SIAM M3 Challenge
Expert Overview
Free online math modeling challenge for high school juniors and seniors in the U.S. and sixth-form students in England and Wales, run by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics with MathWorks as sponsor. Teams of three to five get 14 continuous hours to model a real-world problem, and scholarships exceed $100,000.
Format
Judging Format
Monetary
Grade Eligibility
Geographic Eligibility
Discipline
Entries
Percent Awarded
Important Dates
Registration Opens
Early November 2026
Registration Deadline
Late February 2027
Passed
Open
Approaching: < 1 mo.
Priority: < 2 weeks
Urgent: < 1 week
Registration Cost
No entry fee
About
A teacher or other coach registers a team of three to five, and once any member downloads the problem on Challenge weekend, the team has 14 continuous hours to submit a paper of up to about 20 pages with a one-page summary. Teams may use software, books, and online sources, which must be cited, and AI use must be cited too. Six finalist teams present in person to professional mathematicians and win $20,000 down to $5,000 each; six semifinalist teams receive $1,500 and 19 honorable mention teams $1,000. Separate awards cover technical computing in MATLAB and Title 1 schools.
Modeling an open-ended problem in one stretch is a different skill from solving contest problems, and placing means a team’s whole paper held up against hundreds of others: 795 teams registered in 2023. The finalist round, with an in-person presentation to professional mathematicians, is the strongest signal on the ladder.
A finalist or honorable mention shows a team can build and defend a mathematical model of a real problem.
Prizes Offered
Champion: $20,000 team award
Runner Up: $15,000 team award
M3 Challenge Semi-finalist: six team awards of $1,500
M3 Challenge Honorable Mention: 19 team awards of $1,000
Certificates for all participants
SPARK Winner: $3,000 team scholarship
SPARK Runner-Up: $2,000 team scholarship
SPARK Third Place: $1,000 team scholarship
MATLAB Technical Computing Winner: $3,000 team award
MATLAB Technical Computing Runner Up: $2,000 team award
MATLAB Technical Computing Third Place: $1,000 team award
Outstanding Communication of Results Award: $500 team scholarship award
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