THE 2024 YOUNG MATHEMATICAL STORY AUTHORS (YMSA)
COMPETITION
THE CINDY NEUSCHWANDER AWARD
(THE 12-15 YEARS OLD CATEGORY)
|
|
With 307 entries from 43 schools across 12 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 180 female students and 127 male 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 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.
Beechwood Park School (UK)
Blue Coat Church of England Academy (UK)
Botany Downs Secondary College (New Zealand)
Bucklands Beach Intermediate (New Zealand)
Callington Community College (UK)
Coombe Wood School (UK)
Co-op Academy Priesthorpe (UK)
Downe House Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
Dulwich College Beijing (China)
Durston House School (UK)
George Heriots School (UK)
Global Indian International School (India)
Guildford High School (UK)
Harrow International School Bangkok (Thailand)
High School of Glasgow (UK)
Kendrick School (UK)
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls (UK)
King James I Academy (UK)
Kingsmeadow Community School (UK)
Macleans College (New Zealand)
More House School (UK)
Mt Pleasant School (New Zealand)
Nahda Academy (Saudi Arabia)
Newlands School (United Arab Emirates)
Newstead Wood School (UK)
Oberoi International School JVLR (India)
PEP School V2 (India)
Ryde Academy (UK)
Satit International Bilingual School of Rangsit University Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Sharafuddin School (Maldives)
Shrewsbury House School (UK)
Silver Oaks International School (India)
St Georges British International School Rome (Italy)
St James Preparatory School (UK)
St Marys Catholic High School Chesterfield (UK)
Stretford High School (UK)
Taipei European School (Taiwan)
Tanglin Trust School (Singapore)
The Hall School (UK)
The High School of Glasgow (UK)
The Peterborough School (UK)
US International School (South Korea)
Westcliff High School for Girls (UK)
To read the winning, shortlisted and longlisted entries of our 2024 Stuart J. Murphy Award (the 8-11 years old category), click here.
If you want to learn more about our upcoming 2025 competition, click here.
If you want to learn more about our 2023 competition, click here.
If you want to learn more about our 2022 competition, click here.
If you want to learn more about our 2021 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.
|
What the judges say:
"This well-written and delightful story clearly highlights some practical uses of probability. Young Aya steps up to the Carnival of Chance booth at the Whimsical Wonderland to try her luck at winning a prize. But is it luck? Probability with golden trinkets, dice, and three closed doors guide her decisions. The math and story are seamlessly integrated. Lovely, clear illustrations accompany the narrative. We loved reading it! Having your YMSA entry longlisted for the Cindy Neuschwander Award in 2021 and then shortlisted in 2023, we are extremely happy to see your perseverance pays off this year. Many congratulations on finally winning the Award, Gisele!" |
|
What the author says:
"Since this was my fourth year in participating in the YMSA competition, I decided to create a more personal story. Throughout childhood, I’ve been to many festivals and amusement parks and, always, they all spread the same feelings; joy, awe, magic. Coincidentally, the same feelings I get when solving probability questions! Afterall, the wonder of what we term as ‘luck’, ‘fate’ and ‘destiny’ are just likely and unlikely outcomes with actual values and reasons behind them, which intrigued me. So I thought, how do I summarise all of these things? Through a Math story of course, specifically a carnival-based one as a carnival creates fleeting moments yet long lasting memories. Creating this mathematical story picture book was an entertaining experience, where images, numbers, and words became one and helped me to reinforce what I learnt about probability. I would like to encourage all Maths teachers out there to give their students opportunities to create their mathematical story picture books as a way to help them revise or even learn new math concepts colorfully and creatively. And to all their respective students, I encourage you to take part in the YMSA competition!" |
SHORTLISTED
'The Curious Case of the Missing Eggs' by Prim Eamskoolnont (13 years old)
at Harrow International School Bangkok (Thailand)
'The Curious Case of the Missing Eggs' by Prim Eamskoolnont (13 years old)
at Harrow International School Bangkok (Thailand)
|
What the judges say: "There’s nothing like a whodunit mystery to peak readers' interest! This story pits Detective Fox against a list of suspects who might have stolen a clutch of eggs. Using clues of basket prints that held the eggs, Detective Fox uses the mathematics of circumference and area of circles and ovals to track down the missing eggs. The illustrations pair nicely to the story in this delicious math mystery. Well done, Prim! We are glad to see that this is the second year in a row that your work is shortlisted for the Cindy Neuschwander Award." |
|
