EuroMCM

Contest Instructions

The European Mathematical Contest in Modelling (EuroMCM)® is a prestigious international competition designed to enhance students' mathematical modelling skills, problem-solving abilities, and written communication. Teams collaborate to develop solutions to real-world challenges using mathematical principles. Below are the detailed rules, registration process, and guidelines for participation.

2026 Contest Schedule

  • Registration Opens: 10:00 CET on Monday, 1 September 2025
  • Registration Deadline: 17:00 CET on Tuesday, 24 March 2026 (48 hours before the contest starts)
  • Contest Begins: 17:00 CET on Thursday, 26 March 2026
  • Contest Ends: 20:00 CET on Monday, 30 March 2026
  • Solution Submission Deadline: 21:00 CET on Monday, 30 March 2026
  • Results Announcement: By 31 May 2026

Contest Rules and Guidelines

I. Participants and Advisors

1. Team Composition:

  • Teams may consist of up to three students currently enrolled at the same or different educational institutions.
  • Students from any department or programme are eligible (undergraduate, postgraduate, or secondary school).
  • Each student may participate in only one team.

2. Advisor Role:

  • Advisors must be affiliated with the institution of at least one team member.
  • Advisors act as the primary contact for the team and may register multiple teams.
  • Advisors do not need to be from the mathematics department.

3. Institution Eligibility:

  • Team members must be affiliated with recognised educational institutions (not tutoring services or STEM learning centres).

II. Registration and Payment

1. Registration Fee:

  • €80 per team. Payment must be made via Stripe.
  • Supported payment methods: Card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and others), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Bancontact, iDEAL, Klarna, Link, MobilePay, PayPal, and Revolut Pay.
  • Important: Do not share the payment link with anyone to prevent potential fraud. We are not responsible for any registration or payment failures caused by using an incorrect Stripe payment link.

2. Registration Process:

  • Step 1: Advisors register via the contest registration page using a valid email address.
  • Step 2: Teams are officially registered upon receiving a control number.
  • Step 3: Team members may be assigned after registration.

3. Team Information:

  • We strongly recommend filling out the team information (Team Category & Members) as soon as possible after registering the team.
  • You can modify the team information and save changes at any time, but no modifications are allowed within 48 hours before the contest.
  • Once the contest starts, you may only remove team members who did not participate, with the unanimous consent of the entire team.

Need help? Check our Registration Walkthrough.

III. Team Categories

  • Undergraduate Category: Teams where all members are undergraduate students.
  • Secondary School Category: Teams where all members are secondary school students.
  • Postgraduate Category: Teams where at least one member is a postgraduate student.
  • Judging: All categories will be judged separately, with the same problems but potentially different requirements and evaluation criteria.

IV. Awards and Designations

After the contest results are announced, all participants, including advisors and students, will receive a Certificate of Participation. See Awards and Designations for details.

  • Certificates: Advisors can download and print their team's certificates here.
  • Result Levels: Golden Laureate Medal (exemplary), Gold Medal (excellent), Silver Medal (strong analysis), Bronze Medal (competent), Successful Participant (minimum standard), and Unqualified (below requirements).
  • Category-Specific Judging: Results for the High School, Undergraduate, and Postgraduate categories will be judged separately.
  • Special Awards: Include two General Problem Awards and seven Specialized Problem Awards.
  • Scholarships: The top three teams will each receive an EuroMCM scholarship of €1000 (9:1 student-advisor ratio).

V. Solution Submission

1. Submission Deadline:

  • All work must stop by 20:00 CET on 30 March 2026.
  • Submissions must be received by 21:00 CET on 30 March 2026.

2. Submission Methods:

3. File Requirements:

  • Papers must be submitted as a PDF file in English, using a clear and readable font of at least 12-point size. The paper must not exceed 25 pages.
  • File name must be the nine-digit team control number (e.g., 000000000.pdf).
  • File size must be less than 20MB.

4. Content Requirements:

  • The first page must be the summary sheet.
  • Each page must include the team control number and page number in the header.
  • No identifying information may appear in the submission.

VI. AI Usage Policy

EuroMCM allows responsible AI use but requires full transparency. While AI can assist with structuring and editing, teams must disclose its role to ensure integrity. Human creativity remains vital, and overreliance on AI for modelling, coding, or data interpretation poses risks.

  • Teams must disclose any use of AI tools in their submission, specifying the model used and its purpose.
  • AI-generated content must be verified for accuracy and originality.
  • A separate one-page 'Report on the Use of AI' must be appended at the end of the submission PDF (this does not count towards the 25-page limit).

VII. Submission Rights

  • The submission and all associated publication rights become the property of the EuroMCM Committee.
  • The EuroMCM Committee may use, edit, excerpt, and publish the submission for promotional or academic purposes without compensation of any kind.
  • The Committee reserves the right to use names of team members, advisors, and institutions in contest-related materials, without further notification, permission, or compensation.
  • All images and figures must be either created by the team or properly cited.
  • All direct quotations must be properly identified and cited.

VIII. After the Contest

  • Advisors can verify submission status 24-48 hours after the contest ends.
  • Results will be published on the contest website by 31 May 2026.

Important Notes

  • Time Zone: All times are in Central European Time (CET).
  • Disqualification: Teams violating contest rules may be disqualified or have their award level reduced.
  • Follow Updates: Follow @EuroMCM on X for real-time updates and announcements.