We feature the American Math Competitions contests (AMC 8, AMC 10, and AMC 12), the Purple Comet contest, and an occasional other contest.
The focus of our Contest Program is to encourage a culture of creative mathematical problem-solving. This popular program attracts students come from all over the Mid-Hudson Valley.
Join us for our 2026–2027 Contest Season!
AMC 10/12A: 5pm on Thursday, November 5, 2026
AMC 10/12B: 5pm on Friday, November 13, 2026
AMC 8: 5pm on Thursday, January 21, 2027 (weather date: Friday, January 22, 2027)
Purple Comet: 2pm on Saturday, April 10, 2027
What are the AMC contests? (from https://maa.org/student-programs/amc/)
The AMC 8 is a 25-question, 40-minute, multiple choice examination in middle school mathematics designed to promote the development of problem-solving skills. The AMC 8 provides an opportunity for middle school students to develop positive attitudes towards analytical thinking and mathematics that can assist in future careers. Students apply classroom skills to unique problem-solving challenges in a low-stress and friendly environment.
The material covered on the AMC 8 includes topics from a typical middle school mathematics curriculum. Possible topics include but are not limited to: counting and probability, estimation, proportional reasoning, elementary geometry including the Pythagorean Theorem, spatial visualization, everyday applications, and reading and interpreting graphs and tables. In addition some of the later questions may involve linear or quadratic functions and equations, coordinate geometry, and other topics traditionally covered in a beginning algebra course.
The AMC 8 is for “Students with a passion for problem-solving who are in grade 8 or below and under 14.5 years of age on the day of the competition”.
The AMC 10 is a 25-question, 75-minute multiple-choice competition designed for students in grades 10 and below (maximum age of under 17.5 years on the day of the competition). The content covers mathematics typically taught in grades 9 and 10, including elementary algebra, basic geometry (such as the Pythagorean Theorem), area and volume formulas, elementary number theory, and elementary probability. Advanced topics like trigonometry, advanced algebra, and advanced geometry are excluded.
The AMC 12 is a 25-question, 75-minute multiple-choice competition designed for students in grades 12 and below (maximum age of under 19.5 years on the day of the competition). It covers the full high school mathematics curriculum, including trigonometry, advanced algebra, and advanced geometry. Calculus is excluded.
What is the Purple Comet? (from https://purplecomet.org/)
The Purple Comet! Math Meet is an annual and international team mathematics competition designed for middle and high school students that has been held every year since 2003. Teams of from one to six students compete by submitting solutions to a list of mathematics problems. The problems range in difficulty from fairly easy to extremely challenging. There are too many problems and too little time for any one student to solve them all, so teamwork is critical! Topics range across Algebra, Combinatorics, Geometry, Number Theory, and more.
There are two levels of competition:
Middle school contest: 20 problems to be completed in 60 minutes;
High school contest: 30 problems to be completed in 90 minutes.
We compete in the Mixed Teams category for both levels: teams whose members attend more than one school or are home schooled.
Bard College also offers the William Lowell Putnam Exam (for undergraduates) on Saturday, December 5, 2026.
Undergraduates: contact your math department for registration information.
“The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition (the Putnam) is the preeminent mathematics competition for undergraduate college students in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.” –https://maa.org/putnam/
The Bard Math Circle will host a site of the inaugural AMM-Local on Sunday, January 17, 2027 at Bard College. The American Masters of Mathematics is a competition and math festival organized by OMEGA Math, the Organization for Mathematical Engagement & Growth in America.
Also of Interest
Here are some other contests that may be of interest to our students.
Math Kangaroo in Rhinebeck on Monday November 16, 2026. This team competition is for grades 1-4 and grades 5-12. Please click the button to register.
More information in this flyer (which links to a PDF, 507KB).
Cornell Big Red Math Contest: Saturday, October 24th, 2026
High School students compete in teams of up to five. Individual, team, and proof-based rounds. Followed by a math talk and an awards ceremony. Advanced middle school students are welcome. More information and registration: www.bigredmathcomp.org
NYSML: Saturday, April 3, 2027
The New York State Math League competition is the culmination of local and regional high school math leagues across New York State.
Gauss Contest: Contest window of Monday, May 10 to Friday, May 21, 2027
Perhaps the Canadian equivalent of the AMC contests.
ARML: Saturday, June 5, 2027
The next league contest after NYSML. This team contest attracts thousands of high school mathletes to several sites around the country.
Upstate New York Math Team: Gathering top high school students from across Upstate New York, this team regularly competes at ARML and some other contests. Visit www.upstatenymath.org for more information:
IMO: The 68th International Math Olympiad will take place in Budapest, Hungary · July 16-26, 2027. Very few students are invited to represent their country. The archive of past IMO problems is freely available on their site.