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University of Waterloo Mathematics and Computing Contests

The University of Waterloo Mathematics and Computing Contests are a series of internationally recognized mathematics and computer science competitions administered by the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Designed to challenge and inspire students in Grades 5 through 12, these contests promote mathematical problem-solving, algorithmic thinking, and communication skills across a broad international audience. They are available in both English and French and are written by over 250,000 students annually in more than 80 countries.

Contest Offerings

The contests are organized by grade level and problem format:

Multiple-Choice Mathematics Contests (Grades 9–11)

  • Pascal Contest – Grade 9
  • Cayley Contest – Grade 10
  • Fermat Contest – Grade 11

Each of these contests consists of 25 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 60 minutes.

Full-Solution Mathematics Contests (Grades 9–11)

  • Fryer Contest – Grade 9
  • Galois Contest – Grade 10
  • Hypatia Contest – Grade 11

These 75-minute contests consist of four written-response questions, emphasizing clear mathematical reasoning and communication.

Senior-Level Mathematics Contests

  • Euclid Contest – Grade 12
 A 2.5-hour contest with ten written-response questions for students preparing for university-level mathematics.
  • Canadian Intermediate Mathematics Contest (CIMC) – Grades 9–10
  • Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest (CSMC) – Grades 11–12

Computing Contests

  • Beaver Computing Challenge (BCC) – Grades 5–10
  • Canadian Computing Competition (CCC) – Grades 9–12
  • Canadian Computing Olympiad (CCO) – Final round of the CCC, by invitation only

History

The CEMC began offering contests in the 1960s, beginning with the Euclid Contest for Grade 12 students. Over time, the program expanded to younger age groups and added computing contests to reflect the growing importance of algorithmic thinking and programming in education.

Contest Structure and Recognition

Most CEMC contests follow a standardized format:

  • **Multiple-choice contests** include 25 questions increasing in difficulty, completed in 60 minutes.
  • **Full-solution contests** (Fryer, Galois, Hypatia, Euclid, CIMC, CSMC) require written explanations of problem-solving strategies.

The CEMC provides:

  • Certificates of Distinction (top 25%)
  • Medals for top student at each school
  • Honour Roll of Distinction for top ~25 students nationally
  • National and Provincial Honour Rolls
  • Team Awards to schools based on cumulative top-three student scores

Highest Performing Schools

The CEMC publicly recognizes the top-performing schools through its annual official contest results. Notable recent performers include:

  • Laureates Academy for Gifted Students (Ontario, Canada)
 - **Pascal Contest (Grade 9)** – 2025: National Champion[1]  
 - **Cayley Contest (Grade 10)** – 2025: National Champion[1]  
 - **Gauss Contest (Grades 7 and 8)** – National first-place school in 2023 and 2024[2]
  • University of Toronto Schools (UTS) – Strong results across Euclid, CSMC, and Pascal contests
  • St. Robert Catholic High School – High performance in Fryer, Galois, and Fermat
  • Bayview Secondary School – Frequent Honour Roll placements in all contests
  • Wuxi Dipont School (China) – International rankings in Pascal and Cayley
  • Carmel School (Hong Kong) – International recognition in Gauss and Pascal contests

Historical Contest Champions

Below is a sortable list of the top three schools for major CEMC contests in 2025. Historical records for earlier years are available on the [CEMC website](https://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests/past_contests.html).

Year Contest 1st place 2nd place 3rd place
2025 Pascal Laureates Academy[1] University of Toronto Schools[1] Bayview S.S.[1]
2025 Cayley Laureates Academy[1] UTS[1] Bayview S.S.[1]
2025 Fryer St. Robert C.H.S.[3] Semiahmoo S.S.[3] Bayview S.S.[3]
2025 Galois St. Robert C.H.S.[3] The Woodlands S.S.[3] Dr. G.W. Williams S.S.[3]
2025 Hypatia UTS[3] William Lyon Mackenzie C.I.[3] Iroquois Ridge H.S.[3]
2025 Fermat Laureates Academy[1] UTS[1] Bayview S.S.[1]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "2025 Pascal Results" (PDF). CEMC. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  2. ^ "CEMC Past Contest Results". Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "2025 Fryer-Galois-Hypatia Results" (PDF). CEMC. Retrieved 2025-06-19.

International Participation

CEMC contests are written in more than 80 countries and are increasingly used in gifted education and enrichment programs worldwide. International schools in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa regularly appear on CEMC Honour Rolls and team rankings.

See Also




References

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