2026

Competition

Welcome

Mathstory is an international digital storytelling competition that invites students to tell stories about mathematics and its relevance to our world. The competition is open to undergraduate students and to students in the final two years of pre-university education – whether this is called sixth form college, senior secondary school (Year 11 and 12), preparatory studies, or something else in your country.

Mathstory welcomes everyone: students who are passionate about mathematics and enjoy exploring its ideas, as well as those who may not see themselves as particularly strong at school or university mathematics but recognise that mathematics plays an important role in society and in addressing many of the challenges of our time. Rather than rewarding speed or technical skills, Mathstory challenges participants to communicate the meaning, beauty, and significance of mathematics through short creative videos.

The competition is founded on the idea that mathematics is not only a collection of formulas and procedures but also a deeply human and cultural activity. You can read more about the competition’s foundational ideas in this paper.

Mathstory has already attracted an international community of participants. In 2025 alone, we received 40 submissions from students in the USA, the UK, Malaysia, India, Greece, and Kenya, showcasing diverse perspectives on how mathematics shapes our societies and our lives. We invite you to join this growing international community and share your own mathematical story.

How to enter the competition:

Create an original video in English (between 3 and 4 minutes long) telling a story about the use of a specific piece of Mathematics and why this is important to society. It can be any mathematical concept, from simple to advanced. And yes, Statistics is Mathematics!

How to submit your video:

  1. In order to submit your entry, you must first upload the video you have recorded onto YouTube. Your video needs to be in MP4 format and you should ensure that the video is available for viewing (set it to “unlisted”). This step is important otherwise, your work will not be viewable. Once your video is uploaded to YouTube, you will need to generate a link to share the video with us.
  2. Complete and submit the Mathstory Registration 2026 through the online submission form at our website.
  3. The deadline for submissions is Sunday November 29th, 2026, 23:59 [Any time in the world].

Notes:

  1. The competition is open to ALL undergraduate students currently enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program, or school students in their final two years before university; in any university or school, in any country in the world.
  2. You can enter the competition on your own, or in a group of maximum 3 students.
  3. We prefer that students appear in their videos rather than a video fully created with Artificial Intelligence. But you can use text, sound
    effects, avatars, pictures or music to enhance your video. Please ensure you have full copyright to all the submitted
    material. This includes audio and visuals.
  4. You can use your phone to record, or any other recording device.
    You can use any software to edit your video (see our Resources page. 
  5. Submission of an entry will mean acceptance of the competition rules and the Terms and Conditions as outlined here.

The winners of the 2025 Mathstory competition have been announced and the winning videos can be seen at the Winner’s gallery. Congratulations!

The competition closes in:

Days
Hours
Minutes
The 2026 competition is now closed. Results will be announced on December 16th, 2026.

You can participate on your own or team up with 1 or 2 other students (groups of max 3 students). If you are thinking of forming a group, try to find someone who complements your skills or knowledge. 

To participate, all students must be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at an institution of higher education or be in their last two years of upper secondary school (pre-university) by the competition’s closing date. 

Video submissions must NOT include any endorsement of product services, political endorsements, or any obscene, violent, racist, homophobic, transphobic or defamatory content. Submissions must not include individuals who have not consented to appear.

IMPORTANT

  • All videos submitted to Mathstory must be original creations produced specifically for the competition. If your video is based on work previously completed as part of a school/university course, it should be substantially revised, extended, or reimagined for the competition.
  • When registering, please use your personal institutional email address (for example, your individual school or university email account), NOT a generic email address or a personal email address.
  • We cannot accept videos that have already been made publicly available before judging, so make sure to upload your video to YouTube as “unlisted”.

There will be one:

  • 1st prize of AUD$500
  • 2nd prize of AUD$300, and
  • 3rd prize of AUD$200

The winners will be announced on Wednesday December 16th, 2026, and notified by email as well as published on our website. All winning videos will be showcased in our website and social networking sites once the competition is over.

The judges will look for a creative, engaging and inspiring video.

They will judge on:

Creativity/Originality of the story

  • Your entry should be your own work, in your own words. We prefer that students appear in their videos rather than a video fully created with Artificial Intelligence. The video should be an original creation and may include personal experiences and thoughtful observations that enhance the originality. The story should evoke viewers’ emotions effectively. 
  • The story should have a recognisable beginning, middle and end that are connected cohesively. We encourage students to use storytelling techniques effectively. For example, the story can be told using an archetype such as the “hero’s journey” or any other technique, such as a cliffhanger, a surprising moment, etc. See our Resources page for inspiration.
  • The video should clearly and effectively explain the mathematical concept to a general audience. The video may present a novel way to see the mathematical concept or show its utility in unexpected ways. But it should be a story, not a lecture.

Message Content

  • The video should address how mathematics can be of use to society and help humanity solve the most significant problems of our time. It should make clear how mathematics is relevant to our communities.
  • The story should be told in a persuasive and compelling way, which reflects why the chosen topic is important to communicate. The video should be engaging and inspire others to see the meaning, beauty and significance of mathematics.

Technical Organization

  • The video should be well produced in regards to continuity, timing, camera operation, sound quality, editing and adherence to the time limit of 3 – 4 minutes.

The judges’ decisions will be final. The organisers and judges reserve the right to remove entries from the competition that they believe may breach any of the competition rules or the Terms and Conditions, or that may bring the competition into disrepute. Such entries will be disqualified.