Maths and poetry connect through patterns and sequences, as do maths and nature. We're bringing all three together in our Fibonacci Poetry Contest!
The Fibonacci Sequence is one of the most fascinating sequences found in nature. Each number in the sequence is the sum of the two preceding numbers, giving us the sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 and so on.
Poetry based on numerical sequences has been around for centuries. In 2006, Los Angeles writer Gregory K. Pincus inspired a new poetry movement based on the Fibonacci Sequence. In his so-called 'Fibs', the syllables per line follow the numbers in the sequence:
Line 1: 1 syllable
Line 2: 1 syllable
Line 3: 2 syllables
Line 4: 3 syllables
Line 5: 5 syllables
Line 6: 8 syllables
For our poetry contest, we are inviting young people of secondary school age, as well as independent adults, to write their own poem based on the Fibonacci Sequence. Here's an example of a Fibonacci poem we wrote:
Find out more about the Fibonacci Sequence and Gregory K. Pincus' poetry movement in our previous post, Wild Fibonacci: Poetry Meets Maths.
Dates
Contest Opens: Monday 1 September 2025 at 8am
Contest Closes: Friday 3 October 2025 at 6pm
Who can enter?
We welcome entries from anyone in Scotland of Secondary School age or above. Judging will be across two categories:
Secondary School (S1 - S6)
Adults (teachers, parents, independent adults and others beyond school)
Prizes will be awarded within both categories. Home-educated children are also welcome to enter.
Please note that only individual entries are possible (i.e. one child/author per story). Team entry is not possible.
Decide if you are going to use words, syllables or even letters to match the numbers of the Fibonacci sequence. The most common choice, like in the ‘Fibs’, is syllables.
Choose Your Length
The ‘Fibs’ popularised by Pincus have six lines (1/1/2/3/5/8). But you can make your poem longer if you are up for the challenge (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55…) For our poem above, we went up to 21 syllables.
To Rhyme or Not To Rhyme?
Fibonacci poems don’t have to rhyme, though if you want them to that’s up to you.
Add a Title
Don't forget to give your poem a title!
Submit Your Poem
We will accept both hand written and typed entries.
Written entries can be in English or Gaelic.
We also accept BSL entries via video.
How to submit your entry
Entries must be submitted by an adult. For participants under the age of 18, entries can be submitted by a teacher or parent.
Entries must be submitted via the form below. Entries will not be accepted via email or social media, with the exception of BSL video entries.
Document Check List
Make sure you have completed the details (first name, poem title, and school and year group if relevant) at the top of the entry form.
Save entries in DOC or PDF format.
Please include your name or the name of your school in the document name.
For teachers: If you want to submit multiple entries, you may upload them all as one document or submit them separately, whichever works best for you.
BSL Video Entry Check List
Please upload your video to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Vimeo and include the link in your entry form (If you do not have access to any of these sites, please email us on mathsweekscot@nms.ac.uk for further advice).
For video entries, please only include one entry per form.
Please submit your entry by 6pm on Friday 3 October 2025. Late entries will not be considered.
If you are a teacher submitting entries from a school, please also make sure you have added yourself to our Maths Week Scotland schools map (this is not applicable to entries from home educators or adults).
By entering the competition, entrants will be deemed to have accepted the terms and conditions.
In advance of this year's 30 Days Wild, we caught up with Christine from Welly Walkers Childminding Family in Aberdeenshire, to have a chat about how they used our 30 Days Wild maths resources last year.
