National Language Competition 2025 winners visit GCHQ
The winners of the annual National Language Competition visited the iconic Doughnut in Cheltenham and met with Director Anne Keast-Butler
In November 2025, nearly 3000 teams of Year 9 students from across the country took part in GCHQ’s annual National Language Competition (NLC), a week long virtual competition where teams from around the UK competed against each other to solve language-based puzzles and score points. More challenging than ever, the teams had over 70 puzzles available to complete making it a fierce competition.
Our winning team for 2025 with an impressive total score of 8590 points come from Greater London. Team Devoted Jellyfish, (Linh, Sophie C, Samhitha, Sophie D) were all invited to Cheltenham to learn more about GCHQ, receive the highly coveted NLC trophy presented by Director Anne Keast-Butler, speak to staff about the work they carry out and discover more about GCHQ's vital language mission.
Team Devoted Jellyfish had the opportunity to speak with some of our Language Analysts who explained how languages are vital to GCHQ’s mission of safeguarding the UK. The team were able to gain insight into the various language journeys of our analysts and how they came to end up using their language skills to bring deep cultural, analytical, reporting, and technical expertise to their work, helping to maintain an awareness of global affairs and support the GCHQ mission. The students were able to hear how languages acquired through both heritage and educational means were all used at GCHQ as part of our everyday intelligence work. They even got the chance to meet some of the creators of the NLC puzzles and gave some insightful suggestions.
The winning team were also given a private tour of the museum led by our Museum Collection Manager, who guided them through key moments in the organisation’s history and shared insights into the role GCHQ has played over the years. As part of their visit, they were also given the opportunity to see the 24/7 operations centre, where they gained a firsthand look at how teams monitor and respond to global events around the clock, supporting the UK’s security in real time.
One of the most memorable moments of the day was meeting Director GCHQ, who much like our winning team, is an avid puzzle head. There was enthusiastic discussion around everyone’s favourite puzzle games with a confession from Director that she does the 'nerdle' puzzle every day. The team were then presented with the handcrafted NLC 2025 trophy, recognising all their hard work, dedication, and outstanding achievement throughout the competition. It was a proud and celebratory moment for everyone involved, marking the culmination of months of effort and collaboration.
In addition to receiving the trophy, each student was also given a selection of exclusive GCHQ merchandise, including a personalised NLC winners coin and a signed copy of the GCHQ Puzzles for Spies book. These keepsakes served as a lasting reminder of an incredible experience and a remarkable accomplishment.
Visit our regional winners announcement to find out the results of the NLC2025. Congratulations to all those listed!
The National Language Competition will be returning in November 2026 so please check our website for updates. School teachers/home education representatives can register their interest by contacting [email protected].