THE 2022 YOUNG MATHEMATICAL STORY AUTHORS (YMSA)
COMPETITION
THE STUART J. MURPHY AWARD
(THE 8-11 YEARS OLD CATEGORY)
|
|
With 415 entries from 45 schools and homeschooling sites across 8 countries to judge, the Stuart J. Murphy Award (the 8-11 years old category) is very competitive this year.
The competition is also very inclusive with 233 female students and 182 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 HarperCollins.
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 (and homeschooling sites) for this age category.
Ashton House School (UK)
Ashton Keynes Church of England Primary School (UK)
Birkenhead High School Academy (UK)
Bucklands Beach Intermediate School (New Zealand)
Danesfield School (UK)
David E Smith Elementary (Texas, USA)
Delhi World Public School Bangalore (India)
Downsway Primary School (UK)
Dulwich College Beijing (China)
Gatehouse School (UK)
Grandeur International School (India)
Hamble Primary School (UK)
Harbor School (Washington, USA)
Immanuel and St Andrew Primary (UK)
International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
Irlam Primary School (UK)
James H Harrison Elementary (Maryland, USA)
King's Ely (UK)
Langley Grammar School (UK)
Leighton Park School (UK)
Loddon Primary School (UK)
Milton Road Primary (UK)
North London Collegiate School (UK)
Oberoi International School JVLR (India)
Our Lady Immaculate School Hamrun Malta (Malta)
PEP School V2 (India)
Pinewood School (UK)
Saint Mark’s School (California, USA)
Silver Oaks International School (India)
Southlands British School Rome (Italy)
St Barnabas Primary Church of England School (UK)
St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School (UK)
St Benedict’s School (UK)
St Catherine’s School (UK)
St Christopher’s School (UK)
St George’s International School, Rome (Italy)
St Martin’s School Fangfoss (UK)
Stockwell Primary School (UK)
Sutton Community Academy (UK)
The Hall School (UK)
The Pilgrims School (UK)
Utahloy International School Guangzhou (China)
Wootey Junior School (UK)
Homeschooling (India) x 2
If you want to learn more about the winning, shortlisted and longlisted entries of our 2022 Cindy Neuschwander Award (the 12-15 years old category), click here.
If you want to learn more about our upcoming 2023 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.
WINNER
'We Are Different But the Same' by Miriam Iannazzi (11 years old)
at Southlands British School Rome (Italy)
'We Are Different But the Same' by Miriam Iannazzi (11 years old)
at Southlands British School Rome (Italy)
|
What the judges say: "This is a clever and imaginative story about triangles and quadrilaterals and how shapes can join one another to become different shapes. A character in the form of a teacher, Mr. Trapezius, is effectively used to explain each new shape configuration and provide the equations needed to find the areas of those shapes. The author has done an excellent job of explaining the concept in a manner that is easy for the reader to understand. The basic context of the story, that the two shape families are different but really the same, feels natural and engaging. The attributes of each of the shapes are described accurately through visual models throughout the story. The ending nicely includes the larger thought that these two families that seem different from one another can discover their similarities and have a good time together. Congratulations, Miriam Iannazzi. I am delighted that you are this year’s winner of the Stuart J. Murphy Award!" |
|
What the author says: "During my studies of shapes and their properties, I noticed that different shapes could be combined to form new ones and that gave me an inspiration for my story. Additionally, often in the news I hear about wars and fighting because of racial, religious, and physical differences. It prompted me to use the shapes to teach people that despite some differences, we are all the same. The task of creating this maths story picture book was not easy, but I really enjoyed the process. Working on this maths story picture book helped me learn maths more effectively because I have to consider how to communicate mathematical ideas to others in steps, so I start to feel more confident in my mathematical understanding. I would like to encourage everyone to participate in the YMSA competition because it will help you learn maths and you can be very proud of the maths story picture book that you create." |
|
What the judges say: "This cute story starts with poor 25% feeling left out in the playground because he is a percent, and all his classmates are fractions. The teacher, Mr. Equivalent, saves the day by showing how a percent can be expressed as a fraction. The process of converting a percent to a fraction is well-explained in clear visual models. The mathematical concept is fully embedded into the storyline and leads to the happy ending of 25% realizing that he is also ¼ and is now able to play with all his other fraction friends. Excellent work, Olivia!" |
|
What the author says: "I was inspired to write about converting percentages into fractions because it was the first area that got me very interested in maths. I really enjoyed converting percentages, and I wanted to help other people enjoy doing it too. Creating my own maths story picture book was very fun and really helped me put my knowledge about maths into words. I would recommend everyone to create maths story picture books and to take part in the YMSA competition because it can help you articulate what you know about maths, help you enjoy maths more and is really fun to create!" |
SHORTLISTED
'Problematic Pitch!' by Aidan Burford (9 years old)
at St Benedict's Catholic Primary School (UK)
'Problematic Pitch!' by Aidan Burford (9 years old)
at St Benedict's Catholic Primary School (UK)
|
What the judges say: "In this unusual tale, the author explores the concept of perimeter through several different rectangular formations. The plot starts with a water-soaked football field and the need to create a perfect football pitch in another location. Aidan, the team manager, is limited to 50 meters of paint to line the field. In a nice touch, Ruby, a female athlete is the leading striker for the team as well as the key problem solver. The mathematical concept is nicely woven into the storyline and critical to finding the solution. The visualisation of the mathematical concept is also very useful. Nice job, Aidan!" |
|
