Challenges-old

MEM has been running Challenge and Senior Challenge take-home competitions in February half term since the late 1970s. Together, these competitions attract about 2,000 entries annually, with Challenge aimed at Years 7 and 8, and Senior Challenge aimed at Years 9 and 10.

A third competition, Open Challenge for students aged 18 and under, is organised by Liverpool Mathematical Society (LivMS). Open Challenge details can be found HERE


The 2021 competitions are expected to be available to download from this page on Monday 11th Jan 2021


Copies of all three competitions are sent in January to local high schools and anyone else who has registered an interest. The deadline for returning entries is on the front of the particular question sheet and is usually early March. Challenge 2021 and Senior Challenge 2021 will be available to download and print from this webpage. Teachers should also download and print the Mark Sheets, which should be completed with the pupils’ names and placed in the envelope containing the competition entries.

Please assist those doing the marking by entering the pupils’ names on the Mark Sheets in alphabetical order, and by submitting the entries in the same order. Please also submit Challenge and Senior Challenge entries in separate envelopes. Thank you.

Both competitions consist of about 8 questions usually centred around a particular theme, with illustrations provided by Theo Chaddock. The theme for 2020 was Vision. The best entrants will be invited, along with family or friends, to prize-giving evenings at the University of Liverpool in April 2021 (Senior Challenge and Open Challenge) and May 2021 (Challenge) provided that COVID-19 restrictions have eased by then. In 2020 the Prize Evenings were CANCELLED due to the coronavirus situation. Alternative arrangements had to be made: Results, certificates and any prizes were sent to schools by post on 23rd June 2020 for distribution to the pupils.

Financial support for Senior Challenge is kindly provided by Mercer Limited.

Challenge & Senior Challenge 2020 Competitions and Solutions

. . . to download, click the links below

Challenge 2020 Questions (pdf)Challenge 2020 Solutions (ppsx)
Senior Challenge 2020 Questions (pdf) Senior Challenge 2020 Solutions (ppsx)


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Challenge & Senior Challenge Archive