Write for the Economist

OK, so it’s only 30 characters, but the Economist is holding a contest for the best photo caption for its next issue.

Here are the details:

“READERS often assume that The Economist has a dedicated department of skilled wordsmiths who hone its humorous picture captions. Actually, we just make them up on the spot, usually in the Thursday-morning hubbub as the newspaper goes to press.

“Our journalists receive no special training in caption-writing, which suggests that anyone with suitably disrespectful instincts can do it. This week we intend to put this theory to the test by asking you, our readers, to write a caption for this picture. It will illustrate an article in our International section about the growth of road-safety vigilantism (or public-spirited individuals trying to prevent drivers from speeding, depending on your point of view).

“We have chosen a suitably silly picture, but it’s up to you to provide the words. Please suggest a caption in the comments thread below. It should be short and snappy, and no more than about 40 30 (including spaces) characters long (the width of a single column of text on a standard Economist page). We will choose the best caption and use it in this week’s print edition—so you’ve got about 48 hours. The only reward is that the winner can then truthfully claim to have written (at least a few words) for The Economist. Over to you.”

Go here to post your caption.