IUPUI High School Math Contest: Solve math problems to win a scholarship and prize money
The contest is state-wide and internet based. It consists of five questions for individual submissions and one team problem. The students have about 2 months to formulate the correct solutions and submit them. The entries are graded by IU Indianapolis math faculty. Mid to late April, the students are invited to an awards ceremony on the IU Indianapolis campus.
This contest allows students to experience mathematics at a higher level by considering problems for individuals and teams that require significantly more thought than the average high school level problems they may be used to. Though the problems are accessible to those who have not yet had college level classes, the work and originality of thought required for such problems give students a better understanding of the effort and joy that is associated with higher level mathematics and related fields. This contest is also an opportunity for teachers to supplement their lesson plans and provide students with creative and competitive outlets. Students study patterns, analyze relationships, draft and refine their solutions.
Submission Date: March 9, 2026
Award Ceremony: April 24, 2026
Exp: 12222021
The award ceremony will take place on the IU Indianapolis campus on April 25th. The exact location will be specified later.
The keynote speaker at the Award Ceremony is Dr. Fumiko Futamura who will give a presentation on “Mathematics and Art”. Dr. Futamura is known for her work on the mathematics of perspective and perspective drawing. She is a professor of mathematics at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where she holds the Lord Chair in Mathematics and Computer Science. You can find some of her mathematics and art work on her website http://www.fumikofutamura.com. Dr. Futamura has given a TED Ed talk on “The mathematics of Sidewalk Illusions”.
Prizes
$300 and a full four-year academic tuition scholarship (first place)
$200 and a $2,500 per year scholarship for four years (each second place, up to five total)
$100 and a $2,500 per year scholarship for four years (each third place, up to ten total)
In order to receive the scholarship, the winner must be directly admitted to the IU Indianapolis School of Science and be a full-time major in any discipline within the School.
Scholarships in the amount of $2,500 per year will be awarded to the remaining cash prize winners who are directly admitted to the School of Science and attend full time. These scholarships are renewable for four years, given satisfactory academic performance. Winners may receive only one scholarship from the School of Science for winning the contest, but are still eligible for other campus-based scholarships.
General
This contest is open to all Indiana high school students (grades 9–12).
Students are not allowed to use the internet for anything, but books can be used for any of the problems.
Students are not allowed to receive outside help from anyone (on the individual problems) or anyone not on their team (team problem), while working on the contest. In particular, AI assistance is not allowed while teachers and parents are “moral support,” but nothing else. Of course, teachers are encouraged to explain general problem solving techniques and to illustrate them by working through problems from previous years' contests with their students.
Technical
Submissions must be made online and a single pdf file is required.
Start each new problem on a new page and legible writing is required.
Print your name(s) & your school name on every page.
Grading
Justifications and explanations with the solutions are necessary.
Submissions are graded based on method, correctness, and elegance of the solutions. Do your best.
The award ceremony will take place on the IU Indianapolis campus on April 24th at IO 102 from 3:30-5:30pm.
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