Maldivian students make history with first‑place wins across all three YMSA age categories

Maldivian students have secured gold medals in the Young Mathematical Story Authors (YMSA) 2026 competition, taking first place across all three age categories.

The YMSA competition, the world’s first and largest international contest promoting mathematical storytelling for learners aged 4 to 16, is organised by the UK‑based Maths Through Stories initiative. It encourages students to creatively illustrate mathematical concepts through original storybooks.

According to the Ministry of Education, this is the first time in the competition’s history that a single country has won the top awards in all three age groups: 4–7 years, 8–11 years, and 12–16 years. The ministry did not disclose the names of the winning students.

The competition has attracted more than 7,000 students from over 40 countries since its inception and is recognised by the ministry as the highest global benchmark for creative mathematical literacy.

Education Minister Ismail Shafeeu congratulated the students, describing their achievement as an extraordinary milestone and a strong encouragement to further strengthen mathematics teaching in the Maldives.

More than 650 Maldivian students took part in this year’s competition, which saw participation from 34 countries, the highest number of entries from any nation.

The ministry said the success reflects collaborative efforts by the Ministry of Education, the National Institute of Education (NIE), and the Maldives National University (MNU) to build an environment where Maldivian students can excel internationally. In particular, the joint MNU–NIE teacher training programmes were highlighted as a key foundation for this achievement, equipping teachers with effective methods for teaching mathematics through storytelling.

The ministry also acknowledged the contribution of Dr. Nathapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai, founder of Maths Through Stories, who has played an important role in providing technical training to enhance the capacity of Maldivian teachers.