What the author says: "The inspiration for my maths story was my love of football and Maths. My team always has pitch problems and I had learnt all about perimeter at school. It was challenging to try and put maths into a story, but I found it enjoyable because we use maths in everything we do. I think students should participate in the YMSA competition because it encourages them to express their maths understanding in words (meaningful contexts) and images (page illustrations)." |
SHORTLISTED
'Detective Numeral and the Missing Number Grid' by Armaani Notta (11 years old)
at Ashton House School (UK)
'Detective Numeral and the Missing Number Grid' by Armaani Notta (11 years old)
at Ashton House School (UK)
|
What the judges say: "Just when Detective Numeral seems stumped in solving the problem of a missing golden grid, a surprise character shows up to help him out. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, they are finally able to find the culprit. Measurement diagrams greatly help in explaining this concept and colorful illustrations further engage the reader as this creative story unfolds. Nicely achieved, Armaani!" |
|
What the author says: "My maths story was based on the Pythagoras Theorem. I chose this theorem as we had recently studied it in a maths lesson and I thought that I would try and apply my writing skills and my love of drawing to this newly learnt area of maths. The process of creating the maths story picture book was very different from the writing we normally do and I found out how much I really enjoyed making mathematical symbols and shapes into characters. It made maths come to life. I would definitely encourage other students to participate in the YMSA competition as it has helped me think of maths in a different way and link my maths more closely to literacy. I also enjoyed reading other entries from the previous year and was amazed at the variety of ideas." |
SHORTLISTED
'The Animals Adventure to Candyland' by Savvia Prokopiou (9 years old)
at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
'The Animals Adventure to Candyland' by Savvia Prokopiou (9 years old)
at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
|
What the judges say: "Division diagrams fill this charming story about four animal friends from different countries who escape from a zoo to explore the world. Under each diagram is an accurate numerical statement of the problem and the division equation required to find the solution. This attention to detail greatly helps the reader to understand the mathematical concept of division. The addition of four additional characters provides a seamless vehicle for adding another layer of complexity to the mathematics. The story is well written and very engaging. Well done, Savvia!" |
|
What the author says: "The inspiration of my story comes from my love for animals and candies. I have always felt sorry for animals in cages so decided to free the animals in the zoo so they could have a wonderful time in Candy World. When I started to create my mathematical story picture book, I felt nervous and unsure if I could combine the mathematical concept that I had chosen with a creative story. Once I came up with the ideas, I felt confident and got very excited to write my math story. I really enjoyed the experience, and I would encourage other students to participate in the YMSA competition as it has helped me to develop my problem-solving skills in Mathematics in a fun and creative way as well as it has been a great sense of achievement for me." |
SHORTLISTED
'A Swashbuckling Adventure!' by Michael Asimacopoulos (10 years old)
at The Hall School (UK)
'A Swashbuckling Adventure!' by Michael Asimacopoulos (10 years old)
at The Hall School (UK)
|
What the judges say: "The mathematical concepts of scale, triangles, angle measurements, and spatial relationships are all explored as Pirate Jack tries to decipher the instructions provided on a treasure map he has found. Jack’s knowledge of these topics is essential to his ability to create diagrams on the map that include accurate mathematical notations to help him solve the problem. The story is further enhanced by nice details that describe the island setting, Jack’s scimitar sword, and the ongoing pirate adventure. The discovery that the treasure is a chest filled with golden protractors is a clever ending to this tale. Congratulations, Michael!" |
|
What the author says: "Maths is my favourite subject at school and I had just been learning about triangles and angles. I also have always liked pirates and treasure maps so writing this story was the perfect way to combine all these ideas! I really enjoyed writing and illustrating this mathematical picture book because it allowed me to show my love for maths and creative writing at the same time. I think the YMSA competition is a brilliant idea to encourage students from around the world to explore maths in a fun and imaginative way." |
LONGLISTED ENTRIES
The judges would also like to offer congratulations to authors of the following entries which were longlisted for the 2022 Stuart J. Murphy Award!
'Detective Mathematical and the Stolen Painting' by Hira Adhikari (10 years old) at Downsway Primary School (UK)
'Tasty Multiplication' by Maria Savvide (10 years old) at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
'The Trapezium Kingdom' by Xinyi Chen (10 years old) at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
'Klee's Birthday Party!' by Sofiya Gorokhova (10 years old) at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
'Young Sherlock Holmes and the Sub-zero Mystery' by Petros Pieroua (11 years old) at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
'Area' by Chengxi Wang (10 years old) at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
The judges would also like to offer congratulations to authors of the following entries which were longlisted for the 2022 Stuart J. Murphy Award!
'Detective Mathematical and the Stolen Painting' by Hira Adhikari (10 years old) at Downsway Primary School (UK)
'Tasty Multiplication' by Maria Savvide (10 years old) at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
'The Trapezium Kingdom' by Xinyi Chen (10 years old) at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
'Klee's Birthday Party!' by Sofiya Gorokhova (10 years old) at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
'Young Sherlock Holmes and the Sub-zero Mystery' by Petros Pieroua (11 years old) at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
'Area' by Chengxi Wang (10 years old) at the International School of Paphos (Cyprus)