What the author says: “My main inspiration for the story, ‘The Curious Case of the Missing Eggs’ was the Sherlock Holmes detective novel series. I aimed to simplify some of the main elements found in his books, to make them more accessible and easier to understand for young readers. In my opinion, the process of creating a mathematical story picture book is something that is by no means easy. The undertaking of a project such as this requires dedication, willingness, and perseverance. However, I would undoubtedly recommend everyone to participate in this competition in the future! The competition has allowed me to broaden my knowledge of the topics I am studying in class, not to mention my literary and artistic skills as well. Maths teachers all around the world should absolutely give their students opportunities to create maths story picture books as part of their maths lessons as such opportunities can support their students' maths learning experience. Personally, my participation in this competition has led me to seeing mathematics becoming a much more approachable and enjoyable subject for me.” |
SHORTLISTED
'Large Land of Enlargements' by Nadeen Amro (12 years old)
at Newlands School (United Arab Emirates)
'Large Land of Enlargements' by Nadeen Amro (12 years old)
at Newlands School (United Arab Emirates)
|
What the judges say:
"This short, snappy story tells of the dilemma of small Square. He is bummed out because all of his shape friends are larger than he is. What to do? His teacher, Mrs. Kite, comes to the rescue with a clever math solution . . . ENLARGEMENT. With fun illustrations and humor, Square grows bigger and happier. What a fun story, Nadeen!" |
|
What the author says: "I got inspired to create my story because I love this topic (enlargements) so much. In the process of writing my story, I was really excited and had a feeling that I would be a finalist because of the passion I felt during making the story! I think that Maths teachers around the world should most definitely give their students opportunities to create mathematical story picture books as part of their regular math lessons, because it helped me focus more during Maths lessons! I would like to thank my teachers, Mr.Kamran Hashmi and Ms. Reema Burhan for helping me achieve my goal." |
SHORTLISTED
'Tally and the Transformations' by Jialin Dai (13 years old)
at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls (UK)
'Tally and the Transformations' by Jialin Dai (13 years old)
at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls (UK)
|
What the judges say: "Some poor lost shapes are looking for a way home. Fortunately Tally Trapeze is there to help them. Using mathematical transformations, Tally helps the shapes rotate, reflect, shift, and shrink themselves through a portal that transports them back to Mathiverse, their home. The illustrations are colorful and lively. They are also effective in visualising the mathematical focus in the story and clearly support the story. This was an enjoyable and informative read, Jailin!" |
|
What the author says: "I was inspired by the fun I had with my friends when we were doing transformations in maths lessons. I thought transformations was a part of maths that joins lots of concepts together, as I was taught, for example, that reflection and rotation were very different. However, I wanted all of them to end up as friends and help each other. Creating this mathematical story picture book was a very enjoyable experience and it helped me link all of the transformations together better. I think maths teachers around the world should definitely give their students opportunities to create mathematical story picture books because it engages students and lets them use their own creativity. It is also a good way to look back on a maths topic and remember something better." |
SHORTLISTED
'Ploughing towards Inverse Proportions' by Amelia Kang (13 years old)
at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
'Ploughing towards Inverse Proportions' by Amelia Kang (13 years old)
at Dulwich College Beijing (China)
|
What the judges say: "In trying to determine the optimal number of farmers and the time they spend ploughing and planting their fields, the story introduces the concept of inverse proportions. Add more farmers and less time needs to be spent in the fields. The illustrations are clear and delightful on the eyes. Nice work, Amelia! We are glad to see that this is the second year in a row that your work is shortlisted for the Cindy Neuschwander Award." |
|
What the author says: "My inspiration for creating this mathematical picture book came from the countryside where I went with my family. I found my experience in making this story not just intriguing but also meaningful for me. I want my readers to feel more open and comfortable towards maths rather than feeling distanced. I strongly encourage teachers everywhere to give their students opportunities to create mathematical story picture books in their maths lessons because not only can it enhance their maths skills but it can also enhance their problem-solving skills and their creativity and passion towards books." |
|
