THE 2021 YOUNG MATHEMATICAL STORY AUTHORS (YMSA)
COMPETITION
THE CINDY NEUSCHWANDER AWARD
(THE 12-15 YEARS OLD CATEGORY)
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With 275 entries from 23 schools across 8 countries to judge, the Cindy Neuschwander Award (the 12-15 years old category) is very competitive this year.
The competition is also very inclusive with 169 female students, 104 male students and 2 self-identified non-binary students participated.
Many congratulations to the authors of the winning, shortlisted and longlisted 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 also like to acknowledge and thank all the authors and their schools (and parents) for encouraging these authors to participate in the YMSA competition. Below is the list of this year's participating schools (and homeschooling sites).
Ashburton College (New Zealand)
Brentford School for Girls (UK)
Bucklands Beach Intermediate School (New Zealand)
Claremont High School Academy (UK)
Delhi World Public School Bangalore (India)
Dulwich College Beijing (China)
Glen Cairn Public School (Canada)
Harris Girls Academy East Dulwich (UK)
International Shool of Paphos (Cyprus)
Kendrick School (UK)
King James 1 Academy (UK)
King Richard College (Spain)
Langley Grammar School (UK)
Ningbo Huamao International School (China)
Oberoi International School JVLR (India)
Pinewood Public School (Canada)
Silver Oaks International School (India)
St Georges British International School (Italy)
The Global Indian International School (India)
The Grandeur International School (India)
Townley Grammar School (UK)
Wellington Girls College (New Zealand)
Zayed College for Girls (New Zealand)
If you want to learn more about the winning, shortlisted and longlisted entries of our 2021 Stuart J. Murphy Award (the 8-11 years old category), click here.
If you want to learn more about our 2022 competition, click here.
If you want to learn more about our 2020 competition, click here.
If you want to learn more about our 2019 competition, click here.
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What the judges say:
"What a fun, engaging story of Igmo and Tars who are looking for a planet to call home. These two endearing aliens need to figure out if a planet they have noticed out in the distant galaxy is too far away for the amount of fuel their spaceship has. The mathematics simplifies large numbers by powers of ten and exponents. The narrative has tension, interest, and humor. The illustrations compliment the story. Lovely effort, Natalia! Your work shows great promise should you wish to become a writer." |
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What the author says: "When I first heard about the YMSA competition, I knew that I wanted to do something themed beyond our planet. Space is limitless, and I knew that there I could find an idea that wasn’t boxed in by the confinements of our reality. While making this mathematical story I got to stretch my imagination, and mix my love of art, mathematics, and story writing all together. This competition gave me a fantastic opportunity to learn more about my chosen concept, and then apply that knowledge in a fun and creative way. I would strongly encourage other students to take part in the YMSA competition as it can give you the motivation to create something that you can be really proud of." |
SHORTLISTED
‘Timmy Tom Tom's Trigonometry Adventure’ by Michael Wong (13 years old)
at Glen Cairn Public School (Canada)
‘Timmy Tom Tom's Trigonometry Adventure’ by Michael Wong (13 years old)
at Glen Cairn Public School (Canada)
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What the judges say: "This is an exciting and action-packed story about a character who must defeat a gremlin and his army who are attacking a castle. The main character must get into the attacker's castle and he uses trigonometry to figure out how high a button is on a tower to press and open the castle doors. There are other fun examples of how trig can be useful in winning a battle. The ending is hilarious and shows your wonderful sense of humor, Michael. Excellent visual representations of the mathematical concept throughout the story. Well done!" |
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What the author says: "Nearly right out of the gate I knew that I wanted to have that fairytale-esque “good guys vs. bad guys'' sort of thing in my story which was so common in childrens’ books. The process for making this story definitely wasn’t a walk in the park seeing as I’m pretty far from being a phenomenal artist, and I was writing about a newer math concept. In the end, the whole thing definitely acquainted me with the topic better. You really should try your hand at making one of these math stories and take part in the YMSA competition. It’s 100% beneficial when it comes to grasping shaky mathematical concepts, seeing as how you’re going to need to understand it to write about it." |
SHORTLISTED
‘Buffy's Mathematical Adventure of Pythagorean’ by Niyati Patel (13 years old)
at Pinewood Public School (Canada)
‘Buffy's Mathematical Adventure of Pythagorean’ by Niyati Patel (13 years old)
at Pinewood Public School (Canada)
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What the judges say:
"A squirrel is tired of hauling his nuts down into his burrow. He realizes he can make a ramp to his kitchen out of a wooden plank but he isn't sure how long the board should be. Using a friend and the Pythagorean theorem, he figures out the length of the board. He visits a construction site and is able to get the plank he needs. The story premise is nice, the formula is clearly explained and the mathematical concept is visually represented effectively. This squirrel is quite satisfied with his nut-nest shortcut. Niyati, what a fun story you created. I loved reading it!" |
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What the author says: "My inspiration for writing “Buffy’s Mathematical Adventure of Pythagorean Theorem” came from an Eastern-Gray squirrel who sits in my balcony the entire day. I love nature as much as I love math, so I put together a story on that. We did the Pythagorean Theorem in class and people were having difficulty. I thought that just the name, "Pythagorean Theorem” is so big and complicated. Through my story, I wanted to help people understand it! You need math skills everywhere. I encourage everyone to try this YMSA competition. It really taught me new things. So, next year I encourage everyone to try it out. At the very least they’ll come out having learnt something new." |
SHORTLISTED
‘The Jewel of the Tree’ by Rebecca Kear (14 years old)
at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
‘The Jewel of the Tree’ by Rebecca Kear (14 years old)
