The Graham Hoare Prize is awarded annually to Early Career Mathematicians for a brilliant Mathematics Today article. The prize was named after Graham Hoare for his valuable contribution to the IMA and the wider mathematics community, especially in encouraging young mathematicians. He was head of mathematics at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, and has actively supported the UK Mathematics Trust, the Ri Masterclasses programme, the Bletchley Park Education Department, the Mathematical Association and the IMA. Graham responded to letters in a characteristically erudite and jocular style for 20 years as Mathematics Today Letters Editor.
This competition is open to Early Career Mathematicians (ECMs), with a prize of £250. We invite articles on any mathematical topic, including pure, applied, teaching, case studies, etc. between 1,000–2,000 words.
The competition will be assessed by a panel of three adjudicators appointed by the Editorial Board. The winning entry will be published in Mathematics Today and other entries may also be published in future issues of Mathematics Today.
The panel members independently give each article a score between 1 and 5 (1 is the worst and 5 is the best) for Quality of Writing, Depth of Mathematics and General Interest. For a paper to be considered for the prize it must score at least 2 under each of these three headings. Once the scores have been consolidated, the paper with the highest score is the one recommended for the prize. If the three judges do not agree on the winner then the winner is agreed through discussion. The panel may decide not to award a prize.
The winning entry will be published in Mathematics Today. Prize winners will be invited to give a talk in the IMA/OR Early Career Mathematicians Seminar Series and will usually be presented with their certificates at an IMA event.
Please submit articles to Karen Hedderley by 12 noon on 30 July 2026.
The Graham Hoare Prize winners
- 2025 Alexander V. Gheorghiu – High-School Algebra and the Limits of AI
- 2024 Ramón Nartallo-Kaluarachchi – Mathematical Memory Machines
- 2023 Matthew Cotton and Brady Metherall – Settling Scores and Gambling on Goals
- 2022 Victoria Sánchez Muñoz – The Estimation of Wind Speed: Challenging the Insurance Company’s Decision
- 2021 Robyn Goldsmith – Could Mathematics Be Big at the Box Office?
- 2020 Luca Panconi – A Mathematician’s Guide to the Perfect Mug of Tea
- 2019 Lucia P. Karageorghis – Paint by Number
- 2018 Kristian Kiradjiev – Connecting the Dots with Pick’s Theorem
- 2017 Kristian Kiradjiev – Exploring Steiner Chains with Möbius Transformations*
- 2016 Josué Ortega – Playing Tennis without Envy*
- 2015 Andrew D. Irving and Ebrahim L. Patel – Mixing Motions*
- 2014 Andrew D. Irving and Ebrahim L. Patel – Pendulum Pattern Perception*
*Formerly the Catherine Richards Prize