The Catherine Richards Prize is awarded for the best article published in Mathematics Today each year and the winners are usually invited to receive their certificates at an IMA event. Catherine Richards worked for the Institute from 1970 until her death in 1993. She was Executive Secretary for the period 1987 to 1993. The prize fund was created from donations made in her memory.

A second prize created to recognise young/early-career contributors has been run as a writing competition since 2013. This was rebranded the Graham Hoare Prize in 2018.

Each year, the Mathematics Today Editorial Board appoints a panel of three adjudicators for the prize. The panel members independently give each article a score between 1 and 5 (1 is the worst and 5 is the best) for Quality of Writing, Depth of Mathematics and General Interest. For a paper to be considered for the prize it must score at least 2 under each of these three headings. Once the scores have been consolidated, the paper with the highest score is the one recommended for the prize. If the three judges do not agree on the winner then the winner is agreed through discussion. The panel may decide not to award a prize.

Feature articles from the calendar year are considered for the prize. However, those written by current IMA Councillors and Mathematics Today Board Members are not considered, and from the 2019 competition onwards, authors who have won aren’t considered for the next three prizes.

Catherine Richards Prize winners

*Awarded the Catherine Richards Young Writer Prize
**Awarded the Catherine Richards Young Writer Prize in addition to the Catherine Richards Prize