GCHQ Christmas card 2025 sets annual festive challenge

Fans of codebreaking, maths and brainteasers can now try their hand at the latest cryptic Christmas challenge set by GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence agency.

GCHQ released their annual Christmas card on Wednesday, filled with puzzles and hidden codes designed to help children aged 11-18 hone a range of skills “they might need to become a spy”.

The card was created by “schoolchildren as well as spies”, according to GCHQ, after hundreds of young people entered a design competition in the lead-up to the festive period.

It contains seven puzzles set by “GCHQ’s in-house puzzlers”, geared towards testing a range of problem-solving skills including intuitive reasoning and lateral thinking.

Students were asked to draw their response to the question: “What do you think GCHQ looks like on Christmas Day?”. They were challenged to embed hidden codes, and ciphers into their designs.

Three winners were selected by a panel of judges across three age groups.

The famously tricky puzzles “aren’t meant to be solved alone”, GCHQ said, adding: “We believe the right mix of minds means we can solve seemingly impossible problems.”

“Puzzles are at the heart of GCHQ’s work to keep the country safe from hostile states, terrorists and criminals; challenging our teams to think creatively and analytically every day”, said GCHQ Director Anne Keast-Butler.

She said she hoped the puzzle encourages the next generation “to explore STEM subjects and consider the rewarding careers available in cybersecurity and intelligence”.

Meanwhile, the spy agency’s “Chief Puzzler”, known only as “Colin”, said the puzzles are designed to test “the same blend of skills our teams use every day to keep the country safe.”

Answers will be released on Wednesday evening.

Question 1:

Somewhere on the card is a special seven letter word which has no repeated letters, and no letters which are next to each other in the alphabet. Can you find it?

Question 2:

There is some driftwood in these streams… but where should it be?

Question 3:

The robber has to find a route through the house. He can’t go through the same coloured door twice in a row, and cannot move against any arrows.

Eventually he gets caught by the police. How was he acting?

Question 4:

My gifts from Santa are wrapped in pairs this year – but which one is missing?

Question 5:

The letters in TWO UV PAIRS have the values 0,1,2,…,9 in some order, with each letter representing a different digit.

What is 1234567 ?

Question 6:

Solve this code. It has lots of four-letter words!

Question 7:

Find an appropriate 7-letter word…

✓ = letter in right place ?

? = letter present, but in the wrong place