still, known as ACES (American Copy Editors Society), held its annual headline contest, which is now 25 years old and, by the group’s reckoning, the last national headline competition standing.

This year, I chaired the contest and, in a way, came home. I’d won my circulation division in the contest 17 years ago when I was on the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s business desk (don’t ask which heads won, I’ve long forgotten) and I entered for many years.

PolitiFact has two SEO headline aces in audience director Josie Hollingsworth and senior audience engagement producer Ellen Hine, so I don’t need to write many heads in my copy chief gig. But headlines were once my favorite thing; I’ve always loved playing with words. So much that I once lamented that the old-style wordplay head’s slow fade was a loss — and sparked by search engines, particularly Google, having no sense of humor.

But clever verbal gymnastics live on, as the folks who wrote the winning ACES contest entries showed (more on that shortly). Given this year’s intense, emotional and fraught news cycles (and headlines), a little verbal sunshine was welcome.

The society’s contest is open to journalistic, student and marketing publications from large and small markets in print and digital formats. Individual entrants gave five-headline portfolios; staff entrants gave eight. Heads were published from Jan. 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024.

With the society’s help, I divided a 16-volunteer judging cohort into four teams — one each for a four-category spread (national, local, student and staff) based on organizational size (circulation data no longer figures). I named captains and let everyone have at the 40 entries (25 in the individual category, 15 in the staff).

Cleverness mattered in the judging, but so did sophistication, appropriateness, uniqueness and stickiness — how likely the heads were to capture readers’ flitting (and fleeting) attention. Judges awarded 3 points for a first-place vote, 2 for a second-place vote and 1 for a third-place vote. From that came a winner, and if the judges so deemed, an honorable mention. (Runoff votes settled ties; no recounts required). Cash and a plaque went to the champs; certificates went to the honorables.

We named winners during the society’s virtual contest in late September. Here’s a sampling of the top-of-the-top headlines.

From Steven Eames of the Los Angeles Times, who won the Individual Category A division for national media organizations.

Paper’s obituary written in red ink
Santa Barbara New Press owner’s bitter tenure ends in bankruptcy

Tying the knot on a shoestring budget
A wedding ceremony that costs less than an iPhone? More couples are opting for small, affordable nuptials

Siracha’s continuing flameout is unpalatable
Hot sauce’s Irwindale maker sees no end to its ‘unprecedented’ chile shortage, which started last summer

From Alison Dingeldein, also of the Los Angeles Times, the Individual Category A honorable mention

Doom and vroom
‘Ferrari’ is a somber epic of one man’s driving ambition

Settling the tab for ‘Waitress’
Broadway League, Actors’ Equity reach deal over nonunion tour of the musical

A life well laughed
Carol Burnett was built for comedy. She’s the toast of a new NBC special

From Peter Donahue of The Providence Journal, the Individual Category B (regional/local organizations) winner

STABLE GROUND
Farm’s equine therapy helps vets, first responders

A DOG IN THIS FIGHT
Jellybean’s cancer treatment success could help children with their battle (Editor’s note: Jellybean is a dog.)

From Peggy Scott of the San Diego Zoo, the Individual Category C (industry/marketing/pr other) winner

TROUBLED WATERS
Environmental effects of gold mining

Does your newsroom or group have headline-writing wordsmiths? The society will start accepting entries for 2024’s contest in April. Bring your best.