The 2025 Tom Rocks Maths Essay Competition in partnership with the Oxford University Lifelong Learning has reached its thrilling conclusion. After showcasing all 326 essays, across 17 groups, I have selected my favourites for the shortlist.

Part I contains 12 essays selected from groups 1-8. If your essay is part of groups 9-17 in the showcase it may still make part II of the shortlist so keep a look out!

The two winners, receiving a cash prize and entry onto an online course of their choice at the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, will be announced shortly. Best of luck to everyone!

An incredibly thorough exploration of the joy of Fermi estimation problems.

Fun from start to finish – and I learned something completely new!

A beautiful result, well explained and generalised perfectly.

I love salads and this may be my favourite recipe yet!

A brilliant explanation of a very interesting part of history I had previously never heard of.

Simple, concise and eye-opening – everything a short essay should be.

A brilliant combination of calculation, experiments and simulations, showcasing how maths can be applied to the real world.

As a self-confessed flag fanatic, this was a fascinating read.

An incredibly original and creative application of mathematics to poetry.

A delightful investigation into extraordinarily large numbers.

A fantastic way to discuss the importance of proof in mathematics.

A lovely foray into the mind of a budding mathematician, where everything and anything can be analysed through a mathematical lens.