Overview. The goal of the contest is to promote mathematics education in New Mexico by rewarding students, teachers, and their schools for mathematics excellence. Between 700 to 1200 New Mexico students benefit from this program annually. The contest is designed at high-school level, and New Mexico students from grades 5 through 12 have been participating. It has two examination rounds, each testing mathematical potential and ingenuity in addition to formal knowledge. Round I is administered online. The top finalists from Round I are invited to the UNM Campus in early February to compete in Round II, administered as an in-person written exam. Prior to the Round II examination, a prominent mathematician or statitician will give a presentation available to all. Recent invited guest speakers for Round II of the contest include Laura Kubatko of Ohio State University, Peter Kuchment of Texas A&M University, Yuliya Gorb of the National Science Foundation, and Stefan Steinerberger of the University of Washington.

2024-2025 Team.The 2024-2025 contest is co-directed by Professor Cristina Pereyra and Associate Professor Stephen Lau of UNM Mathematics and Statistics. Sean Choi will serve as a coach for student participants.

Support. Sponsorship of the UNM-PNM Statewide High School Mathematics Contest comes from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and a grant from the PNM. The contest also awards prizes, through gifts from Mu Alpha Theta (the National High School and Two-Year College Mathematics Honor Society) and a generous discount from the American Mathematical Society.

To find out more about Mu Alpha Theta, their scholarships, grants, free math competitions, and other benefits, please visit www.mualphatheta.org. NCTM, MAA, SIAM, and AMATYC are sponsoring organizations of Mu Alpha Theta.

Donations. If you wish to support our contest, please click here to make a donation.

This year's 2024-2025 contest

• Important dates.
  • Round 1: Friday to Monday, 22-25 November 2024
  • Speaker's presentation and Round 2: Saturday, 8 February 2025
  • Awards Banquet: Saturday, 19 April 2025 (tentative)
• School or Club Registration for the 2024-2025 Contest. Teachers and coaches willing to advertise and encourage participation in the contest, please register here so that we'll be able to communicate with you. Predominately, Round 1 will be held online in November, starting at noon on Friday the 22nd and ending at noon on Monday the 25th. Participants will be able to work on the contest problems over any 3 continuous hours within the above time window. We will also support an in-person format for Round 1, if you are willing and want to proctor. We will coordinate with you, but ideally the in-person Round 1 would take place over a fixed 3-hour period during the morning of Monday the 25th. Proctors would have to arrange for the local venue and organization (for example, taking printouts of the contest problems). Proctors would also help students with data entry of their responses. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns.

  QR code for cellphones.

From the 2023-2024 contest

• Poster for the 2023-2024 contest.
• Round I of the contest will be administered either online at home or at the student's home school over a suitable 3-hour window during the period November 11th to 13th.
• Round II will be held at in-person at UNM on February 10th, 2024.
  Schedule for the day: Round II Schedule.
• Public Lecture: In-person at 11 am, Februrary 10th. Video of Zoom Webinar below.
  Speaker: Prof. Stefan Steinerberger from the University of Washington. All are welcome!
  Title: "Simple Things That We Don't Know"
  

  

  Zoom Guest lecture (starting at 5:15) from Stefan Steinerberger (large file, 140 MB).

  Winners of the 2023-2024 Contest. Updated, 5 April 2024.

From the 2022-2023 contest

• Winners of the 2022-2023 Contest
• Zoom Guest lecture from Laura Kubatko (Large file, 136 MB)
• Solutions to Round 2
• Round 2 in person at UNM on February 12th. Guest talk at 10am over zoom. In-person test at 1:00pm.
• Solutions to round 1 of the 2022-2023 Contest
• Poster for the 2022-2023 contest

From the 2021-2022 contest

• Winners of the 2021-2022 Contest
• (April 08, 2022) You should have received your exam grades by now. Shirts are being printed and shipped directly to the homes of the Round II winners. See you next year!
• (January 16, 2022) You are invited to the annual public lecture, which will take place at 10 am on February 05! The event will take place over Zoom and registration is quick and easy: register here!
• Public Lecture on Zoom at 10 am, Februrary 5th.
  Speaker: Prof. Peter Kuchment of Texas A&M University. All are welcome!
  Title: "The Mathematics Mystery"
  

  

• The round 1 exam for Fall 2021.
• The round 1 exam for Fall 2021 with solutions.
• The round 2 exam for Spring 2022.
• The round 2 exam for Spring 2022 with solutions.
• (August 29, 2021) The first round of this year's contest will be held online. The registration information and schedule will be posted by mid-October. Stay tuned!
• Poster for the 2021-2022 contest

From the 2020-2021 contest

• Winners of the 2020-2021 Contest
• 2020-2021 Contest, Round II, Spring 2021 questions
• 2020-2021 Contest, Round II, Spring 2021 answers
• Public Lecture on Zoom at 10 am, Februrary 6th.
  Speaker:Dr. Yuliya Gorb of National Science Foundation.All are welcome!
  Title: "Why Math?"
  

  

  Video: Youtube Video of the lecture
  Presentation: Powerpoint slides

• 2020-2021 Contest, Round I, Fall 2020 questions
• 2020-2021 Contest, Round I, Fall 2020 answers