at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
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What the judges say: "This holiday story is about creating a new Christmas tree topper for a family who had lost their prior one. The main character sets out to make a new one out of cardboard and glitter. The first attempts are rather unstar-like so the main character decides to use math to measure a heptagon and use it to create the 'perfect star'. There are many fine examples of the visual representation of your mathematical concept and enough clear direction that the reader could follow along and make his or her own Christmas star, should he or she feel so inclined. I have to say, Rebecca, I’m tempted to try a Christmas star myself next holiday season. Your story was the perfect guide!" |
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What the author says: "The inspiration I got for writing this story was from a challenging maths problem I stumbled across just before beginning entries of this competition. It involved stars, lines, and angles that I thought would be such a great combination with my love of Christmas. The actual process of creating the mathematical story picture book was very enjoyable as I had never before put my mathematical and writing skills together in one piece of work. I would strongly suggest other students to create their own mathematical stories not for the big prizes or attention but for the fun of learning. Even if you don't have quite a flair in art or maths, at least take a shot in this YMSA competition, you might be surprised in the outcome!" |
SHORTLISTED
‘How to Calculate Travel Distance & Time’ by Hannah Hunt (13 years old)
at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
‘How to Calculate Travel Distance & Time’ by Hannah Hunt (13 years old)
at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
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What the judges say: "This story uses a graphic novel format that was fun to read. The illustrations are colorful and lively. The story itself contains three examples to explore routes and distances from home to a fair. Hannah, your graphic novel format made your story stand out for me. Perhaps writing these types of books is in your future!" |
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What the author says: "When writing this story, I was inspired by the picture books I was read to as a young child. Drawing is also something I love to do which really got me interested in the YMSA competition. They always entertained me and taught me a lot about the world around us in a new and exciting way. Creating this mathematical story picture book was really enjoyable and it never got boring, making a story picture book on my own also made me think about maths in a new and creative way which I’m sure will help me in the future. I would like to encourage other students around the world to create a mathematical story picture book of their own and to take part in the YMSA competition, because it is fun and allows you to learn something new at the same time. The mathematical story book you create not only benefits you but also benefits others too." |
SHORTLISTED
‘Bunny Annie Shooting A Basketball’ by Wendy Weng (14 years old)
at Ningbo Huamao International School (China)
‘Bunny Annie Shooting A Basketball’ by Wendy Weng (14 years old)
at Ningbo Huamao International School (China)
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What the judges say: "This story deals with quadratic functions and it is clear that the author understands and can explain the math both textually and visually. The story is the practical application of that math. It’s a sure bet with readers who enjoy basketball. The illustrations are quite nice. Thanks, Wendy for sharing your work! It was fun to read." |
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What the author says: "The inspiration for my story came from seeing the arc of a basketball thrown out while playing basketball and thinking of the parabola of the quadratic function. So I combined basketball, quadratic function, and my favorite animal rabbit, to create this story. The process of creating the novel was very interesting, as we had to explain and apply our chosen mathematical knowledge. I think students should take part in the YMSA competition. It is a very interesting competition because we are able to exercise and apply our mathematical knowledge very well. Many thanks!" |
LONGLISTED ENTRIES
The judges would also like to offer congratulations to authors of the following entries which were longlisted for the 2021 Cindy Neuschwander Award!
‘Does The Crown Fit?’ by Deniz Usta (14 years old) at Glen Cairn Public School (Canada)
‘Rational’ by Kalli Yang (12 years old) at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
‘Warriors of Five Crystals’ by Gisele Chong (12 years old) at Bucklands Beach Intermediate School (New Zealand)
‘Are U Sure That This Time Is Safe?’ by Amy Xu (12 years old) Ningbo Huamao International School (China)
‘Abella's French Bakery’ by Isobel Corben (13 years old) at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
‘The Story of Sandra and Linear Programming’ by Tracy Guo (15 years old) at Ningbo Huamao International School (China)
‘The One-Line Maze of the Apocalypse’ by Jennifer Zhao (13 years old) at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
‘Billards, Monsters’ by Erin Lee (13 years old) at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
‘Where To Start At Teaching Maths’ by Fatima Dewan (12 years old) at Brentford School for Girls (UK)
The judges would also like to offer congratulations to authors of the following entries which were longlisted for the 2021 Cindy Neuschwander Award!
‘Does The Crown Fit?’ by Deniz Usta (14 years old) at Glen Cairn Public School (Canada)
‘Rational’ by Kalli Yang (12 years old) at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
‘Warriors of Five Crystals’ by Gisele Chong (12 years old) at Bucklands Beach Intermediate School (New Zealand)
‘Are U Sure That This Time Is Safe?’ by Amy Xu (12 years old) Ningbo Huamao International School (China)
‘Abella's French Bakery’ by Isobel Corben (13 years old) at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
‘The Story of Sandra and Linear Programming’ by Tracy Guo (15 years old) at Ningbo Huamao International School (China)
‘The One-Line Maze of the Apocalypse’ by Jennifer Zhao (13 years old) at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
‘Billards, Monsters’ by Erin Lee (13 years old) at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
‘Where To Start At Teaching Maths’ by Fatima Dewan (12 years old) at Brentford School for Girls (UK)
