Competition

MATHCOUNTS Competition Series

MATHCOUNTS Foundation

Recognition Per the official 2026 National Competition Fact Sheet: nine top national competitors share $44,000 in college scholarships. National Champion receives the $20,000 Donald G. Weinert Scholarship; Countdown Round Runner-Up $7,500; two Countdown Round Semifinalists $3,000 each; Written Competition Champion $2,500; the four members of the 1st-place team $2,000 each.
Deadline ~Dec 15, 2025 Estimated; confirm on sponsor site

MATHCOUNTS Competition Series is a national, in-person math competition open to U.S. students in grades 6-8 (middle school only), run in four progressive levels (school, chapter, state, and national), each featuring Sprint, Target, Team, and optional Countdown rounds. Top state-level performers advance to the RTX MATHCOUNTS National Competition, where top individual and team competitors win college scholarships.

Eligibility

Grade levels
Middle school
Citizenship
U.S. student, defined as one who attends a school in a U.S. state or territory, or an overseas school affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense or State Department Office of Overseas Schools
Fields of study
Mathematics

Application requirements

  • School representative or parent/guardian registers online during the registration window: A teacher, administrator, or parent volunteer (with school permission) registers school-based competitors online; for non-school competitors (NSCs), a parent/guardian registers after confirming the student's school will not register or support participation.
  • Pay the applicable per-student registration fee by the relevant deadline tier: Fee tier (Early Bird/Regular/Late) depends on submission date; NSC registration must be completed online with a credit card. Title I schools receive a 50% discount.
  • Coach receives School Competition Kit and prepares students using official MATHCOUNTS materials: Kits (including the School Handbook) ship on a rolling basis mid-August through late January; the School Competition is typically administered in January.
  • Coach completes the Competitor Roster on the Coach Dashboard before the Chapter Competition: Required before the local coordinator's specific chapter competition date; up to 14 competitors per school (4 team+individual, 10 individual-only).
  • Compete at the Chapter (local) Competition, held Feb 1-28: Top scorers (including NSCs, who advance individually) qualify for the State Competition; no additional fee required to advance.
  • Advance to State Competition (Mar 1-31) and, if a top-4 state finisher, the National Competition (May): Top 4 individuals per state/territory (including NSCs) earn an all-expenses-paid trip to the RTX MATHCOUNTS National Competition.

Verified Jul 8, 2026 · View official source