Jump to: Who Can Enter | What We're Looking For | How to Submit Your Graph | What You Could Win | The Fine Print | Resources
Submissions must be received by Thursday, January 15, 2026 (11:59 pm ET/8:59 pm PT) to be considered.
About This Year's Contest
Welcome to our 6th annual Desmos Math Art Contest! Every year, we are so inspired by the incredible creativity and personality in the graphs we see. They motivate us to improve our products, to make them faster, to add new capabilities. And they make us so proud to be part of this global community of artists and mathematicians.
Over the last year, we’ve released a few new features that we hope some folks will find useful:
- We added dynamic graph bounds, partly inspired by graphs like The Epitome of Aaron by Anna S. and Zooming Through Time by Aabhisaar S. Though, if you use this feature, be careful to avoid unexpected motion on load. It can cause nausea in some viewers.
- We added graph galleries, which we hope teachers and clubs might use to showcase graphs from local communities. For tips for hosting your own art event, check out our revised Math Art Teacher Guide.
- Most recently, we added color maps to the 3D Calculator. We’re excited to see how they can combine with 3D shapes and surfaces to make new types of 3D art.
But, over the years, we’ve learned that using the latest features is by no means a requirement for getting selected. We look at every single entry, note, folder title, and artist statement. More than anything, we’re looking for graphs that tell a story, share your mathematical journey, and show what you learned while making it.
Finally, we believe that math is a powerful way to connect with each other. If you’re interested in learning with other people, offering feedback, or asking questions, please check out our temporary Discord. There, you’ll be able to connect with other participants and even some members of our team.
We can’t wait to see your graphs!
- The Desmos Studio Team
Who Can Enter
Any individual aged 13+ from any country is eligible to participate, subject to local laws governing online contests.
Before you can submit your graph in the Graphing, Geometry, or 3D tools, you’ll be prompted to complete the questionnaire to confirm your eligibility. If you’re over 13 but aren’t eligible based on your local laws, consider inviting a parent or guardian over the age of 18 to submit on your behalf at www.desmos.com/art.
What We’re Looking For
Winning graphs tend to feature a combination of the following traits:
- Creativity and originality
- A personal connection to the work
- Mathematical variety
- Care and precision
- Beautiful visual design
- Subtle and surprising details
- Performance
- Simplicity
- Fast rendering and smooth animations, even on low-powered devices
- Approachability
- Familiar math where possible
- Organized expression lines
- Descriptive notes
Improving Performance
As you strive to make a graph that is just as fast as it is beautiful, we recommend a few strategies:
- Less is more! Creative projects can generate extensive lists of expressions, so combine those expressions when you can, or use lists to represent multiple static elements with similar properties.
- Limit implicit equations and inequalities (those that contain both \(x\) and \(y\) but are not solved explicitly for a single variable). Consider replacing these with explicit equations, parametric expressions, polygons, or points. Compound inequalities can be especially taxing due to the internal calculations needed to render the appropriate regions or surfaces—especially in 3D!
- Contain your expressions within folders. Not only is this helpful from an organization perspective, but closed folders can also improve your performance if you have expressions that are changing regularly.
Original Work
We want to see your original work! We won’t consider submissions that contain copyrighted images, logos, characters, or audio (Pokémon™, Star Wars™, recently released songs, etc.). We also won’t consider graphs or equations you did not create yourself.
While you cannot submit graphs with copyrighted images or audio, you may submit graphs of works that are in the public domain.
How to Submit Your Graph
You must submit your graph(s) by Thursday, January 15, 2026 (11:59 pm ET/8:59 pm PT) to be considered.
Submitting Your Own Graph
- Open the calculator in which you built your graph.
- Click the sparkle in the header.
- Fill out the form. You will have to name your submission and write a brief artist statement.
We recommend you include a personal email that you check regularly so you can receive any updates. Some institutions block incoming messages, so please do not use an email address affiliated with your school or place of work.
Submitting on Behalf of Someone Else
- Navigate to desmos.com/art.
- Paste the link to the participant’s graph in the submission box.
- Fill out the form. In advance, ask the participant to come up with a name and artist statement for the graph.
- Repeat the same steps to submit graphs for additional participants.
Number of Entries
You can submit one graph per tool (Graphing, Geometry, and 3D) for a total of three entries.
We generally only select one winning entry from any individual, but submitting more than one graph can increase your odds of being selected.
What You Could Win
We’ll select 20 graphs to feature from each age category:
- 13–14 years old
- 15–16 years old
- 17–18 years old
- 19+ years old
Each of the 20 winners per age category will receive a $250 USD cash prize along with exclusive Desmos merch. We will also display winners’ art publicly on www.desmos.com/art and on Desmos Studio’s social media channels.
Announcing the Winners
Stay tuned for announcements on www.desmos.com/art after the contest closes. If you are one of the 20 winners per age group, we will also notify you by email.
The Fine Print
- All contestants must be aged 13+ as of January 1st, 2026 to participate.
- Complete the questionnaire in the Desmos Graphing, Geometry, or 3D tool to determine your eligibility to participate. If you’re over 13 but ineligible to participate based on geography, consider inviting a parent or guardian over the age of 18 to submit on your behalf on our www.desmos.com/art.
- We will only consider a contestant’s final submission(s), so you’re welcome to resubmit your graph(s) any number of times before the deadline. This also applies to graphs submitted on your behalf by an adult.
- All submissions must be the contestant’s original work created within the Desmos Graphing, Geometry, or 3D tools. We cannot accept submissions that include copyrighted images and audio. Specifically, submitted graphs may not include content that is not the intellectual property of the person who made the graph. This includes graphs of your favorite characters, logos, songs, and images that are not currently in the public domain.
- Winners must complete our winner’s form before receiving any prizes. We reserve the right to verify a contestant’s eligibility and application information. Each contestant is responsible for ensuring that they are abiding by local data privacy laws.
Resources
- Follow along to video tutorials on our YouTube channel to learn more about some of our tools’ artistic features:
- Read about some favorite features in the Desmos Help Center:
- Check out our Desmos Math Art Teacher Guide if you're interested in hosting your own art event with your class or organization.
- Explore more math art in the Help Center.
Contact us at support@desmos.com with any questions, or ask fellow artists for help and inspiration in the Desmos Art Contest Discord.