Who should participate in CEMC contests
Each year, more than 300 000 students from over 85 countries register for CEMC contests.
Designed by teams of expert educators for Grades 5 to 12, CEMC contests are a great fit for students with a range of abilities—from learners who want to explore and develop their confidence in mathematics and computer science, to advanced students who wish to stretch their limits. Anyone who enjoys mathematics and/or computer science and wants to approach these areas differently should consider participating in a CEMC contest. All students, not just the best in their class, can derive enjoyment from or excel in a competition.
Some of our contests have awards attached to them, and educators may generate certificates of participation for all participants upon completion. More information can be found in the Awards and Recognition section of each contest’s webpage.
Selecting CEMC contests
Choose appropriate contests from our Mathematics and Computing Contests webpage. Each CEMC contest is designed so that its questions gradually increase in difficulty to encourage more learners to confidently attempt math contests, fostering a mindset for critical thinking and a love for learning.
The CEMC offers 13 Mathematics and 3 Computing contests for learners of grades 5 to 12. Educators and students have the option to choose between multiple-choice and full-solution contests based on their comfort level with contest writing. View contests, workshops and tools and resources for your grade level by clicking here.
Who can order CEMC contests
If you are a student who wants to get involved, the first step is to talk to a math or computer science educator at your school. It is not possible for students to individually register for a contest — all students must participate through their school. If your own school is not participating, students can look for another local school that will allow them to join as a participant.
If your school has not participated in a CEMC contest in the past, you will need to submit a new school application to create an account to be able to place an order. Please note that only educators are permitted to request a CEMC School Account and order contests. Account creation is not automatic and can take up to three weeks to be manually reviewed. Please keep this timeline in mind when submitting your application. Follow steps in the next section to see how you can apply for a school account and order contests.
How to order CEMC contests
Each year, educators order CEMC contests for over 300 000 students worldwide, reaching students in over 85 countries. Students cannot register for contests on their own. They must be registered by their school. If their own school is not participating, students can look for another local school that will allow them to join as a participant.
Below are the steps that educators can follow to help their students participate in CEMC contests:
A school must have a CEMC school account to order contests. To apply for a new school account, the Principal or Head of Math must submit a new school application. Account creation is not automatic and can take up to three weeks to be manually reviewed. Please keep this timeline in mind when submitting your application.
Once your application is approved, we will provide a nine-digit CEMC School Number and a confidential password for ordering contests, accessing contest results and other relevant contest information. The CEMC School Number and password are emailed to the Head of Math contact registered on the CEMC School Account each September for previously registered schools. If you didn't receive your CEMC School Number and password, do not fill out a New School Application Form. Head of Math contacts can retrieve their login information through the "Retrieve Login Information" button on the Contest Supervisor Portal login page by submitting their email address. If you still can't retrieve your login information, please email us or call (519) 888-4808.
School accounts are not individual educator accounts. If an educator changes schools, they should not use their old school account but should check with their new school if they have a CEMC school account.
The CEMC reserves the right to decline any school application.
Students who are working ahead by one or more grades or more may choose to write the contest for the more advanced grade but cannot write a contest that is below their official grade level. Additionally, students can only write one of the contests in each of the following grouping of contests in a given school year:
- Pascal, Cayley and Fermat Contests,
- Fryer, Galois and Hypatia Contests,
- Canadian Intermediate Math Contest and Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest,
- Grade 5/6, Grade 7/8 and Grade 9/10 Beaver Computing Challenge,
- Grade 7 and Grade 8 Gauss Contests.
If a participant writes more than one contest in a contest grouping, only the results of the appropriate grade contest will be recorded.
Educators will use the CEMC School Number and confidential password assigned to the school to order contests on the CEMC Contest Supervisor Portal.
In the weeks leading up to the contest, educators receive all necessary materials to supervise the contest via mail, email and electronically via the Contest Supervisor Portal depending upon the mode of the contest.
Writing a contest is about more than the actual result obtained; they are also about the practice of problem-solving, the encouragement of teamwork, and the experience of participation. We recommend that students spend time preparing for our contests, as practice is the best way to develop problem-solving skills.
Below are links to five types of resources and classroom support:
- Past Contests: Students can review past contests to become familiar with the contest format, level of difficulty, and time management strategies. The CEMC has made available a wide range of past contests and their solutions in the Past Contests section of Tools and Resources.
