Salisbury student’s artwork picked for GCHQ Christmas card
Year 12 student Amelie from South Wilts Grammar School in Salisbury was named one of three winners in the intelligence agency’s student design competition.
Her digital entry is “chock-full of puzzles,” according to the judges, who said: “The longer you look, the more you see.”
The competition invited pupils to imagine what GCHQ might look like on Christmas Day and to hide puzzles and secret codes within their artwork.
Anne Keast-Butler, director of GCHQ, said: “Puzzles are at the heart of GCHQ’s work to keep the country safe from hostile states, terrorists and criminals; challenging our teams to think creatively and analytically every day.
“I’m delighted that this year’s Christmas Challenge combines puzzles created by our own experts with brilliant designs from schoolchildren across the country.
“It was a pleasure to judge the competition alongside Colin, GCHQ’s Chief Puzzler.
“The winning designs beautifully captured what they thought GCHQ looks like on Christmas Day and incorporated some clever codes and ciphers.
“I hope this Challenge inspires the next generation to explore STEM subjects and consider the rewarding careers available in cybersecurity and intelligence.
“Who knows – some of these talented schoolchildren might be solving our own puzzles in the future.”
The competition was open to thousands of schools that have taken part in the Christmas Challenge in previous years.
The two other winners were Haoran from Wilson’s School in London and Mariia from The Henry Beaufort School in Winchester.
This year marks 10 years of GCHQ’s festive brainteasers and the first time the card has featured artwork from schoolchildren.
Last year’s Christmas Challenge was downloaded more than 140,000 times by schools and members of the public.
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