Student at Henry Beaufort School wins GCHQ competition

Mariia, a student at The Henry Beaufort School, beat hundreds of other entries nationwide to win the competition with "creativity, analytical skills, and attention to detail".

The competition was organised by GCHQ, the UK's intelligence, security and cyber agency, and challenged schoolchildren to design a Christmas card with a hidden puzzle or code.

Mariia's entry impressed the judges and was selected as the winning design, a moment that will be announced personally by the director of GCHQ.

She also appeared on BBC Breakfast in recognition of her achievement.

Jonathan Newman with Mariia and headteacher Susan Hearle (Image: The Henry Beaufort School)

The winning entry was part of a project open to all Year 7 to Year 10 students to research the history of GCHQ, design their own ciphers and put their creative skills to work.

Headteacher at The Henry Beaufort School, Susan Hearle, said: "I am so delighted that Mariia's creative and analytical skills have been recognised.

"The Henry Beaufort School community are so proud of her.

"She embodies our core values of pride, happiness and ambition.

"She is a role model for the young people of our school in everything she does, and winning this competition is the icing on the cake."

Mariia's maths teacher, Jonathan Newman, added: "We are incredibly proud of Mariia. She shines with both creativity and intellectual talent.

"This achievement perfectly reflects our school values that we nurture at The Henry Beaufort, and it’s wonderful to see her talent recognised in such a prestigious competition."

Mariia's mum said: "Mariia has always been one of those children who truly loves learning.

"She dedicates a lot of time to her studies independently, and from an early age she showed both a natural creativity and a strong talent for mathematics.

KS4/Year 10: Mariia – The Henry Beaufort School, Winchester (Image: Crown Copyright – reproduced by kind permissions of Director GCHQ.)

"In this project, these two gifts, together with her discipline, came together beautifully.

"We didn’t expect this achievement at all; it was a wonderful surprise for all of us.

"Her appearance on BBC Breakfast was an unforgettable experience that I’m sure she will remember for the rest of her life. I am incredibly proud of her and love her very much."

Mariia's design was one of three winning designs, picked out of more than 500 entries.

The other winning designs were from KS5/Year 12: Amelie at South Wilts Grammar School, Salisbury and KS3/Year 8: Haoran at Wilson’s School, London

2024’s challenge was downloaded over 140,000 times by schools and members of the public across the UK. And again, this year has been set aside for schoolchildren, who are encouraged to take the puzzles home to tackle the challenge with family and friends and continue the problem-solving.

GCHQ’s chief puzzler, known only as Colin, said:  "This year's Christmas Challenge features seven puzzles designed to test everything from codebreaking and mathematical analysis to lateral thinking and creativity – the same blend of skills our teams use every day to keep the country safe.

"We've designed the puzzles to suit different skill sets. Some will suit analytical minds; others require creative leaps of perseverance. That's entirely intentional – we want groups of classmates, families and friends working together, combining their different strengths to reveal the final festive message.

GCHQ Christmas Challenge (Image: Crown Copyright – reproduced by kind permissions of Director GCHQ)

"With over 140,000 downloads last year, we know these puzzles bring people together over the festive period. All ages are encouraged to give them a go and remember puzzle-solving is often better as a team effort and more fun too!

"We'd love to see how you get on with the Challenge, so please share your progress by tagging us @GCHQ on Instagram, X or LinkedIn. Happy puzzle-solving!"

To download the challenge, click here, or go to gchq.gov.uk/news/gchq-christmas-challenge-2025.

Join the Top Secret Puzzle Club on GCHQ’s Instagram for bonus puzzles.