What the judges say: "A valuable watch pawned many years ago to help a family survive financially is the focal point of this story. The two daughters of the watch owners wish to find the watch, buy it, and return it to their parents in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary. Using both simple and compound interest, the sisters figure out the best way to save money to repurchase the watch. It is a tender and poignant story with lovely illustrations. This was a great read, Chace! |
|
What the author says: "I constructed this story because I have learnt about people being unable to afford education around the world. I was moved when some parents went through hardships and sacrifices to allow their children to have a better future and education. The process of making this mathematical story is to see if people understand how to do certain maths techniques from example calculations and questions that may happen in real-life scenarios. I think students around the world should be given opportunities by their Maths teachers to write these maths stories as part of their Maths lessons because it can help increase their knowledge and practice in maths. Creating mathematical story picture books can also assist others who are struggling in maths and give them an enjoyable way of learning the subject. Thank you YMSA for this opportunity and I encourage other students to give it a try!" |
SHORTLISTED
'A Day in the Life of Ammera the Engineer' by Jeem Naseer (15 years old)
at Sharafuddin School (Maldives)
'A Day in the Life of Ammera the Engineer' by Jeem Naseer (15 years old)
at Sharafuddin School (Maldives)
|
What the judges say: "This energetic trigonometry story features two sisters. The younger one is reluctantly visiting the older one at her work place. The sisters encounter a number of situations that require the use of trigonometry, convincing the younger sister that math is worth learning. Great job, Jeem. We are glad to see that this is the second year in a row that your work is shortlisted for the Cindy Neuschwander Award." |
|
What the author says: "The inspiration for this story was all the problem solvers in the world who use math every day! The process for creating this story was riveting! This project helped me gain a more intuitive understanding of trigonometry, not to mention all the other stuff I learned along the way (like how to draw and paint a motorbike!). I believe that math teachers around the world should encourage young storytellers to craft math-based stories in class! It's a great way to dive into the math concept being explored, and encourages kids to find their creative sides." |
SHORTLISTED
'A Friend's Promise' by Navya Agarwal (14 years old)
at Oberoi International School JVLR (India)
'A Friend's Promise' by Navya Agarwal (14 years old)
at Oberoi International School JVLR (India)
|
What the judges say: "This is a heartwarming story of two childhood friends; one a poor boy and the other wealthy. Sudame, the poor boy, shares his modest lunch of sprouted lentils with his friend, Krish. Krish does not eat all of his. Instead, he later plants them. The lentils grow and replant themselves over many years. Using the principal of simple interest, the story demonstrates that lentil growth. Krish is able to return the initial generous offer of sharing luncheon lentils by giving Sudame an entire farm of lentils. Navya, I loved how you combined the heartfelt ideals of friendship with mathematics! We are glad to see that this is the third time that your work gets shortlisted; with your first YMSA entry got shortlisted for the Stuart J. Murphy Award in 2021 and then for the Cindy Neuschwander Award in 2022. Keep going, Navya!" |
|
What the author says: "To me, this competition truly exemplifies the idea, ‘The best way to learn is to create’. I have always enjoyed reading Indian mythological tales, and Lord Krishna is my favourite character. So, when the YMSA competition rolled around, I knew I had to base my story around him. Additionally, mythological tales have a way of leaving lasting impressions in people’s minds; so I felt that expressing mathematical concepts through this would cement the topics of compounding and estimation well. These concepts have several real-life applications which I was able to better understand through the process of creating this maths story picture book. I would love for Maths teachers around the world to embed as part of their schools' Maths curriculum the opportunities for students to create their own maths story picture books. Since stories make for an engaging and interesting read, they will be more effective in holding students’ attention as well as fostering creative and critical thinking. Additionally, the beautiful blend of maths, art and language will strengthen student’s understanding of topics as well as develop a flair for the interdisciplinary units." |
LONGLISTED ENTRIES
The judges would also like to offer congratulations to authors of the following entries which were longlisted for the 2024 Cindy Neuschwander Award!
The judges would also like to offer congratulations to authors of the following entries which were longlisted for the 2024 Cindy Neuschwander Award!
|
|
'A Digital Odyssey' by Srinika Reddy (14 years old) at Global Indian International School (India)
|
|
|
