2026 Contest Information

Post-Contest Updates

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our 2026 Math Contest on January 31, and to everyone behind the scenes who helped to make it happen!
Some details are below, and updates are highlighted in yellow.

• 277 schools were represented from 24 states (USA) and 11 countries!
  • 1077 students took 1461 exams, and 234 students participated in The SmackDown.
  • Check out our 2026 Contest Map as well as the list of participation from USA states!
• Tentative Contest Results!
  We will be reaching out to teachers soon as part of our verification process before making a final determination of results. (This process often takes at least 2-3 weeks.)
  Verification Update: We are still pursuing verification for a handful of students, and we are encountering some delays due to school holidays, messages going to spam folders, etc. Thanks for your patience as we complete this process.
• Distribution of Prizes, Certificates, and Trophies:
  • Certificates of Participation:
    Certificates of participation were emailed to students on February 9. (Partial screenshot of email for reference.) Check your email and spam folder for this email. If you cannot locate the email or if corrections need to be made, contact Jen Marsala and request a link for your certificate of participation. Be sure to include your name as well as your school name.
  • Amazon Gift Cards::
    The timing of the gift card distribution depends on the timing of verification. Gift cards will likely be distributed 6-8 weeks after the contest.
  • Winners Certificates:
    Winners Certificates will be emailed to verified contest winners. The timing of this process is dependent on the timing of verification. These will likely be emailed to students and teachers approximately 4-6 weeks after the contest.
  • School trophies:
    The timing for school trophies is dependent on the timing of verification. This process will likely occur 6-8 weeks after the contest.
  • Individual Contest Scores:
    Scores were posted on February 11 within Courseware. Students can access each of their individual exam scores through CASA --> Courses tab --> subject page link --> Gradebook link. Teachers can view all of their students' scores in the Codes tab of the teacher/sponsor's Courseware account).
    Interpreting Contest Scores: The score in Courseware represents the number of questions that the student got correct. The number of questions on each exam is listed below. A score of 35 in Statistics, for example, means that the student got 35 out of 42 questions correct.
    • Algebra 1: 40 questions
    • Geometry: 32 questions
    • Algebra 2: 26 questions
    • Precalculus: 39 questions
    • Calculus: 30 questions
    • Statistics: 42 questions
    • Physics: 40 questions
    • Calculation: 29 questions
  • Copies of Contest Exams:
    We hope to have copies of the contest exams posted on our website by January 20. When posted, they will be available under the “Past Exams & Results” link at the left side of this page. Note that answer keys will not be posted, and that the SmackDown questions will also not be posted.

Information from Contest Day

The 2026 Math Contest will be held ONLINE on Saturday, January 31, 2026. The contest is FREE and is open to all high school and middle school students. Students are permitted to take the contest exams at home on their own computers.

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• 2026 Contest Schedule
• Contest Zoom Room
  Visit the Contest Zoom Room to interface with the organizers between 8:00 am and Noon Central Time. This same room is also used to view and participate in the SmackDown at 12:15 p.m., and for the awards ceremony at 2:00 p.m.
• Registration Help Page
  Registration remains open until the last contest begins on January 31. ONE teacher per school should register. This page contains detailed registration instructions as well as help videos for teachers and students.
• Exam Instructions page
  Read this in detail! This page contains a wealth of important information that will not necessarily be presented on contest day.
• Taking Your Contest Exams
  To take an exam, sign into your Courseware account, select the Courses tab, select the desired subject, and look at the top of the course homepage for an exam link that is individual to you.
  • For all courses except SmackDown, you MUST refresh that individualized link within 5 minutes of the exam, or you could miss all or part of the exam.
  • For SmackDown (and SmackDown only), you also need to have the Contest Zoom Room open to view the SmackDown questions. You access your SmackDown answer sheet through your Courseware account.
• Calculator and Technology Policy
  Students should read the Calculator & Technology Policy for clarification about the types of tools that are and are not permitted to be used during contest exams. AI technology such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Llama, and other LLMs (large language models) are NOT permitted to be used on any portion of the UH Contest exams. Also prohibited are similar math-specific tools including, but not limited to: Mathway, Photomath, MathPapa, QuickMath, and Math Solver – which either give step-by-step instructions or step-by-step solutions, or give an immediate answer when multiple steps are being computed in the background of the tool. Wolfram Alpha is also NOT permitted.
• The Rounding Instructions have been updated to state that for multiple-choice questions, students should simply choose the best answer and then type 1 for A, 2 for B, 3 for C, 4 for D, 5 for E, or 6 for F. (No rounding rules are needed for multiple-choice questions unless indicated in the problem.) The rounding rules apply for questions which are not multiple choice.
• Check out the contest demonstration video and the practice contest to familiarize yourself with the exam format:
  
  • Contest Demonstration Video
  • Practice Contest
    The practice contest can be taken every 30 minutes, according to the following schedule.
    
• Click on the additional links below and at the left to learn more about our FREE annual contest.
  Contest Schedule
  Contest Prizes
  Contest Enrollment Rules
  Calculator & Technology Policy
  Rounding Instructions
  Exam Content Information
  The Contest Point System
  
  The Smackdown (Exciting Elimination Round). Also check out a recording of our 2024 SmackDown, courtesy of first-place winner Eric Li of Elkins High School!