The first edition of the Tangente Prize for middle schools, which has just come to a close, brought together nearly 150 middle schools from every académie (regional school district) in France. Driven by an enthusiastic jury, mostly girls and drawn from the sixième and cinquième classes (roughly sixth and seventh grade), the middle schools were able to take advantage of considerable pedagogical freedom to make the prize their own. Thanks to a host of initiatives — literary reviews, read-aloud sessions, web radio shows, author meetings — mathematics shone throughout the middle schools.
Nearly 2,000 students read the five competing books — five works spanning different genres to spread mathematical culture in new ways — discussed them, and voted. While every book found its readers, it was the novel L'Effet Matilda (The Matilda Effect) by Ellie Irving, translated by Virginie Paitrault, published by Castelmore in 2021, that won over the jury. This story captivated the students with its breathless pace, fluid writing and feminist spirit. The final dossier, blending experiments and portraits of scientists, sealed the deal for these young, passionate readers.
The book selection for the 2027 PTC is already known:
- *La révolution de Sophie*. Nathalie Somers, Didier jeunesse, 2025.
- *Mission EuGénia*. Alice Millot et Camille Ferrari, Milan, 2024.
- *L'univers de Pi*. Jean-Baptiste Aubin et Anita Lehmann, Helvetiq, 2025.
- *Little Katherine Johnson*. William Augel, La Boîte à bulles, 2022.
- *Florence Nightingale, la dame à la lampe*. Zarzo et Santi Selvi, Bang Ediciones, 2025.
Details at www.apmep.fr/Prix-Tangente-des-Colleges
The Tangente Prize for high-school students becomes the Tangente Prize for high schools
Throughout the school year, more than 800 students from tenth grade to their final year of high school, taking part in the eleventh edition of the Tangente Prize for high-school students, were able to discover books they might not have dared to open on their own. The jury was 55% girls, and two-thirds of the students were in tenth grade. Among the final-year students, some found inspiration in the selection for a grand oral topic (the baccalauréat's final oral exam). Lastly, the place given to women in the books on offer was appreciated and, we hope, may have helped encourage some young women to venture into scientific studies.
The selection put together by the Littéramath group featured a wide range of books, from biographical graphic novels to popular-science writing, by way of sociological essays, spy novels, and even a dreamy, poetic wandering. This edition's winner is Alan Turing by Maxence Collin, François Rivière and Aleksi Cavaillez, a graphic novel published by Casterman in 2024. Young readers were won over by the artwork and by the way the scientific passages were handled in relation to the flow of the story.
For the next edition, the prize is changing its name and will be called the "Tangente Prize for high schools". The organization, meanwhile, has been simplified, with a single-phase reading schedule.
The 2027 selection therefore includes only five books:
- *Le mètre des Caraïbes.* Wilfrid Lupano, Léonard Chemineau et Christophe Bouchard, Dargaud, 2025.
- *Flatland, aventure fantastique à plusieurs dimensions.* Danicollaterale, Delcourt, 2025.
- *Voyages au pays des maths.* Denis van Waerebeke et Damien Pelletier, Hoëbeke et Arte éditions, 2025.
- *Le grand almanach mathématique.* Roger Mansuy, Albin Michel, 2025.
- *Kivousavé.* Béatrice Hammer, Avallon, 2023.
Details at www.apmep.fr/Prix-Tangente-des-lycees
Teachers, if you're tempted by the PTC or PTL adventure for the next school year, registration is already open. Publishers are offering a complete selection to the first ten schools registering for the first time.
