Plus magazine is giving aspiring writers a chance to win an Apple iPod in a competition that opens this month. The award-winning magazine is seeking entries about any mathematical topic from university and secondary school students as well as the general public.

Entries can be about a mathematical idea or concept, an application of maths, an historical topic, the story of a mathematician, or a mathematical controversy. It's a great chance to communicate your passion to people who'd normally run a mile when they hear the word maths!

Last year’s winning articles ranged from solving Fermat’s last theorem to using game theory to increase pulling power.

Published online and free of charge, Plus is about maths and is aimed at the general public. Its articles by top mathematicians and science writers provide a window into the world of maths with all its beauty and applications, and cover fields as diverse as art, medicine, cosmology and sport.

Marcus du Sautoy, author of the best-selling book “The music of the primes” and one of the judges of the Plus new writers award 2007, said of the competition entries, "Reading these stories inspired me to want to make my own mathematical breakthroughs. The future of mathematics depends on capturing the imaginations of those who will become the next generation of mathematicians."

The Plus new writers award offers a chance to join the acclaimed list of past contributors, including physicist Stephen Hawking and NASA astronaut Michael Foale.

The winning entries will be read by an international audience of over a hundred thousand in the June 2009 issue of Plus. The closing date is March 31st 2009, and more information on the competition can be found on the Plus site (see sidebar).

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