THE 2019 YOUNG MATHEMATICAL STORY AUTHORS (YMSA)
COMPETITION
THE CINDY NEUSCHWANDER AWARD
(THE 11-13 YEARS OLD CATEGORY)
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With 62 entries from 12 schools across 4 countries to judge, the Cindy Neuschwander Award (the 11-13 years old category) is a tough category to compete in this year.
Many congratulations to the authors of the winning and shortlisted entries! The winner receives £100 and their school another £100. The Award is generously funded by Charlesbridge.
You can read these talented authors' mathematical stories, their inspiration for the stories, and the judges' comments below.
Feel free to share their works on social media using the #YMSAMaths hashtag.
We would like to thank all the authors for taking part in this year's YMSA competition and to their schools (and parents) for encouraging them to participate in the competition. Below is the list of this year's participating schools for this age category.
British International School Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
Buckden Academy (UK)
Chirec International School (India)
Debden Park High School (UK)
Derby Moor Academy (UK)
Deutsche Schule Bombay International School (India)
GEMS First Point School (United Arab Emirates)
King James 1 Academy (UK)
Lanesborough Prep School (UK)
Muscliff Primary School (UK)
Silver Oaks International School (India)
St. Benedict's Catholic High School (UK)
If you want to read the winning and shortlisted entries of our 2019 Stuart J. Murphy Award (the 8-10 years old category), click here.
If you want to learn about our competition next year, click here.
WINNER
'Barney's Birthday Cake' by Anna Farr (11 years old)
at St Benedict's Catholic High School (UK)
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What the judges say: "This was a fun story with a meaningful ending where friendship overcame greed with the main character sharing birthday cake with all his classmates. We loved all the invented excuses for disinviting guests and the 'emergency' for them to all convene at his house. The math was seamlessly part of the story and well illustrated with equivalent fractions to add more mathematical depth. Congratulations!" |
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What the author says: "My inspiration for writing this mathematical story was that I have so many lovely friends that will always be there for me whenever I need them and I would never do anything that would hurt them and I would always choose friends and family over everything because they are what makes me happy. I would definitely recommend other students to create mathematical story picture books, because it is a good opportunity to think about the maths that you have learnt and put it in with a bit of English writing. With the money that I have won, I hope to buy some maths story picture books and keep the rest for later use". |
SHORTLISTED
'The Lonely Troll' by Joseph Ryan (11 years old)
at Lanesborough Prep School (UK)
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What the judges say: "A delightful story about negative numbers. It was age appropriate for 11-13 year old students, perhaps on the younger end. The story was engaging and clever. Clearly illustrated the concept of negative numbers. Well done!" |
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What the author says: "I enjoyed writing a mathematical story as we rarely get to combine maths and English in this way. It improved my English skills as well as requiring an in-depth knowledge of the mathematical concept. I particularly enjoyed brainstorming ideas for my mathematical story. (I used names from my sister's friends and my relatives for the characters!) I would encourage other students to participate in the YMSA competition next year as it will help them in both maths and English." |
SHORTLISTED
'Jack's Symmetrical Painting' by Freya Tinker (12 years old)
at St Benedict's Catholic High School (UK)
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What the judges say: "A nice story about the coordinate grid where a butterfly gives a mathematical drawing lesson to a child wanting to paint the beautiful butterfly. It was a lovely integration of art and maths!" |
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What the author says: "I have always loved creative writing. When the opportunity to create a maths story picture book came, I decided that I wanted to do something to do with symmetry as I enjoy that topic. At first, I wasn't very keen to write a children's book, but after thinking about it more, I realised that I could do something fun and creative with it. My advice for anyone else that wants to write it is to pick a maths topic that you know well and feel comfortable with and make a story out of it. Remember to be as creative as possible! I think that everyone should have a go to write their own maths story as it is quite challenging and very fun." |
SHORTLISTED
'Mindfulness Through Maths' by Harriet Barber (11 years old)
at Muscliff Primary School (UK)
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What the judges say: "A clever use of ratios with a secret meaning that only the main character could interpret. Reading about one of Nettie's days to actually see how the ratios were determined would have added another interesting dimension to the story. The math was well integrated and there were wonderful illustrations. Good job!" |
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What the author says: "My inspiration for my maths story was found because I remembered about the children that struggled with their mental health and used it as inspiration for the story. I found writing the mathematical story very enjoyable as I found regular Year 6 maths easy and was seeking challenge. I improved not only my maths, but my English as well. I would recommend writing a mathematical story to anyone seeking challenge or improvement in their work." |
SHORTLISTED
'Dog & the Frog and the Mystery of the Fraction Shop' by Aniketh Topey (12 years old)
at Silver Oaks International School (India)
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What the judges say:
"A fun story about finding a missing fraction. We liked that Frog and Dog looked through other mathematical shops to find their fraction. The illustrations alluded to other math ideas which gave the story some additional depth and dimension. Well done!" |
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What the author says: "I always enjoy reading books. I used to look at books and think “Why can’t I write my own book?”. This thought inspired and sparked interest in me to write this mathematical story picture book. I thought the YMSA competition was absolutely great and I really enjoyed creating a mathematical story picture book, because it makes math enjoyable and interesting. I would definitely encourage other pupils to create a mathematical story picture book, because through writing a maths story, we can make math engrossing and fascinating." |
