Academic & similar competitions

Provides details on competitions and activities available to Australian children

ONE OF our members, Maria Jenkins, compiled for Gifted the original list of academic competitions, particularly for students with a mathematics interest. Additions in a similar format with appropriate contact details to complete, broaden and update this list are invited.

Where both age and school year eligibility is listed this generally indicates (unless otherwise indicated) that either age or school year requirements need to be met. Most competitions will accept talented younger students; it is the upper age limit that cannot be exceeded, that is the older students are not allowed to compete with the younger age cohort. Sometimes further restrictions may apply, for example a 15-year-old that has started his university studies cannot compete in any International Olympiad, even though the upper age limit may be 20.

Maria compiled this list the hard way to support her child's homeschooling. Details of many of the competitions are sent only to schools to minimise the organisers' workload, but some may accept registered home-schoolers. If your child is enrolled at a school, that would be an appropriate first point of contact. But for home-schoolers and where school contact proves fruitless, Maria has provided contact details for the major competitions and has offered to respond to initial inquiries for many of the less well-known competitions. The contact details for the various inquiry points are listed at the end of the list of competitions.

Combined | Mathematics | Science | Computing | English | Contact details

Combined

English, Mathematics & General Abilities Competition

Eligibility: primary school Years 4, 5 & 6
Number:
Inquiries: Educational Testing Centre, UNSW

Mathematics

American Junior High School Mathematics Examination - AJHSME

Eligibility: 12-14 years, secondary school Grades 7 & 8 (for groups of 3 or more only)
Number: over 200, 000
Inquiries: (initial) Maria Jenkins

American High School Mathematics Examination - AHSME

Eligibility: 15-18 years, secondary school (for groups of 3 or more only)
Number: over 400, 000
Inquiries: (initial) Maria Jenkins

American Invitational Mathematics Examination - AIME

Eligibility: 15-18 years, secondary school (students who score at least 100 in AHSME above)
Number: over 1,500
Inquiries: (initial) Maria Jenkins

Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee (AMOC) activities:

Australian Mathematical Competition for the Westpac Awards

Eligibility: 13-18 years, secondary school, Australia, NZ, and French Territories
Number: over half a million
Inquiries: The Executive Director,
Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee (AMOC)

Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians

Eligibility: 13-16 years, secondary school years 7-10, in two programs Challenge
and Enrichment
Number: 9,000 from 700 schools
Inquiries: The Director, Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians
Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee (AMOC)

AMOC Intermediate Mathematics Contest (formerly Telecom Intermediate Mathematics Contest)

Eligibility: 13-16 years, secondary school, Years 7-10
Number: over 500
Inquiries: The Executive Director, AMO Committee
Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee (AMOC)

AMOC Senior Mathematics Contest (formerly Telecom Senior Mathematics Contest)

Eligibility: 16-18 years, secondary school, Years 10-11, by invitation only, based on the results from previous competitions
Number: 50
Inquiries: The Executive Director, AMO Committee
Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee (AMOC)

Australian Mathematical Olympiad - AMO

About 12 of the top students from the Senior Contest and about 12 of the top students from the Junior Contest are invited to The Australian Mathematics School of Excellence. All of these students, plus some others (120 in all) are invited to sit for the Australian Mathematical Olympiad in early February.

Australian Pacific Mathematical Olympiad - APMO

The top 20 from the Australian Mathematical Olympiad proceed to the Australian Pacific Mathematical Olympiad in early March each year.
Eligibility: 15-18 years, secondary school, Pacific Rim countries, by invitation only
Number: over 120 students from 12 countries

International Mathematical Olympiad - IMO

In April each year, about 24 students (10 seniors, the rest juniors) are invited to The Australian Mathematics Selection School, where the six students to represent Australia in the International Mathematical Olympiad are selected from the seniors.
Eligibility: Under 20 years, and not enrolled at a university
Number: over 400 students from 70 countries

International Mathematics Tournament of the Towns (organised by Russia)

Eligibility: 13-18 years, secondary school
Number: over 5,000
Inquiries: (initial) Maria Jenkins

