Nine tenths of education is encouragement.

– David L. Carlson, Ph.D., Co-founder and Co-chair, Colorado Math Awards

For more than 30 years, Colorado middle school and high school students have challenged themselves beyond the classroom by participating in state and national math competitions. Preparing for such contests in small groups can be a great way for students to improve their problem-solving abilities as well as gain self-confidence and communication skills. Here are five opportunities to complement classroom instruction this school year for students who enjoy solving math problems. The first two contests are state-level contests and free of charge.

Annual Secondary School State Mathematics Contest. This contest, sponsored by the University of Northern Colorado since 1992, is for students in grades 7-12, although younger students are welcome to participate. The contest consists of two rounds: a 90-minute First Round, done remotely between October 23 rd and October 30 th , 2024 and a three-hour Final Round at UNC on Saturday, March 1 st , 2025. Last year, more than 800 students statewide participated in the First Round, including 61 in grades 4-6; 169 students from the First Round were invited to participate in the Final Round.

All grade levels are given the same questions. Each round is a paper and pencil exam with about 9-12 problems. Students compete individually and no electronic devices are to be used in working the problems. Both rounds challenge students to exercise their creativity and ingenuity to solve problems in geometry, algebra, combinatorics, probability, logic, and number theory. For more information, including sample problems and registration, visit  https://uncmathcontest.wordpress.com/.

Soifer (formerly Colorado) Mathematical Olympiad. This contest, founded in 1985 by Dr. Alex Soifer, professor of mathematics at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), is for Colorado students in grades 5-12. This is an individual competition that does not require any school performance prerequisites. Participants may use calculators but not the internet. Students are asked to solve five problems in four hours, presenting their results in essay-type solutions. One week later, the students return to campus to learn answers to the questions, names of competition winners, and to hear comments from previous winners and judges. The top winners receive scholarships to be applied to the 4-year U.S. institution of their choice. Last year, 135 students from 17 communities participated.

This fall, the Olympiad will be held on Saturday, October 4 th , from 9:00am to 1:00pm on the UCCS campus. Preregistration closes at 5pm on October 3 rd . The Award Presentation Ceremonies will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, October 11 th . For more information and to register, visit https://soifermathematicalolympiad.uccs.edu/.

The Colorado Mathematics League is one of several state math leagues supported administratively by The Math League (mathleague.com). Six monthly high school contests are given nationwide (October – March); students have 30 minutes to solve 6 problems. Annual middle school contests are given nationwide in February; students have 30 minutes to solve 35 multiple-choice problems (A-D). Annual contests for grades 4-5 are given nationwide in April; students have 30 minutes to solve 30 multiple choice problems (A-D). Last year, 23 schools in Colorado registered.

“On our high school contests, an interested 9th or 10th grader should be able to solve 3 to 5 of the 6 problems. Our 6th question is challenging for the most gifted students. For grades 4-8, all students can achieve success on the first half of our annual contests, while the last half should prove challenging to the best students.”

Registration deadlines: September 30 th (high school), December 31 st (middle school); January 31 st (grades 4 and 5). Registration fees: $45 per set of 30 exams (includes shipping) for grades 4-8; $100 for 6 sets of 30 exams each (1 set per month, high school). To register for any of these contests, click HERE.

American Mathematics Competitions (AMC 8, 10, 12): “Founded in 1950, the AMC is the preeminent math competition for students K-12. Today, over 300,000 students in 50 states and over 30 countries take the AMC to bolster their confidence and passion for math” ( https://maa.org/student-programs/amc/ ).

The 40-minute, 25-question, multiple-choice AMC 8 contest is open nationally to students in grade 8 or below without prerequisites: similarly for the 75-minute AMC 10 & 12 contests. Top students in the AMC 10 & 12 contests are invited to participate in additional exams that eventually result in selecting a team of six students to represent the United States in the International Mathematical Olympiad.

AMC 8 Contest dates: January 15 and January 22-28, 2025 Registration dates and fees: Early Bird (Oct. 28, $53); Regular (Dec. 23, $73); Late (Jan. 15, $113) Test booklet fees: $25 per bundle of ten exams.

AMC 10 and 12 Contest dates: November 6 th (10A and 12A), November 12 th (10B and 12B) Registration dates and fees: Early Bird (Sept. 23, $33); Regular (Oct. 22, $76); Late (Oct. 30, $116) Test booklet fees: $25 per bundle of ten exams.

MATHCOUNTS is a national math enrichment, coaching & competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state & territory. For more than 30 years MATHCOUNTS has been one of the most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students.

In Colorado, the program is made possible by the National Society of Professional Engineers–Colorado (NSPE-CO). Schools register with MATHCOUNTS and receive coaching and testing materials and begin in September preparing for regional competition that is held in February.

Topics covered include algebra, probability, approximation, geometry, and statistics. Problems fit in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade curriculums across the country. Problems are designed to accelerate students’ interest and achievement in mathematics.

Colorado Math Awards was established in 1996 to recognize outstanding performance in national and international mathematics competitions and contests by Colorado middle school, high school, and college students. Founding sponsors include CCTM, the Rocky Mountain Section of the MAA, Colorado MATHCOUNTS, the Colorado Department of Education, and American Mathematics Competitions.