Expert Overview

The High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM) is COMAP’s team contest in which up to four students spend a 14-day window building and writing up a mathematical model of an open real-world problem. The Middle Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MidMCM) extends the format to students 14½ and younger.

Format

Team

Judging Format

Jurors, Criteria based

Recognition

Opportunity

Grade Eligibility

Rising Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Geographic Eligibility

International

Discipline

MathematicsApplied Modeling

Entries

Not published

Percent Awarded

~28%

Important Dates

Contest Opens

November 4, 2026

Contest Deadline

November 17, 2026

Passed

Open

Approaching: < 1 mo.

Priority: < 2 weeks

Urgent: < 1 week

Registration Cost

$100 per team registration fee

About

A faculty advisor registers each team and pays $100 per team. Teams choose one problem, work remotely within the window, and submit a single PDF of up to 25 pages led by a summary sheet, with a separate report on any AI use. Advisors may not help develop solutions, and papers are judged blind by at least two preliminary judges before a final round.

The 2025 contest drew 1,091 teams from 498 schools in 24 countries and regions. Designations run from Successful Participant through Honorable Mention and Meritorious to Finalist and Outstanding. Meritorious or above reaches the top 20–25% of papers, so it is the credential most strong teams can realistically earn; Outstanding went to 8 teams, about 0.7%, and 105 papers reached final judging.

HiMCM is the right competition for a team of students who want to practice mathematical modeling the way professionals do — making assumptions, defending a method, and communicating a result in writing — at a scale where a blind-judged paper, not a score, is the credential.