Euclid Contest
Source: https://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests/euclid Parent: https://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/
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Important 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
Contest overview
Written annually by over 25 000 participants worldwide, the Euclid Contest gives senior-level secondary school students the opportunity to solve innovative problems using their creativity and all of the knowledge they have gained in secondary school mathematics.
The Contest’s mix of short-answer and full-solution questions provides participants with an opportunity to effectively communicate their thinking. Additionally, the final questions in the Euclid are some of the most complex and challenging among all our contests, helping participants build perseverance, a key component of mathematical problem-solving.
CEMC stories
Our contests, programs, tools, and resources have a significant impact on students and educators worldwide.
I've been doing math contests since grade 4…. Looking back at this 9-year-long journey, it's crazy to imagine how much doing math contests has shaped me as a person, from thinking more logically and with structure to gaining more confidence in myself and becoming good friends with like-minded peers. Euclid 2021 was definitely a great way to end it off and it's equally hard to imagine how I've been able to get to where I am today!
Student from Ontario, Canada
Contest details
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Audience
- Students in their final year of secondary school or CÉGEP students.
- Motivated students in lower grades are welcome to write the contest. Many students seeking to achieve a strong score in their final year of secondary school write the Euclid one or more times in previous years.
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
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
- 10 questions; a mix of final answer only and full-solution.
- Time allowed for completion is 2.5 hours.
- Score out of 100.
- 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 in school, participants write individually and on paper.
- Some calculators permitted.
Mathematical content
Most of the problems on the Euclid Contest are based on curricula up to and including the final year of secondary school. Some problems might require students to use knowledge beyond the curriculum in their school.
Contest preparation
Below are links to five types of resources and classroom support that can help with preparation for the Euclid Contest:
- 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.
- Euclid Preparation Materials: Participants can access our updated preparation materials which are aimed at the Euclid Contest.
- 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.
- Euclid Preparation Workshops: This workshop series consists of four 90-minute sessions to help students prepare for the Euclid Contest. These sessions are based on the eight modules given in the preparation materials aimed at the Euclid Contest. More information about the schedule and registration process is available here.
Contest supervision
- Contest Supervisors should arrange to have participants write the contest in school and are responsible for ensuring that participants are supervised appropriately.
- Once the contest has been written, all of the contest materials should be returned to the CEMC in one package for marking.
- Results will be available in the Contest Supervisor Portal four to six weeks after the contest date.
Contest shipping outside Canada
Please note that contest question booklet for the Euclid contest will NOT be shipped to the school for schools located outside of Canada. They will be available for educators to download and print at school from the Contest Material Repository roughly one day before contest day in your timezone. All other paper materials (including Student Information Forms and Solution Booklets, as applicable) will still be shipped.
Contest fees
Contest fee per participant: $18.00
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 about how students and schools are awarded for their performance on our mathematics contests is listed below.
Official Participants
Any full-time student may write the Euclid Contest but only participants that qualify as "official" are eligible for inclusion on honour rolls and as part of a school's team score. Participants that write the Euclid Contest at a school inside Canada are considered an official participant* provided they:
- properly complete their Student Information Form,
- were born on or after January 1, 2007, and
- live in Canada.
Participants that write the Euclid Contest in a school outside Canada are considered an official participant* provided they:
- properly complete their Student Information Form, and
- were born on or after January 1, 2007.
All other participants that do not meet the above criteria are considered unofficial. Unofficial participants will have their contests marked and are still eligible for certificates and medals.
Disclaimer \ * A participant’s contest may also be considered unofficial if their contest is received by the CEMC too late to be included in the final results.
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 in Canada appear in zone, provincial and Canadian honour rolls (for regions with at least 30 participants).
- The names of some top-scoring official participants in schools outside of Canada appear in International honour rolls.
- Each of the top five official participants in Canada receive a plaque and a prize of $500 at the discretion of the CEMC.
- Each of the next top ten official participants in Canada receive a prize of $200 at the discretion of the CEMC.
- 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 three highest scoring official participants' scores. Schools have the option of not taking part in the team competition. \ \ For schools in 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, Provincial Championship Plaques, 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
Euclid 2025
| Average (Mean) | 54.8 |
| Certificate of Distinction Cutoff | 68 |
| School Medal Champion Cutoff | 54 |
| Maximum Possible Score | 100 |
| Number of Contestants | 27 092 |
University of Waterloo admissions
While the Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest (CSMC) and Euclid Contest are not required for admission to the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo, strong performance in either can help a student earn admission. \ \ To be considered for a Faculty of Mathematics entrance scholarship, applicants to our Faculty are strongly encouraged to participate in at least one of the CSMC or the Euclid Contest (participating in both contests is encouraged), during the school year in which they are applying. Students who are considered unofficial participants will have their scores communicated to the Admissions and Scholarship Committees.
While it is not an admission requirement, students are encouraged to write the Euclid Contest to be considered for entrance scholarships in the Faculty of Science.
Contest terms and conditions
Please click here to view the CEMC’s contest terms and conditions.
Contest results
The results booklet for the Euclid Contest includes the 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.