JMC Final 2019
The exciting final, on Sunday 23rd June 2019, rounded off the 11th Junior Memory Championship. Twenty finalists had been invited to London from all over the UK – the top performers in a series of memory tests taken by thousands of children online. Since September, they had all been following a specially written training programme, preparing to take part in the annual contest organised by The Learning Skills Foundation.
At ZSL London Zoo, the very best competitors were put through their paces by the championship’s Founder, the author and former World Memory Champion Jonathan Hancock.
This year, they faced a memory test about the nearby Regent's Park, as well as challenges with numbers, words, and a large collection of names and faces.
The competition was extremely close throughout – but, in the end, Patrick's strong all-round performance gave him the top score. On the way to the title he managed to memorize an incredible sequence of 41 numbers, 28 random words, and 39 names – all after only 5 minutes' study!
Joshua Hunt was second. He achieved a remarkable result of 32 in the words challenge, and recorded strong scores all afternoon. Third place went to Milo Arie. His outstanding round was Names and Faces, in which he scored 100%, remembering every one of the people he "met" in the challenge.
Jonathan Hancock said: “What an afternoon! I was so impressed by what these children were able to do – since learning some of the secrets of memory!
"Once again, their schools have done a great job using our resources to teach powerful learning skills. The kids have picked up techniques that will be invaluable in everything they do from here.
"They seemed so ambitious and confident about their learning, and they've clearly learned the importance of having fun while they study!"
Since its launch in 2008, the Junior Memory Championship has introduced memory techniques to tens of thousands of children across the UK.
Caroline Shott, CEO of The Learning Skills Foundation said: “Patrick was a very worthy winner – and a great example of all that the Junior Memory Championship has achieved. His school seized the opportunity to use Jonathan's training plans, and Patrick has certainly made the most of this chance to challenge himself. His family were right to be very proud!
"These are strategies that can make such a difference to children's learning. I hope this year's finalists inspire even more teachers to register for next year. And three boys may have won this time, but I bet the girls will be more determined than ever to come out on top in 2020!"
Registration is now open for the JMC 2022 here
To organise interviews, obtain photographs, or for more details about the Junior Memory Championship and The Learning Skills Foundation, please contact Caroline Shott: email
Tel: 0207 736 1772 | Mob: 077 1192 6717