- Problem-Set Generator: Students, educators and guardians can create their own sets of randomized problems from past Gauss, Pascal, Cayley and Fermat Contests using the CEMC’s free, online Problem-Set Generator tool.
- Math Courseware: Students can use CEMC’s free, online Courseware to review and reinforce important curriculum content and concepts.
- Euclid and Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest (CSMC) Preparation Materials: Participants can access our updated preparation materials which are specifically designed for the Euclid and Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest (CSMC).
- CEMC Visits Schools: Experts from the CEMC are available to conduct problem-solving workshops for students and educators. Visit CEMC Visits Schools to learn more.
Contest Supervisors are responsible for:
- Ensuring a contest fee is paid by the school for each participating student.
- Reviewing the Supervisor Instructions Document included in the contest order.
- Ensuring that all participants write the contest at the same time in a classroom setting under the supervision of an educator or school staff member, regardless of whether the contest is completed online or on paper. Contests may not be taken remotely or without supervision.
Additional supervision requirements are outlined in the Supervisor Instructions Document, which is included in the contest package or available electronically through the Contest Supervisor Portal.
Please note that a contest can never be written before the official contest date. We will do our best to arrange alternate dates for significant school-wide conflicts. Please contact us if you wish to arrange this.
For some of our contests, schools must send back all completed paper contest materials (as indicated in each Supervisor Instructions Document) to the CEMC for marking. To ensure their participants’ scores are included in the final results, schools are strongly encouraged to return the completed contests immediately after completion by courier so that they reach the CEMC on time. Schools are responsible for the cost of returning contest materials. The following contests require the completed contest materials to be returned for marking:
- Canadian Senior and Intermediate Mathematics Contests
- Pascal, Cayley and Fermat Contests (paper format only)
- Euclid Contest
- Fryer, Galois, and Hypatia Contests
All other contests are either written via an online contest platform or written on paper and marked at the school. Schools do not need to return any paper contest materials for the following contests:
- Beaver Computing Challenge
- Canadian Computing Competition
- Pascal, Cayley and Fermat Contests (online format only)
- Canadian Team Mathematics Contest
- Gauss Contests
- Team Up Challenge
After marking is complete, results are made accessible to the Contest Supervisor in the Results and Certificates section of the Contest Supervisor Portal. The portal also includes a certificate generator that Contest Supervisors can use to print certificates for most contests.
Details about averages and cutoffs, awards and recognition and results booklets can be found in the corresponding section in each contest’s webpage. Where applicable, awards are sent to the school for top-performing students. Top-performing students may also be featured in publicly accessible annual honour roll documents or may be eligible for additional awards or accolades.
All contest supervisors and participants must agree to these standards in addition to any specific instructions included with each contest. The CEMC standards for all contests are:
- Participants may only write the contest at the school which ordered the contest.
- Contests are to be administered on the official contest date in the specific country, and as close to the beginning of the school day as possible in the school's time zone.
- Only permitted aids indicated on the Contest Question Booklet or Supervisor Instructions Document may be used while writing the contest.
- Participants must be supervised in-person during the entirety of the contest writing.
- Participants consent to have their names displayed in publicly accessible results booklets if their score is high enough to be listed on an honour roll, unless they choose to opt out.
Contest integrity and consequences:
- The CEMC believes in the importance of academic integrity. At the discretion of the CEMC, participants who violate any of the Contest Rules will be disqualified from the contest, will not be considered for CEMC invitational workshops, and any current or future offers of admission to the University of Waterloo may be revoked. In widespread and/or severe cases, the school where the student wrote could be banned from writing CEMC contests in the upcoming year(s).
- The CEMC reserves the right to withhold the publication of results at its discretion.
2026/27 Contest Posters:
- North and South America
- Outside North and South America
2026/27 Teacher Flyers:
- North and South America
- Outside North and South America
Why CEMC contests matter
Attempting contest problems boosts students' confidence and self-esteem, motivating them to pursue further challenges. Since CEMC contests are created at different levels of difficulty, engaging in these contests can spark an interest in mathematics and computer science, leading to a deeper understanding and appreciation of these subjects.
CEMC contests offer challenging problems that go beyond typical classroom exercises, encouraging students to think critically and creatively.
Participating in contests helps students develop problem-solving skills, which are essential for success in preparing students for future academic and real-life challenges.