GCHQ Christmas Challenge
Work your way through previous GCHQ Christmas Challenges and see if you can complete them all.
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Coming soon!
Keep your eyes peeled for more information on the GCHQ Christmas Challenge 2026 this festive period!
A brief history of the GCHQ Christmas Challenge
For many years Director GCHQ has traditionally sent a Christmas card to national security colleagues and partners across the world who work alongside us every day to counter organised crime gangs, terror groups and hostile states looking to do the UK harm. The cards have always included a brainteaser, designed by our own puzzle volunteers, as a nod to our work which sees us solving the most complex of problems.
In 2021, the card evolved and became the GCHQ Christmas Challenge. Pitted at 11-to-18-year-olds, it aims to support greater take up of STEM subjects in schools and colleges. However, while the puzzles are designed for students, we always encourage the wider public to take on the challenge and test themselves against friends and family, and each year hundreds of thousands of you take on each of our festive challenge.
Why do we share puzzles?
Our key mission is to help keep the country safe. In doing so, we face increasingly complex issues and threats every day.
In order to keep up with the ever-changing environment we work and live in, and to protect it effectively, we need to have the right mix of minds approaching every single problem that comes our way using the best methods possible.
This does not just happen. We need to adapt and innovate constantly. Through the design, creation and solving of puzzles, our teams are able to constantly develop their skills in thinking differently and discover new and inventive ways of approaching problems.
Whilst this does not mean that staff at GCHQ spend their time putting together jigsaws and filling out crosswords, it does ensure that we attract colleagues who enjoy spending their time creating and solving puzzles. It’s a brilliant way to hone your creative thinking skills whilst having fun, and it helps to keep us at the cutting-edge of what we do best. And it is through puzzling that we are able to showcase the skills and traits that our brilliant people use in our missions in helping to keep the country safe.
Tips for puzzle solving
When it comes to puzzling, there are a number of key things that you can call upon to get to the right answer. Some puzzles may appear tricky at first, but once you get the hang of them, you can learn to spot patterns, think around a problem and apply your mind to finding the solution.
- Teamwork - asking for help is absolutely fine! Whether it's asking for a hint, or calling on assistance from a family member, friend or classmate - that mix of minds could be the secret to unlocking the problem. Just like in our work,
- Time - it's not a race. Leaving a problem and coming back to it could help you look at it differently and have that lightbulb moment. We don't expect you to complete each puzzle at the first attempt. There are no tests, no revision, no competitions, no prizes - just the satisfaction of solving puzzles!
You might find it handy to have a pen and paper handy as you aren't expected to solve everything in your head. Makes notes, draw doodles to help you work things out.
