Mathematics and Computing Contests
Source: https://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests Parent: https://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/
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Internationally recognized mathematics and computing contests
Mathematics and computing contests are a fun way for students to grow their problem-solving skills, build confidence and get creative with math and computer science. Designed by teams of expert mathematicians and educators for Grades 5 to 12, CEMC contests are a great fit for students across a range of abilities—from learners who want to explore math and computer science and develop their confidence to advanced students who want to stretch their limits.
CEMC mathematics and computing contests
In the table below, you will find information about all CEMC contests, contest dates and ordering deadlines for the contest year 2025/26.
Format AllFull SolutionMultiple ChoiceTeam Contest
Grade Grade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8Grade 9Grade 10Grade 11Grade 12
Contest Month AllJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
groupsTeam
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Euclid Contest
The Euclid Contest presents a unique challenge to senior-level secondary school students using innovative problems that draw upon their accumulated knowledge in mathematics, fostering creativity and effective communication. Using a mix of short-answer and full-solution questions, including some of the most complex and challenging problems among all our contests, the Euclid Contest helps build participants' perseverance in mathematical problem-solving. \ This contest is available in English and French.
Grade
12
Dates
- Contest dates:
- North and South America: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
- Outside North and South America: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
- Ordering deadline: Thursday, March 5, 2026\
person
Fryer, Galois and Hypatia Contests
The Fryer, Galois, and Hypatia (FGH) Contests encourage critical thinking, helping learners develop mathematical problem-solving and communication skills as they tackle progressively challenging questions in a full-solution contest. \ These contests are available in English and French.
Grade
9
to
11
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
person
Canadian Team Mathematics Contest
The Canadian Team Mathematics Contest (CTMC) is an exciting and challenging competition where participants work both individually and in teams to showcase their mathematical problem-solving skills through fun and engaging activities. A special feature of the CTMC is that schools can host the contest at their own school or be selected to participate at the University of Waterloo. \ This contest is available in English only.
Grade
9
to
12
Dates
- Contest dates:
- North and South America:
- At UWaterloo: Wednesday, April 8, 2026
- In Schools: Thursday, April 9, 2026, or later
- Outside North and South America:
- In Schools: Thursday, April 9, 2026, or later
- Ordering deadline:
- Registration deadline for the lottery to participate at UWaterloo: Thursday, November 20, 2025
- In-school event: Monday, April 6, 2026
groups
Gauss Contests
The Gauss Contests offer an exciting introduction to mathematics competitions for students in Grades 7 and 8. They offer unique and interesting problems in a multiple-choice format that encourages curiosity and nurtures an interest in the power of math. \ These contests are available in English and French.
Grade
7
to
8
Dates
- Contest dates:
- North and South America: Monday, May 11, 2026 to Friday, May 22, 2026
- Outside North and South America: Monday, May 11, 2026 to Friday, May 22, 2026
- Ordering deadline: Thursday, April 23, 2026
person
Team Up Challenge
The Team Up Challenge is an engaging and collaborative mathematics resource designed for students in Grades 6 to 8. This challenge consists of materials that educators can use in their classrooms, grouping four students to work collaboratively to solve challenging math problems. This resource aims to foster teamwork, problem-solving skills, and mathematical creativity among participants. \ This resource is available in English and French.
Grade
6
to
8
Dates
- Contest dates:Monday, June 1, 2026, or later
- Ordering deadline: Thursday, May 28, 2026
groups
Beaver Computing Challenge
The Beaver Computing Challenge (BCC) is an online, multiple-choice contest that introduces students to computer science and aims to create excitement about computing among those with little or no previous experience. \ This contest is available in English only.
Grade
5
to
10
Dates
The Beaver Computing Challenge is usually held in the month of November. Contest dates for 2026/2027 will be updated in May 2026.
person
Canadian Senior and Intermediate Mathematics Contests
The Canadian Senior and Intermediate Mathematics Contests (CSMC and CIMC) provide challenging math problems for students to enjoy and enhance their problem-solving skills using a mix of short answer and full solution questions. \ These contests are available in English and French.
