For the past ten years, Club Tangente has organized several events known as the Tangente Awards, which showcase mathematical culture and the importance of interdisciplinary connections, particularly between mathematics and literature. Numerous partners—associations (APMEP, SMF, FFJM) and websites (CultureMath, Diophante)—support the Awards, as does the Musée des arts et métiers, which hosts "Tangente Day" on the first Sunday in December, when the year's Tangente Awards are presented.
This gave rise to the Tangente Book Prize, which has become an institution and recognizes a book published within the previous eighteen months, "inspiring a wide readership to learn more about one or more areas of mathematics".
Many high-quality publications appear each year—nearly a hundred are reviewed in the pages of Tangente—showcasing the richness and diversity of publishing in the field of mathematical culture.
Tangente book prize
--------------------------
After an online vote determines the "nominees" from among the books reviewed in Tangente, an independent jury whose members include the previous year's winner will select the recipient of the Tangente Book Prize.
Each year, the winner receives a work of mathematical art. Another cultural take on our wonderful discipline! The winning book's publisher also receives a page of advertising in Tangente.
There are some changes in 2023, however. First, to vote, you must be a member of Club Tangente or a subscriber to Tangente. Why? To prevent possible "ballot stuffing"!
Another change: you can vote for two of the shortlisted books.
Moreover, by joining Club Tangente (don't hesitate: membership costs €10, 60% of which is tax-deductible), you will show your support for the popularization of mathematics. To join, go to **Infinimath.com/librairie**, enter "adhésion" in the search box and confirm your order.
So we're counting on you to join (or subscribe, which also gives you voting rights, although you can of course be both a member and a subscriber) and vote for your favorite among the books shortlisted for the Tangente Book Prize, listed below.
Of course, you probably haven't read every shortlisted book. Don't worry! Go to the Tangente website, **tangente-mag.com**, and check the book reviews on the right-hand side of the page in each of the last eight issues. You will find reviews of all the shortlisted books there.
Voting link: www.tropheestangente.com/PT2023.php.
Deadline: September 30, 2023.
PTL: the 2023 winners
----------------------
The Prix Tangente des lycéens, meanwhile, is a literary prize that is also awarded every year, but by high-school students—nearly 900 of whom voted in 2023! Since it follows the school year, the results are already available.
The ten books shortlisted for 2022–2023 and the 63 high schools that took part are listed at **tropheestangente.com/PTL2023.php**.
In the participating schools, the prize inspired debates, book-themed picnics, mathematics book clubs, audio recordings, blogs, articles in school newspapers and the local press, meetings with authors, and more.
Prix Tangente des lycéens: students take part!
The 2023 prize went to La Petite Histoire des flocons de neige, by Étienne Ghys, published by Odile Jacob (2021). Two honorable mentions were awarded: one to Marie et Bronia, le pacte des sœurs, by Natacha Henry (Albin Michel, 2017), and the other to Les Femmes de sciences vues par une ado un peu vénère, by Natacha Quentin and Julie Staboszevski (Poulpe Fictions, 2021).
But it is already time to look ahead to the next school year, 2023–2024! High schools can register now. The Trophées website (tropheestangente.com/PTL2024.php) lists the books that high-school students will vote on, together with practical information on registering and how the prize works. You may also like to read the article about it in the latest issue of Tangente Éducation (no. 65).
What if you wrote "Tangente-style"?
---------------------------------------
The Trophées Tangente offer two more ways to put your mathematical creativity to work this summer. The first is to submit, before September 30, "an article in the style of Tangente." This is the Prix du meilleur article (PMA), launched in 2014. It has allowed many authors selected by the jury to showcase their writing talent, sometimes even becoming regular contributors to our magazine. The first winner, Fabien Aoustin, went on to become an indispensable contributor to Tangente (and is also actively involved in the Prix Tangente des lycéens). But he is far from alone! Christian Laforest, who won in 2015, Léo Gerville-Réache in 2016, Roger Mansuy in 2017 and Antoine Rolland in 2019 all contribute regularly.
Submissions (one per author) must meet the standards of a Tangente article for length, level (accessible to everyone, except for the "boxed sections," which may be more technical), tone (it should not read like a lesson) and style (lively). The jury will select a winner and possibly award one or more honorable mentions, based on the following criteria:
• originality and creativity in the choice of topic;
• quality of writing and style;
• accessibility to the widest possible audience.
Read the rules and submit your article by September 30 via:
As with all the Trophées Tangente, the winners will receive a piece of mathematical art created by one of the Club Tangente's partner artists: Denise Demaret-Pranville, Patrice Jeener, Scowcza, Sandrine Vivier-Souder, and others. But another reward is at least as enticing: seeing your article published in Tangente. We hope that many of you will enter!
Writing problems: the Prix Affaire de Logique
------------------------------------------------
Did you know that, for twenty-five years now, an original problem has appeared every week in the Affaire de Logique column of the "Science et Médecine" supplement in Le Monde? Its authors, Gilles Cohen and Élisabeth Busser, joined in recent years by Jean-Louis Legrand, are regular contributors to Tangente (Gilles Cohen is also its publisher).
The success of this much-loved column inspired the Club Tangente team to challenge our readers to create original mathematical puzzles, beginning in 2022. This is the Prix Affaire de Logique, whose inaugural 2022 edition was a great success. Dozens of entries were submitted, most of which greatly impressed the jury. Given the quality of the problems, the judges had difficulty choosing among several contenders for the prize.
The Prix Affaire de Logique is therefore back this year, and entrants may submit up to four puzzles. Each must be entered in one of the following five categories: Curiosities and paradoxes, Numerical challenges, Graphs and algorithms, Geometric games, Logic.
The jury will assess the wording, looking for an elegant, engaging and non-academic presentation; the level, which should be accessible to a high-school student; and the solution, which should be as ingenious as possible—Martin Gardner-style "Aha!" moments are welcome! Originality will, of course, be a decisive criterion.
The photograph below shows the 2022 winner, Jean-Michel Le Claire, receiving a work of art for winning the 2022 Prix Affaire de Logique with his puzzle "La crypte aux monnaies." The trophy was created by Pierre Schmitt and Dominique Owczarski of Scowcza, a collective of vector artists.
So we are counting on you to be creative and submit puzzles for this Trophée. The rules and the link for submitting entries are available at
So do not hesitate: dream up an original problem and send it in!
We hope that many of you will take part in these events, and we invite everyone able to attend to join us at the Musée des arts et métiers on Sunday, December 3, 2023, for an exceptional day of talks, performances, exhibitions, workshops and more, during which the 2023 Trophées Tangente will be awarded.
