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State and National Mathematics Competitions
CDE thanks Dr. David Carlson, co-founder and co-chair of the Colorado Math Awards, and Michael Zhang, Colorado Math Award steering committee member, for contributing to this page.
Math competitions can make mathematics feel creative, social, and worth exploring. Students can choose among school-based contests, statewide open-ended challenges, a coached team program, and the national AMC pathway. Use this guide to find a good fit, then confirm details on each official page before registering.
Colorado Mathematics Competitions
UNC Math Contest
The UNC Math 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 in late October or early November, and a three-hour final round at UNC in Feburary or early March. More than 900 students statewide participate in the first round, with almost 200 invited to UNC to compete in the final round.
All grade levels are given the same questions. Each round is a paper and pencil exam with about 9 to 12 problems. Students compete individually, and no electronic devices are to be used in working on the problems. Both rounds challenge students to exercise their creativity and ingenuity to solve problems in geometry, algebra, combinatorics, probability, logic, and number theory.
The UNC Math Contest is free. Teachers, coaches, or parents join the mailing list by emailing UNCmathcontest@unco.edu.
Soifer Mathematical Olympiad
The Soifer Mathematical Olympiad, founded in 1984 by Dr. Alexander 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 the UCCS campus to learn answers to the questions and 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. About 200 students participate in this competition.
The Olympiad is typically held on two consecutive Saturdays in October on the UCCS campus. Preregistration is preferred but on-site registration is available the morning of the event. There is no fee to participate, but a recommended optional donation from schools and/or school districts is $300.
Colorado State University Math Day
The Colorado State University Math Day is held in early November each year at CSU in Fort Collins. The CSU Math Day has been held since 1977 and each year attracts about 500 high school students from Colorado and surrounding states. The event includes a lecture, a quiz-bowl-style tournament involving three-member teams in small- and large-school divisions, student math projects, and other activities throughout the day. Registration opens in September and closes a couple of weeks before the event. The cost to participate is $25.00 per student.
Colorado State University - Pueblo Math Day
The CSU-Pueblo Math Day is held each November. It includes both the Swanson and Math Bowl competitions on the CSU-Pueblo campus, and draws participants from districts throughout the Pueblo region. The Swanson Competition is a rigorous exam with trophies for the top six performers. The Math Bowl Competition is a fast-paced, head-to-head contest between two 3-person teams who each get 25 seconds to answer a mathematical question. Teams advance through a double-elimination tournament bracket to determine a champion. To participate or be placed on their mailing list, email mathday@csupueblo.edu.
Colorado Mathematics League
The Colorado Mathematics League is one of several state math leagues supported administratively by The Math League. Six monthly high school contests are given nationwide (October – March); students have 30 minutes to solve six 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 6, 7, and 8 are given nationwide in February; students have 30 minutes to solve 30 multiple-choice problems (A-D). More than 20 schools in Colorado have participated in recent years.
Registration deadlines: September 30th (high school), December 31st (Grades 6, 7, and 8); January 31st (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).
National Mathematics Competitions
American Mathematics Competitions (AMC 8, 10, 12)
Founded in 1950, the American Mathematics Competitions are 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.
The 40-minute, 25-question, multiple-choice AMC 8 contest is open nationally to students in grade 8 or below without prerequisites. The AMC 10 & 12 contests are similar but 75 minutes in length. 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: Late January
- Registration dates and fees: Early Bird (October, $55); Regular (early January, $75); Late (mid-January, $115)
- Test booklet fees: $30 per bundle of ten exams
- AMC 10 and 12 Contest dates: Early and mid-November
- Registration dates and fees: Early Bird (September, $55); Regular (mid-October, $75); Late (late-October, $115)
- Test booklet fees: $30 per bundle of ten exams
MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS is a national math enrichment, coaching, and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state and territory. For more than 30 years, it has been one of the most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students.
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.
The Colorado MATHCOUNTS program is made possible by the National Society of Professional Engineers–Colorado (NSPE-CO). Schools register with MATHCOUNTS to receive coaching and testing materials and begin in September preparing for regional competition that is held in February. Top teams are invited to the state competition in March. The top four students in the individual competition round comprise Colorado's team in national competition with other U.S. state and territory teams.
AreteLabs Math Madness Competition
AreteLabs hosts a competition each fall for students in 3rd through 12th grade. A bracket tournament follows 4 weeks of league play, and matches can be played any day or time. The competition takes place between October and December. For more information, visit the Math Madness website.
Other STEM Competitions
In addition to these math-focused competitions, there are other STEM competitions and activities like science fairs, coding challenges, and science days at our colleges and universities. You may wish to look for these competitions in CDE's computer science resource bank and on CDE's science opportunities page.
Which Experience Fits Your Students?
If you're looking for...
- A statewide, no-calculator challenge, try the UNC Math Contest
- A short contest that fits into the school calendar, try the Colorado Mathematics League
- A coached, middle-school team experience, try MATHCOUNTS
- Long-form reasoning and proof writing, try the Soifer Mathematical Olympiad
- A national benchmark and Olympiad pathway, try AMC 8, 10, and 12
- A low-pressure way to get started, try one sample problem per week from different competitions before choosing a contest
Colorado Math Awards
The Colorado Math Awards, an all-volunteer, tax-exempt organization, 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.
Updated September 11, 2026. This page is not consistently updated, so please verify registration and event details with the competition website and/or event organizers before registering.