Art Competitions

Desmos art is one of the most creative and artistic use of mathematics. In 2020, Desmos launched the first Desmos Global Math Art Contest, which was divided into three groups: 13-14 years of age, 15-16 years of age, 17-18 years of age. This article will list the three winners of each age range. For more info on all the finalists, check https://www.desmos.com/art#13."'Desmos's first Global Math Art Contest featured over 4,000 graphs from over 100 countries around the world. Here are the winners and finalists, chosen from countless examples of incredible effort, artistry, ingenuity, and creativity.'"

First Place
"Giraffe Spectrum" by Kari Yatsushiro

From the judges: This graph is a stunning intersection of art and mathematics. The judges were struck by the vivid coloring, originality, and personality that Kari was able to capture with just our 6-color palette.

“Even though what initially captures your eye are all the brightly colored and strangely satisfying polygons making up the spots, the whimsy and expressions of the giraffes themselves come across in just a handful of key functions.”

From the artist:

“Through this process, I learned how mathematics can be turned into a work of art. This graph was created with a lot of trial, error, and tons of patience. In the end, I created something that I am proud of and had fun learning in the process.”

Second Place
"Jelliequations" by Valerie S.

From the judges: Multiple judges noted how lovely the colors and textures are, with so much richness captured by just two colors. The bubbles are particularly breathtaking, with their subtle animation and reflective glints. Notice how the tentacles are created with pieces of many different arcsin functions, which is no small feat!

From the artist:

“For my graph, I wanted to play with the graphing calculator's limited color palette, and I was able to create several different shades by layering with just two colors. I used bubbles and sliders to create an illusion of motion in the water.”

Third Place
"Mesmerized" by Chloe Lum

From the judges: Chloe's hand drawing on which this graph is based would have been impressive enough. She then brings it to life with a wide variety of equations and line styles. Subtle, animated hyperbolas seal the deal as one of the most original and beautiful graphs we encountered.

From the artist:

“I was reading several fantasy books at that time, and that's when I got the idea to present something magical and enchanting. Incorporating my mathematical knowledge and Desmos' tools was quite difficult, but I learnt a lot of new tricks and equations along the way. It was really fun and exciting.”

Best Audiotrace
"Flying Bumblebee Song and Animation" by Nathan Lee

From the judges: The judges decided to make a special category for this incredible graph. Nathan uses the Desmos audio-trace feature, originally designed for vision-impaired and blind students, to create a masterpiece based on Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee." It's a multi-sensory mathematical experience—buckle up!

From the artist:

“My inspiration for choosing this topic was to show how math can be turned into a wonderful animation and a great song, so I decided to choose the Flight of the Bumblebee song along with an animation of a bee flying. Using The Flight of the Bumblebee song I can show that even a song which is fast and has so many notes, can still be made using the power of math. Also, I wanted to challenge my math and music skills, so I put a lot of effort figuring out how to put the song together, making sure each note was as close to tune as possible, and I made sure the animation looked well with the song.”