Grade
9
to
12
Dates
The Canadian Senior and Intermediate Mathematics Contests are usually held in the month of November. Contest dates for 2026/2027 will be updated in May 2026.
person
Pascal, Cayley and Fermat Contests
The Pascal, Cayley, and Fermat Contests (PCF) provide students with an engaging platform of multiple-choice questions to showcase their math skills while exploring mathematical problem-solving and developing their critical thinking abilities. \ These contests are available in English and French.
Grade
9
to
11
Dates
The Pascal, Cayley and Fermat (PCF) contests are usually held in the month of February. Contest dates for 2026/2027 will be updated in May 2026.
person
Canadian Computing Competition
The Canadian Computing Competition (CCC) is an online contest designed for students with a range of programming experience. It provides participants with a challenge that helps build confidence and enhances their ability to understand, design, and implement algorithms. \ This contest is available in English and French.
Grade
9
to
12
Dates
The Canadian Computing Competition (CCC) is usually held in the month of February. Contest dates for 2026/2027 will be updated in May 2026.
person
Benefits of participating in a CEMC contest
CEMC contests help participants:
- discover and grow a love of mathematics and computing,
- foster creative problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical skills, and
- learn about new concepts to make connections across topics in mathematics and computing.
Since CEMC contests are challenging yet achievable activities for young learners, they also build students' confidence in their ability to tackle difficult problems — a key ingredient for student success both inside and outside the classroom.
How to participate in CEMC contests
Each year, educators order CEMC contests for over 300 000 students worldwide, reaching students in over 85 countries. Students cannot register for contests on their own. They must be registered by their school. If their own school is not participating, students can look for another local school that will allow them to join as a participant.\ Below are the steps that educators can follow to help their students participate in CEMC contests:
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Apply for a CEMC school account
A school must have a CEMC school account to order contests. To apply for a new school account, the Principal or Head of Math must submit a new school application. Account creation is not automatic and can take up to three weeks to be manually reviewed. Please keep this timeline in mind when submitting your application.
After creating your CEMC school account, we will provide a nine-digit CEMC School Number and a confidential password for ordering contests, accessing contest results and other relevant contest information. The CEMC School Number and password are emailed to the Head of Math contact registered on the CEMC School Account each September for previously registered schools. If you didn't receive your CEMC School Number and password, do not fill out a New School Application Form. Head of Math contacts can retrieve their login information through the "Retrieve Login Information" button on the Contest Supervisor Portal login page by submitting their email address. If you still can't retrieve your login information, please email us or call (519) 888-4808.
School accounts are not individual educator accounts. If an educator changes schools, they should not use their old school account but should check with their new school if they have a CEMC school account.
The CEMC reserves the right to decline any school application.
Grade levels
Students who are working ahead by one or more grades or more may choose to write the contest for the more advanced grade but cannot write a contest that is below their official grade level. Additionally, students can only write one of the contests in each of the following grouping of contests in a given school year:
- Pascal, Cayley and Fermat Contests,
- Fryer, Galois and Hypatia Contests,
- Canadian Intermediate Math Contest and Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest,
- Grade 5/6, Grade 7/8 and Grade 9/10 Beaver Computing Challenge,
- Grade 7 and Grade 8 Gauss Contests.
If a participant writes more than one contest in a contest grouping, only the results of the appropriate grade contest will be recorded.
Order contests
Educators will use the CEMC School Number and confidential password assigned to the school to order contests on the CEMC Contest Supervisor Portal.
In the weeks leading up to the contest, educators receive all necessary materials to supervise the contest via mail, email and electronically via the Contest Supervisor Portal depending upon the mode of the contest.
Contest preparation
Writing a contest is more than about the actual result obtained; they are also about the practice of problem-solving, the encouragement of teamwork, and the experience of participation. We recommend that students spend time preparing for our contests, as practice is the best way to develop problem-solving skills.