Australian Primary Schools Mathematical Olympiads - APSMO

Eligibility: 8-12 years, primary school (in groups only), Australia and NZ
Number: over 13,000
Inquiries: APSMO

The Primary Schools Mathematic Competition

Eligibility: 9-12 years, primary school Years 5 & 6
Number: over 50,000
Inquiries: Educational Testing Centre, UNSW

University of NSW and IBM Mathematics Competition

Eligibility: 15-18 years, secondary school, in junior and senior divisions
Number: over 2,500
Inquiries: Educational Testing Centre, UNSW

JL Williams Competition (organised by The Mathematical Association of NSW - MANSW)

Eligibility: 16-17 years, secondary school Year 11 only, identifies students for the National Mathematics Summer School
Number: 350
Inquiries: (initial) Maria Jenkins

Macquarie Business Mathematics Competition

Eligibility: targets senior secondary students but appears to be open to all at a minor cost, with schools needing to register first before their students can. Competition is over the internet and can be done from home.
Dates: 2003 deadline 29 Aug for online competition within 8-10 Sep period
Number: no apparent limit
More information: website

Sydney University Mathematical Society Problem Competition

Eligibility: 18-21 years, and university
Number: over 30
Inquiries: (initial) Maria Jenkins

Combined | Mathematics | Science | Computing | English | Contact details

Science

Australian Schools Science Competition

Eligibility: 10-18 years, Years 5-12
Number: over 150,000
Inquiries: Educational Testing Centre, UNSW

The Australian National Chemistry Quiz (run by The Royal Australian Chemical Institute)

Eligibility: 12-18 years, secondary school, Years 7-12
Number: over 10,000 (guess only)
Inquiries: (initial) Maria Jenkins

Australian Science Olympiads activities

National Qualifying Examinations

Eligibility: 15-18 years, Years 10-11, in separate divisions Biology, Chemistry and Physics
Numbers: up to a 1000 sit in each division
Inquiries: Australian Science Olympiads

International Biology, Chemistry and Physics Olympiads

About 22 top students (under 20 years, and not enrolled at university) from each subject are invited to the Australian Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Training Schools where the students to represent Australia in the International Biology Olympiad, the International Chemistry Olympiad, and the International Physics Olympiad are selected.

Combined | Mathematics | Science | Computing | English | Contact details

Computing

Australian Schools Computer Studies Competition

Eligibility: 11-18 years, Years 6-12
Number: over 22,000
Inquiries: Educational Testing Centre, UNSW

Combined | Mathematics | Science | Computing | English | Contact details

English

Australian Schools English Competition

Eligibility: 8-18 years, Years 3-12
Number: over 130,000
Inquiries: Educational Testing Centre, UNSW

TalentEd School Students' Memoir Competition - Junior

Details: 300-3000 words describing some aspect of student's real life that was unusually vivid or intense or that involved unique events
Prize: $100 and publication in TalentEd
Eligibility: Australian, Under 13 as at mid year closing date
Inquiries & entry form: Stan Bailey, UNE - Armidale

TalentEd School Students' Memoir Competition - Senior

Details: 300-3000 words describing some aspect of student's real life that was unusually vivid or intense or that involved unique events
Prize: $100 and publication in TalentEd
Eligibility: Australian, 13-18 years as at mid year closing date
Inquiries & entry form: Stan Bailey, UNE - Armidale

Combined | Mathematics | Science | Computing | English | Contact details

Contacts for inquiries

Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee (AMOC)

To appropriate activity director
University of Canberra PO Box 1
BELCONNEN ACT 2616

The centre will supply lists of available educational material and solutions to previous years competitions (both the Westpac Awards competition and the AMOC Mathematical Contests including AMO & IMO).

Australian Science Olympiads

Executive Officer
Australian Science Olympiads
University of Canberra PO Box 1
Belconnen ACT 2616

Educational Testing Centre, UNSW

Ms Linda Ashford
Educational Testing Centre
University of NSW
Sydney NSW 2052

Maria Jenkins

16 Marshall Crescent
Beacon Hill NSW 2100
Ph. (02) 9939 1031

Stan Bailey

School of Curriculum Studies
The University of New England
Armidale NSW 2351

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