Fryer, Galois and Hypatia Contests
Source: https://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests/fgh Parent: https://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/
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Important dates
- Contest dates:
- North and South America: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
- Outside North and South America: Thursday, April 2, 2026
- Ordering deadline: Thursday, March 5, 2026
Contest overview
The Fryer, Galois and Hypatia (FGH) Contests are three grade-specific contests that run concurrently by grade level. The FGH Contests provide a unique opportunity for participants to write a full-solution contest — a format that can help learners develop both problem-solving and communication skills. These fun and engaging contests are designed to foster critical thinking by presenting problems that progressively lead to more complex questions for participants to solve.
Contest details
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Audience
- Students in Grade 9 are eligible to write the Fryer Contest.
- Students in Grade 10 are eligible to write the Galois Contest.
- Students in Grade 11 are eligible to write the Hypatia Contest.
- Motivated students in lower grades are welcome to write the contest.
Dates
Contest dates:
- North and South America: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
- Outside North and South America: Thursday, April 2, 2026
Ordering deadline: Thursday, March 5, 2026
Contest timing: Contest Supervisors are expected to administer the contest as close to the beginning of the school day as possible in their respective time zones on the official contest date in their country.
Contest format
- 4 questions; a mix of final answer only and full-solution.
- Time allowed for completion is 75 minutes.
- Score out of 40.
- Each submitted solution is assessed for completeness, clarity, and presentation style; a correct solution, poorly presented, will not earn a full score for that problem.
- Written at school, participants write individually and on paper.
- Some calculators permitted.
Mathematical content
Questions on the FGH Contests are based on curriculum common to all Canadian provinces. Rather than testing content recall, most of the problems require logical thinking and mathematical problem-solving skills.
Contest preparation
Below are links to three types of resources and classroom support that can help with preparation for the Fryer, Galois and Hypatia (FGH) Contests:
- Past Contests: Participants can review and attempt past contests to gain a better understanding of the contest format, level of difficulty and time management. The CEMC has published contests and their solutions from previous years in the Past Contests section of Tools and Resources.
- Math Courseware: Participants can use the CEMC’s free, online Courseware to learn and review important curriculum content and concepts.
- CEMC Visits Schools: Experts from the CEMC are available to conduct problem-solving workshops for students and educators. Visit CEMC Visits Schools to learn more.
Contest supervision
- Contest Supervisors should arrange to have participants write the contest in school and are responsible for ensuring that participants are supervised appropriately.
- After writing the contest, all materials must be returned to the CEMC as one package for marking.
- Results will be available in the Contest Supervisor Portal four to six weeks after the contest date.
Contest fees
Contest fee per participant: $12.00
Processing fee per order, applies to all contest orders: $5.00
Shipping fee per order:
- For schools in Canada: $5.00 per order
- For schools outside Canada: 15% of the contest order total, before processing fees and applicable taxes (minimum charge of $10.00)
This contest is tax-exempt within Canada and internationally.
Each school is responsible for independently arranging and paying for the shipping of completed contests back to the CEMC. We recommend using a courier to ensure materials are returned safely and in good condition for marking.
The CEMC does not offer refunds, returns or cancellations of any kind.
Awards and recognition
We believe that all students will enjoy and benefit from the experience of preparing for and writing our mathematics contests. Our contests are not tests or exams. There is no passing or failing score. Information regarding the criteria for awarding individual students and schools based on their performance in our mathematics contests is provided below.
Official participants
Any full-time student may write a contest but only participants that qualify as "official" are eligible for inclusion on honour rolls and as part of a school's team score. An official participant* is one who meets the requirements below and has properly completed their Student Response Form:
- The Fryer Contest may be written by any participant in Grade 9 or below.
- The Galois Contest may be written by any participant in Grade 10 or below.
- The Hypatia Contest may be written by any participant in Grade 11 or below.
All other participants that do not meet the criteria are considered unofficial. Unofficial participants will have their papers marked and are still eligible for certificates and medals at the discretion of their school.
Disclaimer \ * A participant’s contest may also be considered unofficial if it was received by the CEMC too late to be included in the final results.
Notes:
- Some participants may be taking mathematics courses beyond their grade level. These participants are still eligible to write the contest appropriate to their grade level. For example, a Grade 9 participant may be taking a Grade 10 mathematics course. Such a participant is eligible to write the Fryer Contest.
- Exceptional participants may elect to write a contest beyond their actual grade level. Participants can only write one of the Fryer, Galois and Hypatia Contests in a given school year.
Individual Awards
- Every participant scoring in the top 25% of all competitors receives a Certificate of Distinction.
- Each School Champion — the top scorer at their school who meets the medal cutoff — receives a Contest Medal, at the discretion of the CEMC. In the event of a tie, two medals are awarded.
- The names of some top-scoring official participants appear in zone, provincial, Canadian and international honour rolls (for regions with at least 30 participants).
- We also encourage schools and boards to internally recognize and celebrate the achievements of those participants who excel.
Team Awards
A school's Team Score is the sum of its five highest scoring official participants' scores. Schools have the option of not taking part in the Team Competition. \ \ For schools inside Canada, rankings and team honour rolls are provided at three levels: zone, provincial, and national (for regions with at least four competing teams). Canadian schools are also eligible for the Canadian Championship Plaque and Zone Championship Certificates at the discretion of the CEMC. \ \ For schools outside Canada, rankings and team honour rolls are provided.
The CEMC reserves the right to disqualify students or withhold the publication of results at its discretion.
Opt-out option:
Our contests allow participants to opt out of having their names displayed in publicly accessible results booklets if their score is high enough to be listed on an honour roll. Their names will, however, still be published in the school results which we provide securely to the organizing educator.
Averages and cut-offs
Fryer, Galois and Hypatia Contests 2025
| Fryer | Galois | Hypatia | |
| Average (Mean) | 23.4 | 23.2 | 25.1 |
| Certificate of Distinction Cutoff | 28 | 27 | 30 |
| School Medal Champion Cutoff | 23 | 23 | 25 |
| Maximum Possible Score | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Number of Contestants | 6671 | 7536 | 7466 |
Contest terms and conditions
Please click here to view the CEMC’s contest terms and conditions.
Contest results
The results booklet for the Fryer, Galois and Hypatia (FGH) Contests includes statistics about the contest, commentary about contest questions and an honour roll mentioning top performing participants. Educators can access their participants' results and generate certificates after the final results are uploaded in our Contest Supervisor Portal.