The GCHQ Christmas Challenge 2022

Students aim to crack GCHQ Christmas card code!

Today the GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) released the 2022 #GCHQChristmasChallenge. The GCHQ are the world-leading intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe.

For this challenge a group of Year 9 and 10 students have been tasked with solving the puzzles which has been masterminded by a team of GCHQ in-house puzzlers.

The puzzles are featured on the GCHQ Director's annual Christmas card. The card is sent to partners in the UK and around the world who work with the GCHQ to counter threats, including hostile state activity, terror groups and organised crime gangs.

The 2022 Christmas Challenge features seven fiendish puzzles based on the seven disciplines of languages, engineering, codebreaking, analysis, maths, coding and cyber security - all key skills needed at GCHQ to help keep the country safe.

But this year’s Challenge comes with a twist…once students have solved all seven puzzles, students will need to think outside the box, using the design on the front of the Christmas card to assemble the answers, forming three separate what3words locations. Joining the three place names together will then reveal the special festive answer.