The Alan Turing Cryptography Competition

2025 edition. From the people behind the MathsBombe Competition.
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Chapter 3

E: That was mildly diverting. Hope you're up for another challenge. It could get emoji-onal!

The image is of a grid of symbols.  The symbols are emojis of animals,
punctuation marks, and spaces.  The grid has 23 rows and 16
columns.  There are 16 symbols in each of the first 22 rows.  The 23rd
row has 7 symbols.

First row: a zebra, a space, a rabbit, a scorpion, a pig, a zebra, a
hamster, a frog, a giraffe, a scorpion, a space, a parrot, a zebra, a
cat, a cat, a dragon,

Next row: a pig, a space, a hamster, a rabbit, a
space, a parrot, a dragon, a zebra, a mouse, a hamster, a mouse, a
frog, a space, a zebra, a frog, a zebra,

Next row: a hamster, a mouse, a rabbit, a scorpion, a space, a zebra,
a space, a unicorn, a dragon, a pig, a scorpion, a hamster, a beetle,
a zebra, a parrot, a space,

Next row: a worm, a zebra, a parrot, a parrot, a full stop a scorpion,
a giraffe, a dragon, a space, a scorpion, a butterfly, an owl, a
space, a butterfly, an elephant, a space,

Next row: a scorpion, a giraffe, a dragon, a space, a parrot, a zebra,
a cat, a cat, a dragon, a pig, a space, a scorpion, a butterfly, a
T-Rex, a beetle, a giraffe,

Next row: a dragon, a rabbit, a space, a scorpion, a giraffe, a
dragon, a space, a worm, a zebra, a parrot, a parrot, a space, a
zebra, a scorpion, a space, a zebra,

Next row: a space, a giraffe, a dragon, a hamster, a frog, a giraffe,
a scorpion, a space, a butterfly, an elephant, a space, a scorpion, a
worm, a dragon, a parrot, a unicorn,

Next row: a dragon, a space, a lizard, a dragon, a scorpion, a pig, a
dragon, a rabbit, a space, a zebra, a mouse, a cat, a space, a
scorpion, a giraffe, a dragon,

Next row: a space, an ant, a butterfly, a scorpion, a scorpion, a
butterfly, a lizard, a space, a butterfly, an elephant, a space, a
scorpion, a giraffe, a dragon, a space, a parrot,

Next row: a zebra, a cat, a cat, a dragon, a pig, a space, a hamster,
a rabbit, a space, an elephant, a hamster, a unicorn, a dragon, a
space, a lizard, a dragon,

Next row: a scorpion, a pig, a dragon, a rabbit, a space, a zebra, a
worm, a zebra, a squid, a space, an elephant, a pig, a butterfly, a
lizard, a space, a scorpion,

Next row: a giraffe, a dragon, a space, an ant, a zebra, a rabbit, a
dragon, a space, a butterfly, an elephant, a space, a scorpion, a
giraffe, a dragon, a space, a worm,

Next row: a zebra, a parrot, a parrot, a space, a butterfly, a mouse,
a space, an elephant, a parrot, a zebra, a scorpion, a space, a frog,
a pig, a butterfly, a T-Rex,

Next row: a mouse, a cat, a full stop a scorpion, a giraffe, a dragon,
a space, an ant, a butterfly, a scorpion, a scorpion, a butterfly, a
lizard, a space, a butterfly, an elephant,

Next row: a space, a scorpion, a giraffe, a dragon, a space, a parrot,
a zebra, a cat, a cat, a dragon, a pig, a space, a hamster, a rabbit,
a space, a mouse,

Next row: a butterfly, a worm, a space, a lizard, a butterfly, a
unicorn, a dragon, a cat, a space, a rabbit, a butterfly, a space, a
scorpion, a giraffe, a zebra, a scorpion,

Next row: a space, a hamster, a scorpion, a space, a hamster, a
rabbit, a space, a rabbit, a dragon, a unicorn, a dragon, a mouse, a
space, a lizard, a dragon, a scorpion,

Next row: a pig, a dragon, a rabbit, a space, an elephant, a pig, a
butterfly, a lizard, a space, a scorpion, a giraffe, a dragon, a
space, a worm, a zebra, a parrot,

Next row: a parrot, a full stop a giraffe, a butterfly, a worm, a
space, a giraffe, a hamster, a frog, a giraffe, a space, a T-Rex, an
owl, a space, a scorpion, a giraffe,

Next row: a dragon, a space, a worm, a zebra, a parrot, a parrot, a
space, a scorpion, a butterfly, a space, a scorpion, a giraffe, a
dragon, a space, a mouse, a dragon,

Next row: a zebra, a pig, a dragon, a rabbit, a scorpion, a space, a
beetle, a dragon, a mouse, a scorpion, a hamster, a lizard, a dragon,
a scorpion, a pig, a dragon,

Next row: a space, a worm, a hamster, a parrot, a parrot, a space, a
scorpion, a giraffe, a dragon, a space, a parrot, a zebra, a cat, a
cat, a dragon, a pig,

Final row: a space, a pig, a dragon, a zebra, a beetle, a giraffe, a
question mark

The image above contains a hidden question. Please enter your answer to the question in the box below. If the answer is a number please enter it using numerals rather than words.

Alan Turing Cryptography Competition 2025 is organised by the The Department of Mathematics at The University of Manchester.
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