Below are links to five types of resources and classroom support:
- Past Contests: Students can review past contests to become familiar with the contest format, level of difficulty, and time management strategies. The CEMC has made available a wide range of past contests and their solutions in the Past Contests section of Tools and Resources.
- Problem-Set Generator: Students, educators and guardians can create their own sets of randomized problems from past Gauss, Pascal, Cayley and Fermat Contests using the CEMC’s free, online Problem-Set Generator tool.
- Math Courseware: Students can use CEMC’s free, online Courseware to review and reinforce important curriculum content and concepts.
- Euclid and Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest (CSMC) Preparation Materials: Participants can access our updated preparation materials which are specifically designed for the Euclid and Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest (CSMC).
- 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
All participants must attempt the contest at the same time in the classroom under the supervision of an educator or school staff member, regardless of whether the contest is online or hand-written. The contests cannot be taken remotely or unsupervised. Additional instructions on contest supervision can be found in the Supervisor Instructions document, which is either included in the contest package or shared electronically in the Contest Supervisor Portal.
Contest Supervisors are responsible for:
- Ensuring a contest fee is paid by the school for each participating student;
- Reviewing the Supervisor Instructions Document included in the contest order.
Please note that a contest can never be written before the official contest date. We will do our best to arrange alternate dates for significant school-wide conflicts. Please contact us if you wish to arrange this.
Returning contests
Schools are required to send paper contests and Scantron forms back to the CEMC via courier for marking for the Canadian Senior and Intermediate Mathematics Contests, Pascal, Cayley and Fermat, Euclid, Fryer, Galois, and Hypatia Contests. Schools do not send back paper contests for the online Pascal, Cayley and Fermat Contests, Gauss Contests, Canadian Team Mathematics Contest, and Team Up Challenge. Online contests are submitted automatically. It is important for schools to return all completed contest materials to CEMC in one package for marking. In order for your results to be included in the final results, it is strongly recommended that you return the contests immediately after completion of the contests by courier so that they reach the CEMC on time. Schools are responsible for the cost of returning contest materials.
Results
After marking is complete, results are made accessible to the Contest Supervisor in the Results and Certificates section of the Contest Supervisor Portal. The portal also includes a certificate generator that Contest Supervisors can use to print certificates for all contests.
Details about averages and cutoffs, awards and recognition and results booklets can be found in the corresponding section in each contest’s webpage. Where applicable, awards are sent to the school for top-performing students. Top-performing students may also be featured in publicly accessible annual honour roll documents or may be eligible for additional awards or accolades.
Contest participation
All contest supervisors and participants must agree to these standards in addition to any specific instructions included with each contest. The CEMC standards for all contests are:
- Participants may only write the contest at the school which ordered the contest.
- Contests are to be administered on the official contest date in the specific country, and as close to the beginning of the school day as possible in the school's time zone.
- Only permitted aids indicated on the Contest Question Booklet or Supervisor Instructions Document may be used while writing the contest.
- Participants must be supervised in-person during the entirety of the contest writing.
- Participants consent to have their names displayed in publicly accessible results booklets if their score is high enough to be listed on an honour roll, unless they choose to opt out.
Contest integrity and consequences:
- The CEMC believes in the importance of academic integrity. At the discretion of the CEMC, participants who violate any of the Contest Rules will be disqualified from the contest, will not be considered for CEMC invitational workshops, and any current or future offers of admission to the University of Waterloo may be revoked. In widespread and/or severe cases, the school where the student wrote could be banned from writing CEMC contests in the upcoming year(s).
- The CEMC reserves the right to withhold the publication of results at its discretion.
Downloadable resources for educators
2025/26 Contest Posters:
2025/26 Teacher Flyers:
2026/27 Contest Posters:
Contest terms and conditions
Please click here to view the CEMC’s contest terms and conditions.
How we create contests
CEMC contests are crafted through collaboration among mathematics and computer science educators. They design problems that reflect curriculum topics, promote critical thinking, and encourage creativity, ensuring clarity, correctness, and appropriateness for each grade level. These contests aim to provide engaging and challenging experiences that foster students' mathematical and computational skills.
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